My Prayer Letter to GCC

To my brothers and sisters at Grace Community Church:

It has been almost a year and a half since I left you all to deepen my faith and knowledge in Jesus Christ in California. Since June 2008 I have been searching for the next step God has for me and I would love to share it with you!

The last Sunday I was with you the family that works with Mission Data International was telling us about what they have been doing. When I went home my grandparents, Al and Suzanne Chrysler, suggested that I use M-DAT to look for a ministry that God may be calling me to. The first ministry I found was called the Center for Student Missions. As I read about this ministry that brings students to urban areas to help the poor and needy I knew I did not need to look any further. I applied for a position with CSM in October, interviewed in November and was asked to join the Los Angeles CSM team in December.

The Center for Student Missions has set up contacts in each urban area they serve in and puts together an itinerary for the student groups that come to the base. I will be a City Host and my job will be to lead morning devotions, introduce the groups to the ministries and people we will be serving, being the liaison between the group and a ministry, and leading evening discussions/debriefs.

I will be living in the CSM Los Angeles base, just south of downtown, in the area that used to be known as South Central. This is the same place where the groups will be staying and where CSM LA's offices are. Anyone familiar with South Central will know it does not have a good reputation. One of the goals of CSM LA is to be part of the community we are in. We plan on reaching out to our neighbors and inviting them in to our facility so that our community will see what it is to be a true Christian.

While with CSM I hope to learn more about urban ministries, leading youth mission trips, homelessness, and other cultures in the city. I hope to grow in my faith by willingly stepping out daily into a dangerous place. By trusting God for my safety and trusting in His will not my own. I hope to grow in my compassion for others and the willingness to serve those who I may not want to.

I would ask for your prayers for my time with CSM. First for protection. While I am (probably naively) not worried about living and working in Los Angeles it is hard to convince the parents of youth that they will be safe while with CSM. Second for wisdom. Besides staying in San Diego for the last year and a half I haven't lived in a city with more than 100,000 people since I was 4. I will be entering a culture that I am not very familiar with. Third for endurance and patience. I have been told to expect to be working six days a week with a 24 hour break between groups. Also most groups are expected to be composed of junior high students, who usually are in awkward and unsure stages in their lives.

As always I want to thank you for the support you have already given me. I know I would not be the woman I am today without you, my family, at Grace Community.

In Christ,
Suzette