My Turn To Give Back

Photo by Jonathon Burgio

By Danielle Bruch

BreakOut 2010 - July 11-16 - was an outreach for five days on Buffalo’s West Side. Now in its 7^th year, Breakout mobilizes hundreds of community youth for the purpose of community revitalization projects including painting, roofing, and siding, as well as block party type activities for the whole family, and a clear gospel presentation.

Prince of Peace Church, located at Albany and Barton St. was command central for all neighborhood activities - unlike past years, where we moved to a new location each day, we decided it was time to duplicate the success of Buffalo ’s Extreme Home Makeover and concentrate on one neighborhood every day for the week. Our goal was to complete multiple projects and at the same time develop relationships with the people - we wanted to revitalize not only their street and homes, but their spirits as well. Our goal was to encourage hope and a new sense of community in Buffalo, For me that was the real key part of the week, spending time with the people and their families. We wanted to know peoples names and for them to know ours. Our desire was to share the love of Jesus not just for a few hours but for an entire week, and hopefully inspire others to continue doing the same after we leave. If every church, organization, business, and individual does a little bit, Buffalo can and will turn around. July 11-16 was our opportunity to give back. As predominately white suburban youth, it wasn’t about us coming to the city to make ourselves feel better. Rather it was about sharing the love that God has placed in our hearts for the people of Buffalo, specifically for the West Side. If thousands can come out when ABC came to town for last year’s Extreme Makeover, surely groups like ours can come out and continue giving back to our community even without the Hollywood hype. We recognize that the city is the core of our community, if the city prospers, everything around it prospers. If we can share the love of Jesus on the streets of Buffalo one week out of the year, that is what we are going to do.

Returning to the same neighborhood day after day made all the difference, opened many doors and best of all changed many lives.

I spent most of my time with the Vacation Bible School teaching young people the word of God. There were many kids that came to the program every day, resulting in the ability to build close relationships with the children. When I talked to them and showed them love, the joy on their faces was something that I will not forget. I pray for these kids a lot and really hope that they stay strong in the Lord, no matter what they may be going through.

Aside from my work daily in the Vacation Bible School, I enjoyed the ministry through street dramas and dance. Many responded to the invitation to follow Jesus resulting in over one hundred individuals committing their lives to follow Christ.

Churches involved this year included New Covenant Tabernacle (who hosted the teams overnight on their Tonawanda Campus), Northgate, the Tabernacle, LoveJoy and several others partnering together to spread the love of Christ to the West Side of Buffalo. Over 100 teens, leaders, friends and families worked together to complete 23 work projects during the week, with 4 homes receiving new roofs, 4 homes were sided, 12 homes painted, 3 porches were built, and gardens were planted. We also had a different street program each day, with a rap concert, neighborhood talent show, street sports (basketball, soccer & street hockey), drama team and a block party.

The morning “Power Sessions” at New Covenant Tabernacle prepared us before we went out and again after our work each day was completed. The worship was incredible and I felt so close to God. I could feel God’s presence emanating through the sanctuary. The worship leaders were truly amazing and there’s nothing like worshiping Jesus to prepare you for the battles ahead.

On Wednesday night, I went off to worship by myself, so I would not be distracted by friends. During worship, I immediately started weeping. I felt God whisper that He loves me and that I am loved. Even if the world shuns me and doesn’t accept me, He will never leave me because His love is unconditional. I felt the Lord right there, sitting next to me, with His arms hugging me. He said I was made exactly the way He wanted and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He was showing me only glimpses of what He has in store for me. My friend noticed me weeping and I told her what had happened. She felt I should share it with the group. I shared what God said to me with tears streaming down my cheeks. When I put the microphone back on the stage, my friends came up and hugged me. I truly did feel loved and extraordinary. The next day, one of my friend’s mothers told me that it was if I was speaking directly to her daughter. She thanked me for letting God speak through me. That was confirmation that I did the right thing and I felt truly blessed.

That is what is so remarkable about serving the Lord in this way. We spend the day serving, sharing the love of God with other people and then the Lord comes to minister to us.

I am always a little sad when Breakout comes to an end. I rejoice in what the Lord has done in and through us, but it’s hard to leave. Every year, I always make some new friends. Sometimes, I reconnect with friends I haven’t seen in a long time. But most of all, I don’t want to leave the children that I met at the site. I miss them already and it's only been a few days. I may never see them again, but I know that God has His hand upon them and that He will bless them. I feel happy and have a sense of peace knowing that he used a group of teens and families to demonstrate His love to so many needy people. God told us not to forsake the needy, the poor and the hungry. God was smiling a lot during BreakOut 2010 and that’s why I can’t wait until we can do it all again. Gob Bless.