You are the solution!

You are the solution!

We moved to Las Vegas in June of 2015 due to my husband receiving military orders to Nellis AFB.  To say the very least, I wasn’t happy about it at all.  I didn’t think it would be a good place to raise a family.  I was assuming it would be very materialistic, shallow, and centered on a self-serving mentality.  I tried very hard to be positive and God was trying to encourage me, sending many messengers to me with words of encouragement and affirmation that God had plans for me in Vegas.

So, two months after receiving those orders we arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Honestly, the worst move I ever have experienced.  If it could go wrong, it did.  It was almost funny at times.  We made it through and all grew in the process but there was a lot of fear fighting.  And there was an abundance of old and new fear combining as one.

When a military member joins a new unit, they are typically briefed about their new surroundings.  In Vegas part of that briefing was focused on the huge gang problem the valley was facing.  There were reported over 20,000 gang members in the valley.  Many of these gangs fled from L.A.  I knew those statistics before moving here but there was something about my husband being briefed that in the military that added another level of concern for my family, my kids.  Additionally, the base is in one of the worse areas in the valley, so I was told.  There were reports of violence and sounds of gun-fire daily.  The news did nothing but reinforce my growing fears. It seemed as if nowhere in the valley was truly safe…violence knows no boundaries. 

While sitting in holding (we were in a temporary living facility on base without cable or internet…but plenty of cockroaches…for two months), I kept asking myself “what can I do to help this gang problem?  How can I help reach them?”.  I wasn’t sure at first, my thoughts jumped around searching for a realistic, achievable solution.  I searched on the internet looking for what is already being done and I was surprised and disappointed that it was so difficult to find ministries, outreach, etc. standing up to help this epidemic.

Then my thoughts started to organize, aligning my education and past experiences to narrow down a solution.  We need to reach out to the whole community through empowerment and encouragement.  One person can make such a huge difference.  Many people don’t believe that to be true but it is.  There are over 2 million people here in the valley as of 2014.  There are so many more of us who want to be safe, happy and healthy than there are those who are enslaved in a gang mentality.  I’m certain that at a minimum, one quarter of the valleys population is comprised of friendly, honest, nice people who would love to see healing and freedom in their community. 

It all starts with you.

So you ask, “what can I possibly do?”.

Simply: observe, extend, and encourage.

Yesterday I was walking my children to school and I observed an overweight boy who stood a good distance away from the pack of other middle schoolers waiting for the bus. Each day, I notice that he struggles with walking to the bus stop and then keeps himself separate.  He avoids eye contact and typically has his face down.

I observed that he might be hurting, he might feel rejected, he might feel like he doesn’t belong.  I extend out a simple smile and hello.  Most days he ignores me but I persist.  I know how such a small gesture can mean so much, even if we don’t show it or even know it.  I hope some day I can speak some encouragement over this young man.

We all have our own history, our own pain, our own stories that makes us perfect for lifting up others.  If we move past ourselves and offer and lift up to others it can make a world of difference.

   

We know that kids who are struggling in life turn to gangs.  It could be struggling with fitting it, not feeling supported at home, not succeeding at school, struggling with not being financially secure…the reasons go on and on.  Gangs offer a false sense of security, belonging, power, purpose, identity, and sometimes wealth. The problem is they are ALL false. I believe that if our communities would focus more on helping rather than being offended, looking out for #1, and rushing through our lives we would see these problems fade away.  Both sides: gangs and those fighting against gangs are operating most of the time with a fear mentality.  We can’t fight fear with fear.  We can’t fight violence with violence.   We can only fight violence and fear with love, grace, acceptance, and forgiveness.