Simeon Barwick - STUMP 2009

STUMP. Was. Amazing. There is no other way to really describe it. It had everything one could ask for when serving for a week in Surry Hills: Love, Joy, Sadness, Drugs...and a home-made gypsy tent.

During the course of the week, we learnt to love on the community and on each other. We spent so much time in the community that we formed friendships which some of us are growing outside of STUMP. We also learnt how to love on the other team members, including those on the EDIFY internship. We became like a family, forged through common experience, a love for each other and the community and a desire to see the community member's lives being enriched everyday.

Joy was something that I know I experienced everyday, just knowing that I could be making a difference in someone's life. Even though a lot of the stuff I did was either disgusting or made me uncomfortable, I did it all with a smile on my face. I grew closer to God throughout the week, and I know that it was Him that gave me the joy in my heart, both then and now.

The Street Walk, which we did on Wednesday night, was confronting to say the least. I felt incredible sadness seeing all of these people, normal by any other standard except that they live on the streets and may have addictions. I was at a loss for words (which for anyone who knows me is hard to believe) at the poverty in Sydney, a city of world standing. We met a homeless guy, with a wicked sense of humour, even when he stepped on a rat, and in the shadow of St. Mary's Cathedral, one of the most majestic buildings in the city, was a coffee van serving this bloke and other homeless people. I was almost in tears at the splendour of the building above us, yet the seeming lack of funds to give these humans, children of God, a room and a decent meal everyday. It is a picture that haunts me still.

We were smashed everyday...on Christian Drugs: Prayer, Community and the Word of God. It was awesome to be so totally immersed in a community of such strong Christians, but every STUMP is different, but the people you do it with make it really enjoyable.

Oh yeah, and that gypsy tent...it's generally not a good idea to leave a group of young people and a pile of sheets together in the one room :P

I would recommend this experience to everyone and anyone...it simply ruined my life, now I am actively trying to serve others, not myself, and I'm loving it!!!

• Tags: 

• community,
• friendship,
• poverty