by Chris Rayyan

Last month, a group of about thirty Orthodox Christians and I were given the opportunity to participate in an Orthodox Youth Outreach program in Phoenix, Arizona. Although about half of the members on the trip were native to the Phoenix metropolitan areas, all were asked upon arriving to make a promise to themselves that on the trip, they would each attempt to embrace the city of Phoenix without any preconceived notions, as though it contained a life unknown and undiscovered; a task, which for many, was easier than anticipated.

The duration of our trip was spent staying at, and working hand-in-hand with, the Phoenix Dream Center- a faith based center that strives to rehabilitate those who have fallen through intense care (spiritual, as well as physical and emotional). Upon arriving at the center, we were given the opportunity to do what most of use neglect to do on a regular basis..we were asked to listen. We each listened to the stories of six remarkable individuals that had been staying at the center, each of which were burdened with the memories of once having lived in a Godless manner. They told us about their childhood, their schooling, their personal demons, the gradual events that led them to their current state.they told us about life beyond the corridors of the Christian communities most of us had spent the majority of our lives dwelling within. During that hour, those six individuals relived some of the most horrendous occurrences within each of their lives; ranging from drug addictions, to prostitution, to molestations. But the most remarkable thing, what pretty much instilled an overwhelming amount of hope within each of us truly "listening" that day, was witnessing to what followed afterwards. Each of those speakers shared with us just how God saved each of them, and how He continues to aid them in all that they do as they go about reconstructing the broken pieces of their lives. Literally every other sentence that came out of these individuals was used to praise God and thank him for all that He had done in their lives, some even grateful for the experiences they had endured due to it all resulting in them finally finding Christ. Those six individuals expressed their utmost devotion and zealous love for God in one of the most inspirational moments of my life; each of us left that meeting that day humbled, rejuvenated, and most importantly, inspired.

As we carried out the planned events, little by little the stereotypes that had encompassed the daily occurrences of our lives were being shattered. Each of us on that trip was put in a situation in which we were put face to face with an individual that society deemed "inferior" and "unworthy". With each step in downtown Phoenix, the real world was becoming more and more apparent as the sins of a fallen city became manifested. However, with each breath our faith grew stronger as we also came face to face with Christ on those same streets, serving as the only means of hope in that fallen city. I recall a moment that I had while talking to an individual we had found on the street where, for perhaps the first "true" time, I was able to look beyond the shaggy clothes and society's assigned label, but rather look in his eyes and see him simply as an image of Christ.

By the end of the trip, after having seen, heard and experiencing all that we had, looking through the streets and witnessing the number of impoverished individuals was no longer a statistic, but rather a tragedy that needed to be acknowledged and dealt with. Over the span of those three days, I widened the depth of my faith more so than on any other "typical" weekend. I was able to see a city that I had grown up in in a completely different light, but more importantly, I came to the realization that there is still so much needed to be done with the world and that it will take as many devout Christians possible to bring us out of the darkness that we, as an entity, drown ourselves within. I would recommend OYO to anyone willing to venture out into unknown spiritual territories and witness what life should be about, and how God actively works in among us each and every day.

-Chris Rayyan