SMI Student Blog
Browse the SMI Student Blog Posts
The blog entries below were submitted by past participants of the SMI program during their time in Philadelphia. There are also some yearly recaps from our Summer Program Director.
Unqualified for Missions
From left to right: Nadeen Kamel, Stephanie Ko, Brian Schonewald My name is Brian Schonewald, I am a second year medical student at Cooper Medical School and I am utterly unqualified for ministry. Since high school, I have known that God is calling me into...
Glass Shattered Streets
Glass Shattered Streets By Larissa Dean . Look around and you can see the pain. Where the greedy take and what’s left remains. On these glass shattered streets. . But on these glass shattered streets, there is beauty beneath. Life still rises from the cracks in...
Being Broken while Fixing the Brokenness
From the beginning, I thought SMI would be about me changing other people’s lives. Coming into Kensington, I’d imagined myself having the answers to the people’s spiritual questions, to teach the Scripture, and to share my testimony to convert the lost. In my own...
God in the Unexpected
What a day and what a God we serve. Admittedly, today did not start the way that I wanted. I doubt anybody’s version of a great morning is walking out to their car with a busted window and stolen items. Praise God that nothing valuable was stolen, but at the very...
From Bullet to Better
Kelsey walked down the street, saying, “We have an appointment today! We have to be at this lady's home at 10 am.” We walked up the stairs and knocked on Rosa’s* door. “Hola! Vengan aqui. Gracias por venir.” (Hello! Come in. Thanks for coming.) After her screen she...
A Letter to Heaven
Dear Heaven, Meeting you was the highlight of my day. After knocking on a row of unanswered doors, the sight of your sweet smile and sparkly eyes greeting us at the door of your babysitter’s home was refreshing. Thank you for acknowledging us. I enjoyed learning about...
Wounds
Sometimes it is visible. Sometimes it consumes the mind. Sometimes it is reflected in in their eyes. Through our door to door screenings, this mission trip has shown me painful stories and deep wounds. I saw the hurting gaze of a homeless man with an open wound...
Thought-provoking Quote
—Kelsey Kreyche SMI 2018
Beautiful Things Out of Dust
“Okay, which street should we do next?” I asked my partner, Miriam. “Let’s do this one,” Miriam said, pointing to the next block. As Miriam and I turned the street, we immediately saw an old lady sitting on her porch steps on the left side of the street. We approached...
Glimpses of the Creator
Everywhere I go today, I know there will be people. Particularly here in an urban setting, humanity is inescapable and that can make it seem ordinary – commonplace even. And perhaps because of this, it is all too easy to lose sight of the beauty, wonder, and...
My Grace is Sufficient
Something that I have consistently found when serving on missions trips is that God always uses the experience to mold and shape the Christian almost as much as (and sometimes more than) he uses the experience to benefit the community. I have been on several trips in...
All Brokenness Aside
If you could ask any member of my team what they would remember most about the weather of the first week and a half of SMI, I can almost guarantee that they would reply emphatically with one word: HOT. According to the Weather Channel app today the weather in North...
Grace Flows Down
I could tell endless stories of the names and faces I’ve met this week. I walked into Bethel Temple a week ago, carrying the weight of recent life events with very little idea of what I was getting myself into and the problems plaguing North Philadelphia. This area...
A Day of Door-to-Door
Friday, June 29th. We had a full day of Door-to-Door outreach ahead of us. We trekked along, soon to be covered in sweat. “Hi, would you be interested in a free health screening?" Over the many significant encounters with North Philly residents throughout the day, one...
SMI 2018: The First Three Days
When I arrived at the house on Allegheny St. on Saturday morning, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As soon as I opened the door, though, I already saw people bustling about the kitchen, organizing food supplies and utensils. This was going to be an industrious...