Although Biola is now half an hour away from the heart of Los Angeles, S.A.Y. Yes! seeks to build on the hopes of its founders. For almost 10 years, they have partnered with Central East Community Organization’s after school program, Saving America’s Youth, on Skid Row. Ministry leader Rebecca Johnson, a junior sociology and English major, explained the ministry’s main activities.

“We have a group go down every day of the week. So there’s about four or five Biola students on Skid Row,” Johnson said, noting the 25-30 students in the ministry. “We tutor the kids, make dinners for them and basically serve the ministry in any way they need us.”

Sometimes, this service comes in simply organizing closets of clothes clothes to be donated or other simple tasks.

Ministering and building relationships with kids

Sometimes the ministry even brings the kids to Biola’s campus. During the fall semester, they take them to Alpha Hall’s Candyland and they host a sleepover in the spring. Johnson described seeing their joy at being able to experience a break from their lives on Skid Row and enjoy their childhood as one of her favorite parts of the club.

Kaitlyn Blum, a fifth-year nursing major who has been involved with S.A.Y. Yes! since her sophomore year, said her favorite part was building the relationships with the children she meets.

“The kids have been the best part,” Blum said. “There are a lot of kids that have been there since I’ve started. Building those relationships has been huge.”

Despite the relationships made and seeing the joy of the children, working with S.A.Y. Yes! can have a discouraging emotional toll.

Freshman communications major Catherine Dinius sees the difference in lifestyle between her and the kids, especially with their innocence and naiveté.

“Your heart breaks for them,” Dinius said.  “You want to change them and take them all home to give them better lives. But you can’t because there’s so many of them.”

"You have to think you can only do small steps."

Freshman Lauren Garchow, whose major is undeclared, agrees that it is hard to let go when knowing she knows they can only do so much.

“You want to get so involved in their lives and change their circumstances altogether,” Garchow said. “But you have to think you can only do small steps.”

Johnson also feels the discouragement in seeing the enormity of problems and not seeing the fruits of their work right away, but has learned to be patient in God’s timing.

“It might be years before we see the changes down there,” she said. “It’s helpful to remember the truth that God uses whatever we have, even when it’s not immediately evident.”