On a rocky coral stretch of coastline, with a view of the endless blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean, the largest houseless encampment sits largely unnoticed. The homes are a mishmash of tents, tarps, wood pallet walls and garbage bags, held together with bungee cords and tape. Hard packed dirt paths crisscross throughout the camp, surrounded on either side by the shelters and tall grass. The Bush has been around for over seven years and currently has approximately 300 houseless residents. The local term is “houseless” rather than “homeless.” Going through The Bush, it was easy to see why. These people had homes, not the best homes but they had the place to stay and live. Even through they lacked traditional house, it was still a home. Hopefully they are temporary before they find better homes. The Inn Hawaii team visited The Bush with a group from the outreach group Partners in Development, a group that runs a preschool for children who live in the encampment. There was no preschool on the day that we showed up; Partners in Development was on spring break like Western is, but that didn’t stop some of the workers from volunteering to come out with us and show us around The Bush. A group of us went through the camp to give out hygiene bags that we had packed at a church the previous day. The bags were simple, containing toilet paper, soap, toothpaste and brush, and a granola bar. The bags were important, not just for the utilitarian needs that we were meeting, but as ways to begin conversations with the people we gave them to. We went through the camp, greeting people who we came across and calling out to shelters that we passed. We’d give them the bags, offer them prayer and invite them to a lunch that we were serving at the entrance of the camp. We worked with two people from a local church to make burritos and give them to anybody who came out. We offered them to stick around and talk while they ate. Afterward, we went back into the camp and handed out the burritos that were left over. The first time we went, two volunteers from Partners in Development accompanied us. The second time, a camp resident called Shorty gave us the tour. Shorty took us on the paths, said hello to people she knew, and told us about the history and problems of the camp. Many of the residents there look out for each other. Volunteer residents police the camp, trying to keep the houses and other residents safe and trying to keep drugs out of the camp. It’s a difficult job; dealers live in the camp and some of the residents chose to live in the camp because of their addictions, Shorty said. She also said that the camp might not be around much longer; its lease is running out in two years. If it’s not renewed before that, the residents will have to leave, as had happened to many other camps. The message of the day was, in many ways, bleak. But there were many encouraging things about it too. Nearly everybody was friendly and open. They greeted us warmly, accepted food and prayer, and only took what they needed, leaving enough for others. One of the goals of the day was to get a chance to talk to the residents and get a chance to hear their stories. It’s a way to open the door to talking about God with them, even if it’s just being and example of Him. Giving them a chance to share also lets them teach us. We learn from them and their experiences as we learn to share the love of God with them. The purpose of the trip is to build relationships with God in mind, and this provided a good opportunity to. The Book of Hebrews tells us to go outside to our comfort zones to spread the Word to the people there. “Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured.” 13:12-13. The “outside the camp” in this case was inside another camp, but that is where we were called today to share the love of Jesus. - John
