Tag Archives: Mika
Caring for the Bruised and the Broken… | Mika Community Development
“The compassionate life is the life in which we believe that strength is hidden in weakness and that true community is a fellowship of the weak.” (H. Nouwen)
We live in a society that tends to discard things that are slightly faulty. Our thriving thrift stores, yard sales around every corner, and bursting garages are a clear witness of this. Perhaps the ease with which we discard damaged belongings is connected to the plethora of options we have to replace those broken goods. Many of us lack the time and patience to fix a damaged good, and would rather add another ‘Made in China’ product to our possessions. After all, those imports are as cheap as chips!
Sadly, this attitude is often used towards people. High divorce rates are an indication of this. Rife homelessness is another sign. The recent proposed cuts in government spending by slashing government programs that serve the elderly and the poor, yet another. Why invest in a troubled marriage with so many fish out in the great big sea? Why spend time with a broken human being who wasn’t strong enough to keep up with today’s world and its demands? And the elderly and the poor? Come on now, millionaires and billionaires need to be our priority as they are the ones who create the jobs after all!
One might argue, discarding a broken object and turning our back on those who need us most are altogether different. But you see, in essence they are not. To discard someone because of their inability to make us happy, their apparent woundedness, or because of the burden they have become, is very similar to piling up our garages with old couches, broken furniture, and faulty bikes. We are just ridding ourselves of that which does not benefit our needs, our interests, us anymore. The only difference lies in that our old couch was man made; the poor, the old, the broken remain children of God, created in His image.
The other difference is that I doubt God spends much time crying over a discarded couch, but His heart breaks in a way that we can never fully fathom for the destitute whom we have likewise discarded. The Bible is stained with His tears, heavy with His righteous anger over such injustices. Dismissing someone purely because of their brokenness, regardless of its shape and form, is not what our Savior taught us and lived out through His own life amongst us and so, since when have we become so flippant about bartering obedience and love with ruthless power and greed?
I use ‘we’ to include myself. I am not particularly fond of self-righteousness. But then, neither do I want to communicate that, around me, all I know are materialist, greedy, unloving, and selfish fellow human beings. That would be a lie. These last few weeks, I have been sharing about a local non-profit, Mika Community Development Corporation, that works with low-income Latino immigrants in Costa Mesa. Immigrants are frequently termed as quite the costly, inconvenient burden, which is why I was drawn to Mika’s work and mission. So far, I have shared photos of neighbors from three communities. Today, I share photos from the last neighborhood, Baker Street, Mika’s most recent addition to the communities that it is so committed to help out of poverty, dependence, and stigma.
I recently joined Walter Garcia, Mika’s neighborhood advisor for Baker Street, and listened and observed as he talked with neighbors who want to make a change in their community, and who are being empowered to do so on their own terms and through their own strengths, skills, gifts, and abilities. Precious wealth is often hidden behind the mask of weakness. If only we didn’t find weakness so repulsive…
Originally from Guatemala, Walter has been on staff with Mika for the last three and a half years, and has been pivotal in gaining the trust of city officials, police officers, and other community agency leaders in Costa Mesa. His Bachelor’s degree in Human Development has equipped Walter with an understanding of what it takes to motivate underserved people to recognize their leadership abilities and prompt the change and growth needed and desired in their communities.
One of the families of Baker Street that is involved in Mika’s neighborhood development program.
Although most of the neighborhood leaders in all four communities are women, Mika has seen an increasing interest expressed by the men of these communities. Men and women are taking on leadership roles within their neighborhoods and becoming much-needed role models for the youth and children amongst them. One example would be Luis and Lydia, a married couple who, a few months ago, decided that it was time for Luis to give up his second job and join his wife in mentoring young couples in the Baker neighborhood. The couple has participated in Mika’s Healthy Marriage courses and is now leading a Healthy Marriage initiative for all of Mika’s four neighborhoods.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
Letting in the Light | Mika Community Development
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Jesus in Matthew 25)
There are days when I knock on heaven’s door and all I hear is the knock echoing back. Then there are those other days when it is as if the Father anticipates my desperate visit, and my knocking brings Him running to the door. Today was one of those days.
Reading the news this morning left me sadder, more angry and frustrated than I have in the last couple of weeks. Nothing new made the headlines, but as I read of the continued unrest in the Middle East and the violence triggered by the genial decision of a Floridian Pastor to set Islam’s holy book on fire, I felt wearier than I would have liked to feel after a good night sleep. When will Your light and love heal such intense brokenness, I asked of God.
Later in the day, I joined the Mika team for a wine-tasting fundraising event. As I have shared in previous blog posts over the last couple of weeks, Mika Community Development Corporation is a small non-profit that works with low-income Latino immigrants in four neighborhoods in the city of Costa Mesa. After allowing the guests to savor the delectable wines and appetizers, Crissy Brooks, Mika’s Director, talked briefly on what fuels their work: God’s command to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8). And, to act justly and to love mercy requires that we first commune with those against whom injustice is done. For how can we bring justice and show mercy to them, unless we first truly understand and closely witness the injustices carried out against them? How can we speak of their injustices if our hearts are yet to be burdened by them?
A brief message, but God needs not many words to speak to my heart. There and then, that door I anxiously knocked on this morning opened, and the Father reminded me that He would never fail to heal if only we paused to love those around us; to share His love with those who need it most. Many find it easy to ‘love’ from afar. Our relief and development aid funds have earned us the reputation of a mightily generous people. Yet, showing compassion and expressing genuine love and respect is much harder to do face to face than with thousands of miles standing between them and us. We would be fools to believe that our monetary donations are tantamount to true compassion, for compassion can never be bought with money, but is rather instilled as we come along the poor and increased as our lives become intertwined with theirs.
At Mika they do that well. Humbly, simply, but well. Rain or shine, they walk alongside their neighbors, with compassion and a love that deepen and become more resilient with the years. Like I have done in past weeks, I would love to share photos of the people Mika works so closely with. This week I share from the Maple Avenue neighborhood, where I spent time with the children during their after-school program, and with the adults during a Neighborhood Action Committee meeting. I was also able to visit some of neighborhood leaders in their homes, allowing me a more intimate look into their lives. All along, I was trusted because I came with their beloved friends.
Maple’s Learning Center on Maple Avenue is used for an after-school program and neighborhood leaders meetings on a weekly basis.
***Mika’s work can be read about in further detail on www.mikacdc.org. The new website is still under construction, to be launched next month.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
Hope on Center Street | Mika Community Development
“Poverty does not only consist of being hungry for bread, but rather it is a tremendous hunger for human dignity” (Mother Theresa)
This is Facia, a single mother of three boys and one of Mika’s key neighborhood leaders on Center Street. The passion and vision she has for her neighborhood are infectious, and my conversation with her – besides making me regret not knowing Spanish better – left me wondering why I don’t talk of my neighbors or my neighborhood the way she does. Facia’s commitment to bringing positive solutions to the issues that her low-income neighborhood is facing is undeniable, not only through her words but most of all through her actions.
For the last five years, Facia has been working with Mika staff and fellow neighbors to instill transformation and empowerment into the people of Center Street. She has participated in city meetings, planned community events, spoken to university classes, and been a key decision-maker in neighborhood planning – all because she has been acknowledged as a leader and empowered to identify her community’s needs and desires. Today, Facia is only one of many neighbors who actively participate in Center Street’s Neighborhood Action Committee (NAC), a group of neighbors who, together with Mika, identify, design, fund, implement, and evaluate sustainable neighborhood initiatives.
When the neighbors on Center Street began dreaming about what their neighborhood needed, a community center seemed to be a great desire for many; a safe place where children could get help with their homework, where adults could be educated on health and local resources, and where all could gather together as a community. And so the committee set out to search for both a location and the necessary funding to open a community center. After several months, during which parents volunteered their homes for in-home tutoring groups, the committee together with Mika opened the Centro de Esperanza, Vision hacia el Futuro (Hope Center, a Vision for our Future). In another couple of months, the floors were replaced, the walls were painted, and the Hope Center opened its doors to the community.
After school, K-12 students get assistance with their homework from tutors who fully volunteer their time. When not used for their children’s academic enrichment, the neighborhood leaders maximize the space available to them for their own growth and education. They have initiated ESL courses, health education classes, physical exercise classes, and healthy marriage classes.
In addition, evening meetings are held at the center by the NAC to discuss plans for the future of their neighborhood.
From its very beginning, the Hope Center has modeled the true interdependence of Center Street’s community. On their own, one person could not have accomplished this vision, but together the neighbors were able to dream big and see that dream fulfilled. Each year the neighbors take on an increasingly larger portion of the funding and actively participate in the operation of the center. Dignified, they are able to invest in what their community needs the most.
***Mika’s work can be read about in further detail on www.mikacdc.org. The new website is still under construction, to be launched next month.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
Act. Love. Walk. | Mika Community Development Corporation.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
The Newport-Mesa area in Orange County is an area that has always triggered mixed emotions. Having worked there for almost a year, I can definitely appreciate its nice restaurants, its busy pubs, its luxurious marinas, and its natural beauty, the area being so close to the ocean. Yet, the distinct divide between the wealthy and the poor that I have so often observed as I have ventured out into the area’s diverse neighborhoods has left me perplexed, troubled, and burdened by the deep lack experienced by so many whilst others live in great excess.
For the past few months, my fiancée has been interning at a small non-profit based in Costa Mesa: Mika Community Development Corporation. Their work and mission immediately drew me to them, as it seemed that their heart had been broken for things similar to what had been breaking mine. In a nutshell, Mika’s focus is on loving those neighbors that many find it difficult to truly love. And because true love empowers, strengthens, and heals, these neighbors have been able to shine and to set off much needed transformation in their communities.
Founded in 2003, Mika’s founders and its current team believe that Costa Mesa’s social issues need to be addressed locally, and this by acknowledging and involving not only the rich but most especially the poor. Over the last years, Mika’s staff has developed and invested in relationships with neighbors in four low-income communities residing on Shalimar Drive, Center Street, Maple Avenue, and Baker Avenue. Their work is mostly focused on Neighborhood Development and Youth Development, with Mika’s broader mission being to identify and equip leaders in low-income neighborhoods to build communities with VISION…
- Vision: neighbors share and agree on a desired future for their community
- Interdependent Relationships with God and Each Other: neighbors support one another in all facets of life: spiritually, emotionally, socially, and economically
- Servant Leadership: leaders are committed to serve, listen, trust, collaborate, and empower other neighbors to serve effectively
- Impact: neighbors identify, design, fund, manage and evaluate sustainable initiatives that transform their community
- Organization: neighbors have established efficient and effective local systems and structures to reach their shared goals and vision
- Networks: neighbors collaborate with public and private partners from inside and outside the community to maximize the impact of their initiatives
A few weeks ago, Mika trusted me with the redesigning of their website, which I am doing in tandem with building a new photo portfolio of the neighborhoods they work in. The main focus of my work has been to communicate Mika’s mission and vision as clearly as possible, with the desire that more will be drawn to their work, and to partner with Mika in however ways they are able to. As I captured these images with my camera, I yearned to communicate the beauty that is found amongst much hardship, the familiarity that can be experienced amongst those most unknown to us, and the close-knit community that is formed when strength lies not in living alone but in living peacefully with others, walking together towards a common good.
Today I share some photos taken on Shalimar Drive, where I spent a few hours getting to know the neighbors Mika has been working with over the last few years. The next few weeks will feature faces from the other three neighborhoods.
The Shalimar neighborhood is comprised of three streets that are blocked off on three sides, creating a safe atmosphere for children and youth to interact and play. These boys, first generation Americans of Latino immigrant families, were more than keen to be photographed; a great way to break the ice!
The neighborhood’s park, once used by drug users and gangs, has recently been returned to the children of Shalimar. Together with Mika, the neighbors were able to meet with the Parks and Recreation Department to ask for support in upgrading and remodeling the park.
Recently, the neighbors planted a community garden behind the park that encourages families and generations to work together and provide vegetables for individuals and families in need.
While the neighborhood is still fighting a reputation of crime and violence, a new history is being written, one telling of neighbors working together. Shalimar’s weekly block party is one event that clearly witnesses this. This block party allows for families to cook and sell food, allowing for another source of family income. And the food is good!
Two of Mika’s seven staff members live on Shalimar Drive. Their presence in the neighborhood speaks not only of their personal commitment to their neighbors, but also of their willingness to experience at first hand the neighborhood’s hardships and needs.
***Mika’s work can be read about in further detail on www.mikacdc.org. The new website is still under construction, to be launched next month.
Story by Nathalie Borg Seale | Photos by Joshua Seale
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