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| Los Angeles Summer Staff Team 2008
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From left to right: Clairfoster Josiah Browne, Nenji Yilpit,
Mandi Groves, Associate City Directors Jonathan Liu and Jon Vales (in front of Jonathan),
LA City Director Rachel Hamilton, Becky Jenkinson, Stacey Thorp, Kendra Patton,
Owen Reinhardt, in front of Long Beach Rescue Mission
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From left to right: Owen, Kendra, Nenji, Mandi, Becky,
Stacey, CJ (Clair)
In front of mural painted by CJ at LA housing site!
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CJ Browne
CJ is from right here in Los Angeles! He attended the Media Art Academy in
Southern California and has used his artistic talent to create a couple of large murals at
the CSM LA housing site. CJ felt called to missions so he joined CSM in the spring of 2008
and decided to stay on for the summer. We are blessed to have him here in LA.
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Amanda Groves
Mandi was born and raised in Henderson, Kentucky. She is attending Judson
University in Elgin Illinois, majoring in Intercultural Youth Ministry. She has been on work mission trips
and relationship/evangelism mission trips to various places. Mandi has been working at Lakeview
Church in Northbrook Illinois for the past 4 semesters with an awesome group of kids and leaders.
At school she is involved in the RA ministry and the small group ministry. In her spare time, Mandi
loves to play guitar, write, talk to friends, sleep, and watch American Idol. She also loves soccer!
"My goal in working at CSM is to further my cultural knowledge, increase my experience in working
with youth, and see the hands and feet of Jesus at work. I chose LA because I have never been on
this side of the US. I am interested to learn about the culture of LA, and also to be challenged by how
God will use me in this ministry."
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Becky Jenkinson
Becky grew up in Oceanside, CA (north of San Diego). She is a junior at
California State University in San Marcos and is preparing to teach middle school someday. She
loves surfing and has experience as a synchronized swimmer! Becky's missions experience includes
numerous trips to Tecate, Mexico where her church has a sister church, as well as ministry to
homeless populations in Oceanside and San Diego. She's ministered with her church's junior and
senior high youth groups over the last four years, too. "I hope to learn about the cultures in
the city and to develop relationships. I look forward to helping the students connect to the city.
I don't know exactly what God has in store for me this summer, but I'm open to whatever he has."
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Kendra Patton
Kendra is from Lafayette, Indiana and is a senior at Anderson
University studying Social Work. She has been on a mission trip to Atlanta, Georgia
through Church on the Street. Kendra also served one full summer on an Indian Reservation
in Colorado and another in Daytona Beach, Florida. During the summers in Colorado and
Florida, her main job was to lead a mission trip for junior high and high school students,
working alongside them in the community. Kendra really enjoys playing intramural sports
through the university. She also likes to paint when she needs to focus and to dance
when she needs to re-energize. "I have a heart for the inner city and the people in it.
I love working with youth and their leaders to help open their eyes to a world that they
do not often get to see. If I can help them understand the injustices, then I have done my job."
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Owen Reinhardt
Owen grew-up in Redding, CA and recently graduated from Azusa Pacific
University, majoring in Christian Ministries. Owen means "Young Warrior," and he tries to
live up to his name. He has a passion for inner city and foreign missions and has been on
teams to San Francisco, Mexicali and Guadalajara, Mexico, and Lithuania. In 2007, Owen
spent four months studying abroad in Lithuania and one month traveling through Europe. He
has a passion for pastoral church ministry and has interned with youth and young adult
groups in Redding, Inland LA, and Seattle, WA. Owen enjoys listening to, watching, and
performing music, and has been playing the drums and singing for 10 years. His free time
is spent playing drums, hiking mountains, tossing Frisbee at the beach, being thrifty at
thrift stores, cooking something spicy, or groovy interpretive dancing. "This summer, I
am looking forward to learning about life in the inner-city, trying weird foods and
learning how become poor."
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Stacey Thorp
Stacey is from Camarillo, CA and is currently attending Point Loma
Nazarene University majoring in social work and minoring in Spanish. Her life has been
dramatically impacted by participating in short-term mission trips to Los Angeles, Mexico and
Peru. Stacey has experience working with junior high students through Awana clubs in her area
and can't wait to be working with teens again. In her free time she loves running and swimming,
attempting to surf, random art projects, and hanging out with friends and family. "I am thrilled
to be living in the city and learning side-by-side with students, sponsors, and staff about God's
heart for controversial issues. My hope is to uncover new truths each day and leave room in my
life for God to shape my perspective on the world around me."
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Nenji Yilpet
Nenji was born in Chicago, IL. At the age of nine, she moved with her
family to Nigeria, West Africa where her family does mission work. She grew up in Jos,
Nigeria at Hillcrest American International School for nine years then returned to the
United States. She currently is a junior Communication Studies/Journalism major at Azusa
Pacific University. As a missionary kid, she lived a life of continual travelling between
Africa, Europe and the United States. For the past two years, she has worked as a lead
volunteer at S.A.Y Yes! (Save America’s Youth), a non-profit in south central LA, where
she tutors and mentors youth. Nenji loves to write and spend quality time with people.
"This summer, I am excited to walk alongside others as they begin to experience the
realities of life in LA, while allowing God to continually teach me to value all people
as He does."
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