OPEN HEARTS—Kelsey Hopkins of Moorpark Presbyterian Church interacts with a young girl during a vacation bible school the students volunteered at during their stay in downtown Los Angeles. Freed from the grip of cellphones, iPods and other electronic devices, a group of young people from Moorpark Presbyterian Church put their hands to use for a higher calling last month during a five-day stay near Los Angeles' skid row.

Immersing themselves in the living conditions of a neighborhood where upwards of 20,000 homeless are thought to reside, the group of 30 teenagers stayed each night on bunk beds in a converted youth ministry warehouse in South Los Angeles, waking each morning with a different task to serve the underprivileged.

"It was a complete wake-up call for me," said youth group member Margaret Crane, 17, who will be a senior at Moorpark High School in the fall. "They (the homeless people) have virtually nothing, but they do have relentless hope and much gratitude for what they were given."

MAKING NEW FRIENDS—Bobby Eckert of Moorpark is popular among inner-city children who live in housing projects around downtown Los Angeles. Bobby and about 30 other teenagers from Moorpark Presbyterian Church spent five days last month in skid row and other locations in the city's poorest neighborhoods, volunteering their services wherever they were needed. During their stay in downtown Los Angeles, Crane and her fellow volunteers worked at food banks, shelters and a summer camp for children of low-income families.

Our society is "so consumed in material things and things that really amount to nothing, and we've become so self-absorbed, but while (we were) down there, I felt that we were the blessed ones," Crane said.

The short mission trip also made a big impression on 15year-old John Butzer, who will be a sophomore at Moorpark High.

"The faith that homeless people have is incredible," he said. "They're still hopeful that things will turn out for the best, despite the condition they're in."

Butzer said that living in the new environment and helping those who live in such difficult circumstances broadened his cultural awareness.

Until last year the Moorpark congregation organized annual outreach trips to Mexico. When the neighboring country became less safe, efforts were redirected to Los Angeles, said Em Blattner, youth pastor at the church.

"We tend to turn a blind eye to local needs, so I thought it would be interesting for our students to see there is a very different quality of life not far from here," Blattner said.

In L.A., students hosted a Vacation Bible School in a housing project, cleaned toilets at the Midnight Mission, and shared their faith with the less fortunate before serving meals at the Salvation Army. They also tutored English language learners and visited new churches.

The program was a joint venture between Moorpark Presbyterian and the Center for Student Missions, which plans short-term inner-city mission trips.

Sarah Rummelhoff, 17, said the experience of serving others downtown heightened her sense of compassion because she had to step out of her comfort zone to interact with people she would never otherwise have approached.

"For me, it was very humbling realizing that people aren't as privileged as all of us."

She recalled inviting a homeless person to lunch and conversing with him about his circumstances.

"His name was Richard, and he told us that he grew up in Vegas before he came out here. He had a mental illness, so he couldn't get a job," Rummelhoff said.

Her faith was energized when the man talked about how God helped him cope with daily difficulties, she said.

Blattner, who spent his birthday serving people at the Midnight Mission, said the change of pace was fitting.

"Generally you receive on your birthday, but this time I was being a servant, and it was awesome," said the youth pastor.

The teens agreed to relinquish everyday luxuries such as cellphones, television and iPods on the trip and could shower only once every other day. The knowledge they gained is invaluable, Blattner said, because they experienced poverty from an unfiltered perspective. Volunteers don't have to travel to Africa to witness people living in such deprivation, he said.

"In giving you're actually receiving because it helps you grow as a person; that's something that's lost in today's culture."