When we think about the mission field, our first thought is usually a destitute area in the developing world. The United States is not the first place that comes to mind. Because when we think about America, we picture bustling Times Square in New York City or a beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Yet the United States can be just as much a mission field as a remote part of Africa or Asia.

Alyssa Choo’s mission field is in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. It is an area that is recognized as one of the most “broken” places in the United States. It’s a neighborhood that is trapped in the darkness of violence, drugs, prostitution, and hopelessness.

Yet in the midst of this darkness, there are small glimmers of light and hope. One of those is City Impact, an organization located in an unassuming brick building sandwiched between nightclubs and single resident housing projects. City Impact has an Urgent Care Walk-in Clinic that serves the 47,000 residents of the Tenderloin District providing medical and dental care, hot meals, and spiritual and practical encouragement. Their current list of specialties includes: Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Podiatry, Dermatology, Ophthalmology and Optometry, Dentistry, Diabetes, Pharmacy, Clinical Psychology and Pediatrics.

Alyssa works as a nurse with City Impact. She travels door-to-door providing compassionate nursing care to those in the Tenderloin. She is an inspiring example of a missionary in urban America and we look forward to hearing her speak at M3.