Week 2, Day 1

Good morning!

Our second group of mission trip students arrived (finally!) in Chicago last night and got settled in at Fourth Presbyterian Church.  We had a bit of traffic on 65, but otherwise we were smooth sailing to the Windy City.  Once we arrived, we unpacked our stuff and set up our cots in our rooms -- packed in like sardines!  We spent some time doing introductions with our group together and talking about what to expect for the week, and then we had dinner.  Giordano's pizza tends to cure all ills, and last night was no exception.  Between the stuffed pies and salads, we all ate our fill and then some.  

After dinner we got into our small groups for the first time, taking a few minutes to meet some new people and talk about what's on our minds for the coming week: what we're nervous about, what we're excited about, why we're here and what we expect to get out of the week.  We spent a good amount of time talking about service.  Not just the service that we will do for others here in Chicago when we're at work sites, but the service that we are always doing around each other -- at meal times, in small group or large group worship, when travelling, on public transit, etc.  One of our biggest goals for the week is that we expand our ideas of what a mission trip is really about, and open our eyes to the service we can be doing with the people around us at all times.

Today we're heading out to our first day of work, and so far everyone seems to have lot of energy for the upcoming week!  Please pray for us that our energy would be sustained  throughout all five days and that our eyes will be opened to the city around us that we may have never seen before, as well as the people around us whom we may have not really seen before either.

Peace,

High School Mission Week 2

P.s.  Each day this week we'll be giving the students numbers that are tied to statistics about Chicago.  They'll be able to speculate during the day, and at night in small groups they'll find out what the numbers refer to.  Our numbers for this morning have to do with food and hunger.  They are: 34.4 million, 1 in 6, and 37%.  What do you think they mean?

Week 1, Day 6

Our final day!!!

What an amazing week we had together.  After a great week of working and worshipping alongside one another, we are finally gearing up to head home.  BUT, we had a fun day today at Navy Pier before we left!

Everyone got a meal voucher and a ticket for the Ferris wheel, which had some really awesome views!

After a few hours at Navy Pier, we got to go see Cirque Shanghai together, which was a really awe-inspiring experience for most of us.  So many outstanding flips and turns we all felt a little better when it was over because we were so nervous most of the time and in such disbelief.

Even the leaders got a few laughs (Stacey is frightened out of her mind during this picture)

We went to dinner around the Magnificent Mile in smaller groups and then had small groups and worship together back at Fourth Church.  Our incoming seniors led worship for us, and it was an uplifting night of singing and laughing together -- talking about how much we love the friendships and relationships we've grown and started this week together.

Last thing tonight we got to have movie night and spend some time eating delicious Garrett's popcorn (big thanks to the Timberlake's!) together before we depart Chicago tomorrow morning after a life-changing week together.

Please pray for us as we prepare to pack up and head home from our week.  Pray that we would have good rest and health, safe travels and great attitudes as we return home.

Thanks for following along with us this week, we appreciate all of your support!

Until next week.

Peace,

High School Mission Week 1

Week 1, Day 5

Good morning!

Heading into our final 24 hours of this week's mission trip, we can't help but be grateful and amazed at the things we've experienced together this week.

Yesterday we had our last work day of the week.  But this wasn't a typical work day like the rest.  This was a different kind of work.  Interfaith work.

In the morning we had breakfast and afterwards spent some time in quiet reflection and devotion before we got out for the day.  We had a 10 a.m. appointment downtown with CAIR Chicago.  CAIR -- Council on American-Islamic Relations -- is a national organization that focuses on seeking justice in our communities for Muslim poeple who are misrepresented or mistreated in society.  By whatever means necessary, whether that be lobbying or interfaith work, they do what needs to be done to ensure that everyone has a voice to be heard.

(The entrance to the CAIR Chicago office)

We spent the morning talking with staff and interns at CAIR and having an open dialogue about how they, as a faith group similar to what we're doing this week, view their place in the community and responsiblity to the people around them.  There were some great stories shared and all of our eyes were opened a little bit wider to how similar some of the different people around us can be.  

(Five of the CAIR interns share their stories and personal reflections)

Then, in the afternoon after lunch, we walked down the street from Fourth to Sinai Congregation -- a Jewish synagogue that often partners with Fourth Church in Chicago.  We met with Heidi Kon, one of their staff members, and she led us in a discussion about the Jewish faith and some of the things that they're led to do in the community of Chicago.

(The students got to touch the Torah!)

Later in the evening after our pasta dinner we had small groups and worship together to reflect on the day and the week we've had with one another.  Group 3 led us in worship in an awesome discussion of how we're not only responsible for ourselves but also for the well-being of the people around us.  We talked about the challenges and difficulties that can be encountered while doing interfaith work, but we also pointed out the great reward that can be felt in accomplishment.  

(Group 3 leads us in worship together)

All in all, we had an amazing and enlightening day filled with new learning and discoveries made.  Today, we're heading out to Navy Pier for our fun day -- including a Cirque Shanghai show!  

Please pray for us that we would have a wonderful culmination of our trip together, and that we would have safe travels home tomorrow morning.  See you all aroung 1 p.m.!

Peace,

High School Mission Week 1

Week 1, Day 4

We made it to Thursday!  (And so did you!)

Our students had a great day yesterday working in a variety of projects around Chicago. In the morning, we sent a group out to work with Casa Infantil, a division of Casa Central that works with young children in a Head Start program on the west side. Half of our group got to hang out with fun and lively 2-5 year olds all morning!  While we did that, members from both groups worked with the in-house social services group at Fourth Church -- Elam Davies Social Services Center.  We helped with a variety of projects, from organizing hangers, to packing lunches, to alphabetizing filing cabinets, to sorting toiletries and clothes.  We helped with whatever we could find that they needed!

(Caleb gets his carrot bagging on.  More importantly, he gets his hair net action on!  Quote from him, "I seriously look like a lunch lady.")

Our third group in the afternoon went to work with an organization called Working Bikes.  This group takes bicycle donations year round and fixes them up to resell.  With the profits they make from reselling, they then ship 500 bikes per month (6,000 bikes per year!) to foreign countries where people can use them for transportation.  

(Our students helped to prep the bikes by removing the pedals and turning the handlebars parallel to the frame before stacking them in two rows to be ready for shipping.)

In the evening after we returned and had dinner at Fourth, the students from Group 4 small group led us in worship together.  We've been using statistics about Chicago as part of our theme throughout the week, so this group took a survey of our own students to get some statistics about them.  Turns out, we're more alike with eachother than we even  realized, and also more like the people we are serving than we realize.

That's it for yesterday, onto today!

Peace,

High School Mission Week 1

Week 1, Day 3

Good afternoon!

We had a really great day yesterday, but we were so busy that the blog didn't even get posted last night -- oops!

We started our day with a picnic in the park together!  After breakfast we walked down to Washington Square Park and spent an hour playing frisbee and soccer and climbing trees together, then we eventually ate lunch picnic style in the shade of a tree.

Then we took the bus out to the west side to Bethesda retirement center to hang out with the residents there and work on an amazing project called "New Life for Old Bags".  This organization takes donated plastic shopping bags and uses them to make "plarn" -- plastic yarn -- which can then be crocheted into sleeping mats to be donated to the homeless.  Some of these bags were truly works of art!

On average, it takes about 80 hours from start to finish to make one of these mats, and we spent 3 with all of our students helping at each part: folding bags, cutting strips, knotting strips together to make plarn and learning to crochet.  

In the evening we had authentic (NO KETCHUP!) Chicago dogs for dinner and then we met in small groups.  Group 2 small group led us in worship for the evening and we had a great discussion on the challenges that the homeless face every day that many of us have never even thought about or considered.

We can't wait for another great day today.  Please continue to pray for us as we move through our week and learn and grow together!

Peace,

High School Mission Week 1

Week 1, Day 2

We had an awesome first full day in Chicago!

After breakfast together and making our lunches in the morning, we went out to grab the Red Line train to head up to Rogers Park.  We arrived shortly after at our destination -- A Just Harvest.  Our task for the day was to go to the grocery and get supplies to make 200 lunch bags that could be handed out to people in the neighborhood who needed food.  We met with Mary from A Just Harvest when we arrived, and she helped us into our space and got us started with our work making bags!

After a few hours and a few hundred bags, we got the chance to meet some of the guys who work in the apprentice program at the organization.  They work on planting and maintaining community gardens in partnership with local schools.  We got to see a few of the gardens that they had worked on developing in the local neighborhood.

Our work and learning being finished in Rogers Park, we went back on the Red Line to Fourth Church and got to relax for a while before making dinner together and having our small group times and worship time together. 

Overall, we had an awesome day together today and can't wait to get up and continue our experience together tomorrow!

Please continue praying for us as we journey together this week: for our restful sleep and good health, for good attitudes, and for the ability to have our eyes opened to the city and people around us.

Peace,

High School Mission - Week 1

Week 1, Day 1

Well, we did it! 

(Everyone getting into their spots on the bus to depart from Indy)

We arrived this evening around 6 p.m. central time to Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago.  The Windy City wasn't all that windy, but it was definitely as muggy as when we left Indy.  After unpacking our bags and getting settled into our rooms here at Fourth Church, we got a tour and the low-down from Daniel, one of the staff people here.  He showed us all of the awesome spaces at Fourth that we will be able to use throughout the week in worship together, small group times and simply just hanging out and spending time together.

(Emma, Christina and Madeline decided to get goofy before we could even leave the parking lot!)

Once we got all of our stuff settled, we ordered some dinner -- what we all came here for, the best pizza in the city.  Giordano's!!!  

Post-dinner, we got to talk about what's in store for us this week and we got into our small groups for the first time.  The main goal for the next 24 hrs is for everyone to get some good rest and to spend some time with each other so that we can get to know the people in the group that we haven't met or spent much time with in the past.  

We have some amazing things in store for this week, and we're all really excited about how much we'll learn and grow together while we're here in Chicago.  Please continue to pray for us as we start our journey together, that we would be open minded and have serving hearts for one another and the community around us.  Pray that we would be well rested and full of good health throughout the week.  

Keep following along as we'll be updating this blog along the way!

Peace,

High School Mission - Week 1