I was going to post sooner, but I've been somewhat preoccupied by an infestation of fleas here in my apartment. But that's another story. So for now, let me tell you about my trip to Chicago... (and a flea just bit me)
I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Chicago with Pine Street Presbyterian Church's youth group. Pine Street has been my church since I was about 8 years old and until only recently when I joined a church in Delaware. I have a lot of memories from conferences and camps I attended through the church when I was in high school; they were definitely influential in my life. I never got to go on a mission trip though. This was their first mission trip for youth, and I thought it was really special that I was able to go and be part of it, even though I'm not longer a student and not around the church much anymore.
When I was in high school, the youth group (which didn't start till my senior year) was very, very small...like 3 or 4 people on an average night. It was great to see how the group has grown both in number and in activity. When Alex called me in the winter and invited me to be one of the leaders for the trip, I was excited about the opportunity because it involved a lot of things I care about: urban ministry, working with kids, and Pine Street. Also, I've been thinking about whether I'd like to get involved with a youth group or working with high-schoolers in some capacity, and this trip was my first opportunity to do that.
I was so impressed with the students who went on the trip. They went into it not knowing much about what they'd be doing or what the city would be like. Once we got there, they were willing to be flexible and tackle each challenge and opportunity that was thrown at them. They worked so hard and were great examples for me of humble service. They were quick to get involved at the sites where we were serving without any prodding from us leaders.
Our "anchor site" where we served each morning was a social service organization in the Hispanic neighborhood of Humboldt Park. We assisted with the school-age program for kids in the neighborhood ages 5-12. Each day we hung out with the kids, talked to them, and planned games and activities for them. The Pine Street students bonded really quickly with the kids at Casa. When we served at soup kitchens in the evening, they worked diligently and took the time to talk to the people we were serving, even when it was uncomfortable or difficult. Because they put so much of themselves into the trip, I think they gained a lot from it. They learned first-hand the stories and experiences of people in poverty. They heard kids talk about struggles in their families or violence on the streets. They left caring deeply about Chicago and its people, and I hope they also learned how much God cares for the people in Chicago and everywhere.
What surprised me most was how much the students were willing to think about and wrestle with their experience serving and the issues and challenges they encountered. This is a group of deep thinkers! Each night as we debriefed our day as a group, I was impressed with their insights as they shared about a conversation they'd had or something they'd seen. Once again, I think it was this willingness to really reflect upon what they'd experienced instead of just accepting it and forgetting it that gave this trip a lot of depth for everyone involved. Also, I give a lot of credit to Alex, the youth pastor who organized the trip. He had clearly earned the trust of the youth on the trip, and they were comfortable sharing with him. He also skillfully questioned the students and offered just the right amount of assistance so that they could have a memorable experience.
And now for some personal reflection...going into it, the trip held a lot of unknowns for me as a leader. I didn't know what it would be like to help lead high schoolers. After all, I'm used to working with 5 year-olds. I thought I was going to have to drive a 15 passenger van, which was stressing me out just thinking about it (I didn't end up having to drive at all! Yay!). I really did not feel like I had a good sense of what we'd be doing or what I was supposed to pack or where we'd be staying. I felt a sense of responsibility to know at least a little bit about these things since I was one of the leaders. Plus, let's be honest, I just like to know what's going on.
Because of these unknowns and a strong desire I felt for the students on the trip to have a great experience and some general frustrations and moments of bad attitude I experienced, I prayed a lot while we were there. Having the discipline and making the time to pray are things I don't usually do a very good job with. It was really impacting for me to experience how when I chose to take things to God in prayer, I saw in a lot of cases how he answered those prayers. Plus I generally had a more peaceful attitude and outlook.
After a tough and frustrating year of teaching where I didn't usually feel like I was experiencing God and often felt drained and pessimistic, it was really cool how in a new environment I was able to achieve a new perspective surprisingly quickly and with little effort on my part. There were numerous times during the school year when I questioned whether I wanted to or was cut out to stay in urban teaching. I started more and more to consider alternatives where I might feel more successful or happier. After just a few hours in Chicago when we were on our prayer tour, I felt a strong affirmation that I wanted to continue serving in the city. On our first day serving at Casa when I was helping a child read, I felt a strong affirmation that I wanted to study reading, something I'd been considering but also doubting. I think in spending a week being really intentional about serving God and people, I experienced a closeness with God that I don't typically have. Since the trip, I've been thinking about how I could translate this into the way I live everyday. No definite answers yet but a bunch of ideas. Plus now that I'm back, it's easy to just slip into my normal routine and mindset that doesn't leave much time for prayer and reflection and instead is filled with watching TV shows on hulu and facebook stalking and, during the school year, obsessing about school. It can be hard for me to sincerely want to change that enough to do something about it. I will continue to think about this question of how I can best use my time. But back to the mission trip...
At the end of the week, I think it was with sad but hopeful hearts we left the children of Casa and the city of Chicago, and it was with a sad but hopeful heart that I left the youth of Pine Street. I will continue to pray for the city and for the people there, especially the children. I will also keep praying for the youth of Pine Street, that they will grow to love God more and more and continue to be willing to dedicate their time and energy to serving others. And I am thankful that they have an active youth group and Alex, a dedicated leader who cares about them. I can't help but wonder what kind of impact going on a trip like this might have had on me in high school, and I am happy that the youth (including my sister!) have that opportunity now.
I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Chicago with Pine Street Presbyterian Church's youth group. Pine Street has been my church since I was about 8 years old and until only recently when I joined a church in Delaware. I have a lot of memories from conferences and camps I attended through the church when I was in high school; they were definitely influential in my life. I never got to go on a mission trip though. This was their first mission trip for youth, and I thought it was really special that I was able to go and be part of it, even though I'm not longer a student and not around the church much anymore.
When I was in high school, the youth group (which didn't start till my senior year) was very, very small...like 3 or 4 people on an average night. It was great to see how the group has grown both in number and in activity. When Alex called me in the winter and invited me to be one of the leaders for the trip, I was excited about the opportunity because it involved a lot of things I care about: urban ministry, working with kids, and Pine Street. Also, I've been thinking about whether I'd like to get involved with a youth group or working with high-schoolers in some capacity, and this trip was my first opportunity to do that.
I was so impressed with the students who went on the trip. They went into it not knowing much about what they'd be doing or what the city would be like. Once we got there, they were willing to be flexible and tackle each challenge and opportunity that was thrown at them. They worked so hard and were great examples for me of humble service. They were quick to get involved at the sites where we were serving without any prodding from us leaders.
Our "anchor site" where we served each morning was a social service organization in the Hispanic neighborhood of Humboldt Park. We assisted with the school-age program for kids in the neighborhood ages 5-12. Each day we hung out with the kids, talked to them, and planned games and activities for them. The Pine Street students bonded really quickly with the kids at Casa. When we served at soup kitchens in the evening, they worked diligently and took the time to talk to the people we were serving, even when it was uncomfortable or difficult. Because they put so much of themselves into the trip, I think they gained a lot from it. They learned first-hand the stories and experiences of people in poverty. They heard kids talk about struggles in their families or violence on the streets. They left caring deeply about Chicago and its people, and I hope they also learned how much God cares for the people in Chicago and everywhere.
What surprised me most was how much the students were willing to think about and wrestle with their experience serving and the issues and challenges they encountered. This is a group of deep thinkers! Each night as we debriefed our day as a group, I was impressed with their insights as they shared about a conversation they'd had or something they'd seen. Once again, I think it was this willingness to really reflect upon what they'd experienced instead of just accepting it and forgetting it that gave this trip a lot of depth for everyone involved. Also, I give a lot of credit to Alex, the youth pastor who organized the trip. He had clearly earned the trust of the youth on the trip, and they were comfortable sharing with him. He also skillfully questioned the students and offered just the right amount of assistance so that they could have a memorable experience.
And now for some personal reflection...going into it, the trip held a lot of unknowns for me as a leader. I didn't know what it would be like to help lead high schoolers. After all, I'm used to working with 5 year-olds. I thought I was going to have to drive a 15 passenger van, which was stressing me out just thinking about it (I didn't end up having to drive at all! Yay!). I really did not feel like I had a good sense of what we'd be doing or what I was supposed to pack or where we'd be staying. I felt a sense of responsibility to know at least a little bit about these things since I was one of the leaders. Plus, let's be honest, I just like to know what's going on.
Because of these unknowns and a strong desire I felt for the students on the trip to have a great experience and some general frustrations and moments of bad attitude I experienced, I prayed a lot while we were there. Having the discipline and making the time to pray are things I don't usually do a very good job with. It was really impacting for me to experience how when I chose to take things to God in prayer, I saw in a lot of cases how he answered those prayers. Plus I generally had a more peaceful attitude and outlook.
After a tough and frustrating year of teaching where I didn't usually feel like I was experiencing God and often felt drained and pessimistic, it was really cool how in a new environment I was able to achieve a new perspective surprisingly quickly and with little effort on my part. There were numerous times during the school year when I questioned whether I wanted to or was cut out to stay in urban teaching. I started more and more to consider alternatives where I might feel more successful or happier. After just a few hours in Chicago when we were on our prayer tour, I felt a strong affirmation that I wanted to continue serving in the city. On our first day serving at Casa when I was helping a child read, I felt a strong affirmation that I wanted to study reading, something I'd been considering but also doubting. I think in spending a week being really intentional about serving God and people, I experienced a closeness with God that I don't typically have. Since the trip, I've been thinking about how I could translate this into the way I live everyday. No definite answers yet but a bunch of ideas. Plus now that I'm back, it's easy to just slip into my normal routine and mindset that doesn't leave much time for prayer and reflection and instead is filled with watching TV shows on hulu and facebook stalking and, during the school year, obsessing about school. It can be hard for me to sincerely want to change that enough to do something about it. I will continue to think about this question of how I can best use my time. But back to the mission trip...
At the end of the week, I think it was with sad but hopeful hearts we left the children of Casa and the city of Chicago, and it was with a sad but hopeful heart that I left the youth of Pine Street. I will continue to pray for the city and for the people there, especially the children. I will also keep praying for the youth of Pine Street, that they will grow to love God more and more and continue to be willing to dedicate their time and energy to serving others. And I am thankful that they have an active youth group and Alex, a dedicated leader who cares about them. I can't help but wonder what kind of impact going on a trip like this might have had on me in high school, and I am happy that the youth (including my sister!) have that opportunity now.
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