|
Sunday afternoon, 6-14-09: We arrived back home all safe and sound from our both successfull and enjoyable youth mission trip to Chicago. Click "read more" below to view some of our trip photos and read about our daily mission and fun activities.
*click here to view some of our trip photos*
Our trip was planned with the organization Mission:Encounter which hosts mission sites all over the country. In conjunction with our hostess in Chicago, we planned a week of work and service projects in the Chicago area as well as some fun and sightseeing.
Sunday – We gathered at the church at 8 am and loaded the bus with all our belongings and equipment for the week. After prayer with the pastor, we began to make our way to Chicago. Trip participants were Susan Fox, Jeffrey Fox, Jason Fox, Lorenn King, Emily Chambers, Meredeth Riley, Sarah Bright, Lutitia Hamilton, Sarah Fox, Melynda Riley and Cindy Bright. (photo)
We traveled north to Indianapolis where we stopped for lunch at the ever popular Taco Bell. (photo) Our trip continued without incident toward Chicago until just south of Gary, Indiana where we ran into traffic delays. We decided to branch out off of the interstate and make our own way. Happily, that attempt was successful and we arrived in Lansing, Illinois in time for dinner. (photo)
After dinner we proceeded to the Lighthouse Community Church where we would sleep, eat and worship over the next four days.
Monday – After breakfast, we packed sack lunches and headed to our first work assignment, Ingleside Church of the Nazarene. On the way, we stopped at a light and as we waited to turn, a man approached the bus. He had a cardboard sign asking for help. We gave him some money and told him to go get something to eat. We will never forget the sight of him hobbling as fast as he could to the nearby White Castle restaurant.
Once we arrived at the Ingleside church, (photos) we were greeted by one of their members – a very active 86 year old lady. She gave us a brief tour until the preacher arrived. Pastor Mike had been the pastor of this small (20 member) congregation for only a few months. We met in the sanctuary where Pastor Mike explained our work project to us. Next door to the church was an old house which they hoped to turn into the parsonage. We knew we were in for a wild day when we were provided with a sledgehammer, goggles and face masks. (photo)
The three story house had holes in the roof and had been left a mess. There were various belongings piled in each and every room, many of which had been soaked by rain coming in through the leaking roof. (photos) As we worked to clear out the house, we found a few salvageable pieces of furniture and a lot of abandoned clothing and personal items. One closet contained a large container of kerosene and yet another was piled shoulder height with discarded clothing. Every thing in that closet was drenched and weighed a ton. (photo)
As we got to the bottom of things, it became obvious that this house required more than we could give. Haz-mat suits, anyone? The mold was growing rampant throughout the house and the masks we wore had turned brown from the dirt we were breathing in. We had almost filled a 25 foot dumpster with all we had removed from the house. (photo) The project that was supposed to take us three days had come to a screeching halt before the end of the first day.
After consultation with our host and Pastor Mike, we decided to return the next morning to help clean up and clean out their fellowship hall. We then returned to the Lighthouse Community Church where we washed up and met some of the kids from the surrounding apartments. The housing by the church was occupied mostly by single moms and their children. (photos) We ended the day with a worship service alongside the other group who was there for the week. They taught us a new song, “God of this City” which quickly became a new favorite.
Tuesday – We did return to help Pastor Mike clean up the fellowship hall. (photos) We filled the rest of the space in the dumpster until there was no more room. We returned to the Lighthouse to spend the afternoon with the kids. This was their last day of school, so we cooked hot dogs and had a picnic to celebrate the beginning of their summer. After lunch we had face painting, crafts and games (photos). We even purchased a basketball goal which we would assemble and leave there once we returned home. We once again ended the day with worship.
Wednesday – We spent the day doing joint projects with the Texas group. In the morning we all went to the warehouse of the Children’s Hunger Fund. This organization packages boxes of food or personal care items which they distribute to churches. The churches then use the boxes to reach out and build relationships with families in their own communities. The Children’s Hunger Fund works solely off donations and gives 99 cents out of every dollar back to those they serve.
We spent the next several hours packaging dried beans that would be distributed in the food boxes. We packaged over 5000 bags of beans! (photos) We then returned to the Lighthouse church where we spent the afternoon on projects around the church.
Some of us used that time to prepare a meal which we would take and serve at a shelter that evening. We prepared tacos for the crowd of women and children who lived at the shelter. (photos) We served them dinner and played with the children who were there. It was crowded, the furniture was in terrible shape and the children were starved for attention and affection. This activity was one of the most sobering and saddening things we did all week. We left there wishing we could do more.
We ended our evening with a trip to Navy Pier (photo) and enjoyed the funhouse mirrors and a great fireworks display.
Thursday – Since our initial work project did not take as long as anticipated, our hostess lined up another project for us. We decided to purchase items and put together bags to distribute to the homeless in the inner city. We bought drawstring bags and filled them with items like a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, beef jerky, Vienna sausages and the like. After lunch we headed to Humboldt Park which we were told is well known as a place where the homeless stay. Our plan was to hand out the bags before we went to our evening assignment at the Humboldt Park United Methodist Church.
We wound up stuck in stop and go traffic for the next two hours. By the time we reached the park, it was raining and there were no people out at all. We resigned ourselves to not handing out the bags at that time and headed to Humboldt Park Social Services. There, our guide Melvin told us about the agency and the people they serve. The agency began out of the Humboldt United Methodist Church (photo) some 20 years ago. They now strive to prevent people from becoming homeless and offer food and shelter to those who do find themselves without a home.
We helped set up for and serve dinner to all the men who came for a meal. In addition to the almost 100 men who came, there was one woman and her children. We were able to visit with a few of the clients and hear their stories. It certainly changed our image of a “typical” homeless person. After dinner we helped clear the floor and set out mats for the men who would sleep there that night. HPSS provides this shelter from October through June.
Once that was done, Melvin took us on a walking tour of the neighborhood and helped us find people to give our bags to. Most of them had been at the shelter for dinner and we had the opportunity to visit with them a little more. They were so appreciative. One man tried to refuse the gift saying it was too much for him. That whole experience made us realize how much we have and how much we really don’t need.
We returned to the Lighthouse Community Church to pack our things and share worship with our Texas friends one more time.
Friday – Before turning for home, we enjoyed a visit to the Shedd Aquarium and the Sears Tower (photos). After a cab ride back to the church bus, we loaded up and headed home.
*Same pix below but different type album views*
Monday & Tuesday Work
Tuesday Fun With Kids
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sunday
|
News 
