It's all a matter of perspective!

Cheesy movie quote of the morning.....
"Life is like a box of chocolates....you never know what you're going to get"-- Forrest, Forrest Gump
Very true....
However, if you are "that guy" who takes tiny bite off the corner of the chocolate to see if it's the one with the pink creme inside instead of taking a full on bite of the whole piece of candy --- you are truly missing out on the full effect of really embracing all that small piece of chocolate has to offer!
It is amazing how your perspective changes from day to day when faced with the same circumstance.
Yesterday morning the thought of stepping into the ice cold shower was "Heck no! I don't need a shower that bad!" But when faced with the same icy shower the second morning in a row, after spending the day before at the beach, playing with kids, exploring the town, etc....my mind and body immediately said "I don't really care how cold it is....I just need a shower!" ....AND....it was great! Good to go! So thankful for the water, the shower, the clean and refreshing experience!
Sometimes in order to see things from a more positive light we have to take a look at the situation from a different light or perspective. When I am out and about taking photos I try to use that different perspective approach in finding things to photograph. Sometimes when I go back and look at the photos it helps me to actually SEE that looking at it differently changes the look, feel and emotion of that experience.

It's the same when we take away our stereotypes and expectations of a situation, an neighborhood a group of people, individual or organization. Today was only our 2nd full day of serving with CSM and it felt like we have been here in Chicago for a week already!
Our day today took us back to the Rec Center for more hanging out with the kids, playing, eating lunch with them and participating in a "Color Run."

It was a good morning and all of our students did a great job in connecting with the kids at the site despite being tired and running on not a lot of sleep!

It's amazing what quick nap in a van will do for helping to recharge and regroup!

 It's also amazing how crossing over a few streets an take you not only to a different neighborhood but also into a whole new culture, a different way of life and almost feel like you are in a different country.
Part of this afternoon's activity was to visit a area ten-block stretch of Devon Avenue, on the city’s Far North Side, where the people, aromas, and markets are mainly Indian focused, but is the most intriguingly multicultural street in the city, with businesses also run by Pakistanis, Iraqis, and Russians, among others, and catering to Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, and Christians.
We split into groups and were assigned questions and tasks we had to collect and accomplish on our scavenger hunt  of the area, which included finding people to talk to about their story, where they were from originally, how they got to Chicago, what their struggles have been, holidays celebrated in the area as well as other suggestions for interacting and connecting with people in that area of the city.

 Our group met Emitt who owned the King Sweets bakery. He was very patient and gracious in sharing information about his store, the area rent costs, and other information. We also met Sandi who's family owns the tailor shop Sonia Selections. She shared that her family moved to the area in the 80's and has had the shop for 15 years.

 It was another opportunity for our students (and adults) to step out of the norm in their interactions with others, with each other and spend some time really connecting with people of the Devon neighborhood.
We then headed to the Puhjabi Dhubha  restaurant for a totally fabulous dinner of Indian food, complete with Nan bread.

 After dinner we headed to the United Methodist Church about a 5 minute drive to visit with the Men's homeless shelter that is housed out of gymnasium of the church.
We spent time learning about the program, the facility and about homelessness in Chicago as well as in general and heard about the struggles and realities these men face in being homeless.
It was a very eye opening experience but one that held a lot of impact for many of our students. We spent about a half an hour talking with the residents there and hearing their stories, sharing our and really making connections on a personal level.
It helped to change the perspective and stereotypes that tend to go with how we think about being homeless.

Changes perspectives, stereotypes and expectations is hard and tiring work so I am signing off now!
Please keep our young people and leaders in your prayers this week as we experience what is for some a life-changing and very impacting experience!  As I said before it has only been 2 days but with all we have experienced it also seems like a lifetime.

The beautiful rollercoaster called life!

How many different emotions, feelings and experiences, ups and downs from one extreme to another can you have in one day!?! Go on a high school mission trip and you will find out pretty quickly!
Our day today was filled with new experiences both positive and negative. So goes not only the rhythm of a youth trip but also the rhythm of life as well.
We started our day with ICE COLD SHOWERS! Those of us who decided to brave the arctic waters the wonderful icy waterfalls could be heard throughout the house as they loudly expressed the awakening shock!
I can't say I totally toughed that one out but did subject my head to the joys of that brisk awakening ---- Yup, I admit, I am a wimp when it comes to cold water!

Kids from the Jackson Park Rec Center Summer Camp

Backpacks lined up on the beach

We made our way to our day site in the morning which was to the Jackson Park Rec Center to help with their summer day camp, which supports summer activities for local children ages 6-12 years old. Today was "beach day"--- Every Monday is "beach day!" Groups are split up into 5 different ages groups with 1 to 2 leaders per group. Our group split up to help out with each of the groups as we played, hung out with and then walked to the beach at Lake Michigan for the day. Our students truly shined and stepped up to offer friendship, fun
and mischief as we spent the morning at the beach. I think for most of our team, that would be a pretty great "up" for the day.

After returning to our housing site for a quick change and refresh we headed out into the city for our next adventure.

Our "assignment" was an experience CSM calls "immersion" and involves our students taking on the rolls of leadership among themselves challenging them to put themselves into the shoes of a homeless person by simulating a homeless scenario. Adult leaders were there to take a step back and let the students make the choices on where they were going, following directions, meeting people, making connections and seeing what life is like in the city if you are homeless and have very few resources. (we were able to make subtle guiding suggestions at times we saw necessary but mostly just observe) This
experience was vastly different for each of our 3 small groups as they navigated through public transportation to the destination they were given. Some had overall positive experiences while others not so much. Our group of 4 students and myself were given $10 ($2 per person) to find dinner that would feed all of us by pooling the money together.
Where would you eat, shower, sleep, be safe, connect with people if you were homeless. Where are you welcome, where are you not welcome, how do you get your basic needs met?

This was a huge "out of comfort zone" task for our students to put themselves into and I have to say that the group of young people that I was with this evening made me so very proud of how they embraced this experience once they got past the approach of being a visitor and having the mind set of checking things off the task list and really embracing the experience.
I stood back and watched as they went from being "separate but together" to really bonding and working together...pooled their money together to buy a meal to feed not only the 5 of us, but 2 young men they met who travel around the country by hopping trains with their 2 dogs. Because the four students opened their lives to these 2, treated them as equals and with dignity....offering to sit down and share a meal with them they shared their stories with us, talked with us and made an amazing human connection with us and prayed with us.
Some of the feelings the students had during this experience were extreme as well. It is not always easy to feel vulnerable or lost. It's frustrating, it's uncomfortable, sometimes even maddening.
The following is a quote from a debriefing conversation with Heather Michel this evening.
"There is a feeling of defeat, hunger, hopelessness, frustration..... that turns to satisfaction in being able to figure out how to make something work."

I suggest any of you reading this blog to reach out to one or more of our students when they return and ask them about their "immersion" experience and allow them to share it with you.
They truly have some amazing and meaningful stories to tell about it and I can guarantee they will be from one extreme to another depending on who you ask and how the rhythm of that experience was for them.

We have arrived!

It's hard to believe that a group of people can experience so much in such a short period of time and travel worlds away in such a short distance, relatively speaking. In less than 24 hours and only a mere 1,000 miles away from home and our group has been transported to another city, within our amazing country, but in some ways seems like more than just that. In the short period of time we have been gone our eyes have been opened to so many different places, cultures, ways of life and being all with in about a 2 - 3 mile radius from each other and from where we are calling home this week. One of our activities this evening after having an amazing dinner at a small local Mexican restaurant was to experience the great city of Chicago through a driving prayer tour around the city narrated by our City host Sara. Just a few of the things we learned today ----  Chicago is the third most diverse city in the US, has some of the most poverty stricken and violent school systems in the country and one of the highest homeless populations in the US. On the other end of that spectrum we also learned that it has some of the most elite and wealthy areas in our country including home to President Obama, many famous residents through the years, home to some of the most famous and prestigious college campuses in the country and beautiful parks.
With all of this diversity it is also a city that has distinct and deliberate lines of separation between cultures, class and race. Through all of those stark differences we had our eyes open to the reality that even in those differences we are all God's children, we all have brokenness and experience sorrow,  joy, accomplishments, fears, love and successes and failures and that all human kind should treat each other with dignity, respect and love for each other and towards each other.
At the end of our driving prayer tour the students shared "snapshots" of what parts stood out to them about the history of the areas, stories and situations -- each one of us was moved by this experience and look forward to finding ways of using our talents and connections this week to make a difference in this community as others have before us and more will follow after us and realize that each cycle of giving and connecting makes a difference in it's own way and in it's own time.
It has been a long day, we have covered a lot of ground and a lot of daylight!
Feeling like tomorrow is going to be a good day!

Calvary group at the airport in Denver

Part of our group in front of the North Park University sign. Our "home" is just around the corner from here.

I think Gordon thinks it's time for a nap!

We had time for a visit to the lake and cool off a little and enjoy the afternoon.

Playing at the lake

Our fearless leader Morgan, Allie and Grace

Gordon watching over our waders

View of the city during our prayer tour

First night's dinner! YUMMY!

First stop on our prayer tour at the South Shore area

Packed and ready to roll!

Countdown to the Chicago Team departing -- T-Minus 7 hours and counting until our 5 AM meeting time at the airport!
My bags are packed and I'm ready to head for the airport dark and early tomorrow morning!
I'm not the kind of gal who waits until the last second to pack but I have to admit that I just now finished.... a little behind for my usual schedule. Now, I don't have a secret drone or surveillance bugs in any of the other travelers homes, but I'm sure there will be a few that will be pulling laundry out of the dryer first thing in the morning before heading out the door!
I for one am excited for our students as they set out to experience this new adventure in missions and the opportunity to serve others, learn about Christ's presence in their lives and the lives of others and to grow in their faith and connections with one another during this upcoming week.
Please keep all students and adult leaders in your prayers for safe travels and deep, meaningful times together.
Feel free to share the link to the blog and to make comments and send messages to our youth during the week.

Our high school youth and leaders are preparing for our mission trip to Chicago to serve with the Center for Student Missions (CSM) that heads out in just 9 days on July 19th.......meanwhile......
Our amazing Youth Pastor, Morgan Caruthers is packing and preparing for her marathon of ministry in summer mission trips! After already completing one trip to Honduras in June, she will be embarking on the first of two youth mission trips that will be back-to-back! Don't try this at home folks! It is not for the faint or weak and definitely only for the experienced and adventurous such as Morgan is!
Pastor Morgan's adventure just prior to the Chicago trip will be a mission experience with the Calvary youth middle school students in the Denver area also with the Center for Student Missions.
Keep her and all "tripsters" in your prayers as they experience Denver in a way will be new and exciting to them!
MS trip participants are Duncan Hulst, Janaya Hurst, Chris Jonell, Michael Jonell, Quinton Vinson and leaders are Pastor Morgan Caruthers and Jim Comstock!

Our HS trip goers who will be heading out on Saturday, July 19th bright and early are the following ....
Taylor Goodman, Sandrine Haas, Harry Hammon Jahn, Jack Hammon Jahn, Owen Honeycutt, Allie Hulst, Grace Kockman, Derek Michel, Heather Michel, Natalie Michel, Bonnie Robbins.
Adult leaders are Pastor Morgan Caruthers, Dave Crane, Gordon Pelton and Denise Wylde.
Please keep all in your prayers as we prepare physically, mentally and spiritually for our upcoming journey!

Keep the link for this blog handy as there will be more updates on our trip to Chicago and daily blogs as we are experiencing life, service and Christ through missions!