mission trip

I just returned from a mission trip to Louisville Kentucky. We were part of a poverty immersion trip through UrbanSpirit. What that means is that we lived for 5 days in a way similar to poor people in America.

On Monday we went to the food pantry and picked up a box of food which was ours for the week.
We did work in the building and in the community for which we received money at the end of the day. With that money we were able to purchase meals, showers, beds, coffee, etc. The days began early with our meeting with Deb, the director at 8 AM. After "energizer activities" and worship she gave the heads of the households (groupings of 4 or 5 people) the assignments for the day. At 7 every evening we met Deb to reflect on the day and for some educational activities and worship. The day ended at about 10:30 and lights were out at 11:30. We slept every night but Friday night on a concrete floor.

There is much I could write about this. It was a hard week - physically as we did not eat much. I lost 5 pounds and Daryl from our group lost 14! We did hard physical labor in 90 + degree heat. We walked everywhere we went except for one day when we took the bus and stopped at the wrong place and ended up walking 3 more miles! The director, when disappointed in what we did was often harsh with the kids and the adults.

We experienced economic scarcity, people in authority who were unreasonable, and a complete lack of control The educational component was really good and helped all of us - to understand that was the experience that poor people in America have routinely. We also learned about the working poor and the reality that minimum wage is not enough to live on. We watched an episode of "30 Days" by Morgan Spurlock about trying to live on minimum wage in Columbus.

The result was changed minds and maybe changed lives. I watched the young people respond to this with so much maturity it just amazed me. In our "family" of 5, we literally never heard complaints through all of this. By the end of the week, it was very clear that they "got it."

So I am still tired and woke up this morning dreaming about sleeping on a concrete floor, but I feel and great sense of satisfaction about it. And hope and pray that the young people will continue to implement the plans that they have made for the future.

(I also composed a letter for the director to make suggestions to make this program more humance for young people who are at a vulnerable time in their lives and need a less harsh leadership)