Jake's reflection

During our trip to Chicago we learned many virtues.  Each person we met and helped taught us something we could take home and practice for the rest of our lives.  Among the foremost of these virtues is patience, because we got to learn it while both working and not working.  What many people don't think about is that we endured two hour train and bus rides each day to get to our assignments across the city.  On Thursday, my group walked a total of eleven miles, passing multiple bus stops along the way.  However we were not regretful, as this gave us time to talk and grow closer.  Having to be patient also gave us time to go out of our comfort zone.  We would sit next to people we hadn't seen before and begin talking to them.  Through these conversations we picked up even more virtues and ways to help the community.

However, other than while riding public transportation, there was rarely a dull moment in the trip.  Between working and making friends at the church, there was always something to do or say or think about.  Even when we were at the church, they kept us fairly busy.  There was always meal setup, cleanup, and common jobs like taking out the trash that needed to be done, and those fell on the kids.

During any assignments with a goal, the chaperones made sure we didn't stop or slow down too much, which is why I would like to thank them.  Their encouragement and uplifting words kept us focused on what we were there for.  And by working more, we learned more than any of us thought we would, regardless of our original expectations for the trip.

-Jake

Kyle's Reflection

Our mission trip to Chicago was an experience I'll never forget.  It was hard for me personally to see such good people living in such terrible conditions.  I am very thankful for the D.O.O.R. program because they gave me the opportunity to connect with the great city of Chicago and its people.  We met a man named Dan who might have been the nicest person I have ever met.  We thought what we were doing was hard but we only had to do it for a week.  However, Dan's mission was exactly the same as ours.  But he got up every single day with one goal in mind and that was to help improve his community.  I think if everyone did a fraction of the work that Dan did, this world would be a much better place.  I also really enjoyed talking to the people who lived there.  I was very surprised that just a simple hello caused them to smile and open up to you.  And everybody I talked to seemed like they genuinely appreciated just a simple greeting.  For me, the most fulfilling work was gardening outside the church where we were staying on Thursday.  I liked this job specifically because we actually knew who we were helping as opposed to some of the other work sites.  All in all, Chicago gave me memories that I will cherish forever and I genuinely believe that this trip has changed me as a person.  I also want to thank all of the chaperones for making this wonderful trip possible, specifically the ones in my group, Nancy and ET.

Brae's reflection

My first mission trip was an experience I would never take back. Chicago was an opportunity of a lifetime and I am so glad I went. For me, everyone in our group got to really know each other during this trip and it really improved the outcome. We became more like a family. I had never been to Chicago before so this was definitely new to me and sometimes new to everyone else. It's heartbreaking to see people struggle when you know you have it better, wherever you are, but in Chicago, DOOR gave us the chance TO help and make a difference. If we bring back what we learned in Chicago to Hartford or even narrowing it down to Immanuel, we can really impact Connecticut. It wouldn't make sense if we just went to Chicago and helped there. The whole point of the mission trip was to realize what we could do on our own, without somebody scheduling us or giving us directions. Chicago was a stepping stone to our success in helping communities. Everybody in that church benefited from that trip whether they realize it or not. “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” - Barack Obama. This group did go out and do something. We helped the Chicago community and some of those places/areas we cleaned really did improve with our work. We did it Immanuel Chicago 2014, we did it.

 

~Brae

Tori's Reflection

I'm not sure if I can adequately express how life changing the Chicago trip was for our group, but it's worth a try. It was a week of smiles, a week of working together, of service, of leaving your comfort zone, of meeting new people, of change. It was a week where I gained so much insight into the lives of the people of Chicago. Their smiling faces provided so much comfort for me throughout the trip, and ignited an even greater passion in me for helping people than I already possessed.

On my first day of service, I worked at Turkey Chop- a restaurant that operates as a soup kitchen on Mondays. I met a man named Robert; he was blind in one eye, couldn't write (but could read), and was living on the streets because he couldn't find a shelter that would take him. After writing his information down for him at the door, I looked over to where he was standing and he was reading the poster on the wall that Turkey Chop was looking for volunteers. He came back over to me, and kept asking me, "Can I volunteer?", "Am I allowed to volunteer?", "Who can I talk to to volunteer?", "What time would I have to be here?". Despite his personal situation, he wanted so desperately to help the other people in his community that similarly needed help. It was unbelievable to me how great of a desire he had. This amazing man, that I luckily met on the first day, inspired me throughout the week to have that same motivation and drive to help the community. I think this experience set the tone for the week. Triggered in me was this passion for helping people and making people smile that was taken to a new level- one that I had not yet reached prior to this trip.

What the group learned on this mission trip can easily be applied right here in Hartford. We have the ability to help so many people in this community, no matter in how seemingly small of a way, and I am ecstatic to be a member of a congregation that does so. I look forward to being exposed to more opportunities to help, to make people smile, and I look forward to doing so alongside my congregation.

10 Things I know I know

There are so many things for me to say about my experience on the mission trip.  I have already talked about some of these things in my previous blog entries.  I mentioned in my comments on CE Sunday that none of us was sure what we were going to be doing during the week and how things were going to be.  I can say that even after experiencing the first day and hearing what other groups were experiencing, the same was true for the next day.  Now that we have been back for a few days and I've had to some time to reflect, I'm going to write a few things.   I have decided to borrow an idea from Peter King of Sports Illustrated.   I don't think he would be too mad to know that I'm borrowing and modifying it,  but I doubt he will ever find out so here goes.

10 things I know I know  

1.  My normal day job is really easy and I am extremely thankful for it.  This occurred to me when I was sweating my brains off in the kitchen at Turkey Chop.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about look for an earlier blog entry about what Turkey Chop is.)

2. I remain steadfast that deep dish pizza is the best kind of pizza.

3. Even when lugging the suitcase behind me I am a faster walker then all of our teenagers.  Not too shabby for a 38-year-old.

4.  As was pointed out by Tyrek last Wednesday night, our young adults have a wide range of opinions about things, and they all have an intense desire to take leadership and ownership.  (Sound familiar?). He described it as taking all different colors of paint and splattering them together on a canvas.  I think they are now well on their way to transform splattering into painting.

5. Although I appreciated having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich flashback, I'm glad to come back to reheated leftovers for lunch.

6. As some of you might know I have known Mark for more than half my life.  I'm glad I got the opportunity to get to know Nancy, Drew, and ET better.

7. Much like our church, this group of young people has a spirit of extravagant welcome.   Everybody, and I mean everybody is welcome, cherished, and needed.

8. Sleeping on the floor with a bunch of sweaty teenage boys makes me very thankful for my own bed.

9. It's so easy to judge people without even realizing that you are doing it.  

10. Immanuel made an investment in this mission trip, a significant one which was pointed out by William last Thursday night.  With all my heart I thank each and every one of you. I think our young people are going to yield a significant return on that investment.  They are all going to be important leaders in this church-leaders in worship, leaders in social justice, leaders in extravagant welcome, and leaders in listening and forgiveness.  I am confident that they are all in.  Now all of us need to ask ourselves, "are we?"

Peace and blessings, PJ

Reflection from Nancy

I’m pleased to report that I not only survived the Mission Trip, I had a great time!  

It was a real honor to spend so much time learning, working and talking with our impressive Immanuel youth.

Every one of our youth worked really hard almost every day.  They adapted to the food, the tight sleeping quarters, the lines for the 4 showers for 70 people, the 7 AM breakfast hour, the long train and bus rides, and the physically demanding work – all without complaint.  They conversed thoughtfully with seniors with dementia, clients at the soup kitchen, managers of run down supportive housing, Dan who shared his Mennonite background and the former prisoners who were evening speakers.   

But for me, the most special part of each day was the evening’s reflections with our Immanuel group. The comments of our youth were so incredibly thoughtful,respectful and insightful.  And as the group became more cohesive and as we began to think about returning home, we began to focus on what they could do together in Hartford to build on what we had learned in Chicago. 

It was such a privilege for me to share in this trip and to be with our fabulous youth of Immanuel (with the additional bonus of getting to know and work with Mark, PJ, ET and Drew – what a team!)

-Nancy

Many thanks from E.T.

So, now that we've all had a few days to relax, recuperate and reflect following our week in Chicago, I wanted to offer some brief comments about how much I enjoyed the trip.

First, and just to mention again for those who may not have already known, I had never before participated in a Mission Trip. And so, during those several weeks prior to our departure, I experienced this increasingly nervous feeling - one that was very reminiscent of what I felt during those final few days before shoving off to camp for the first time (in 1974!) On one hand, I was a little excited about the cool adventure ahead of me. But, on the flip side, I was feeling a bit of anxiety. 

Why was I anxious? Well, there were those nagging questions: Where will we sleep? Will the bathrooms be clean? Will I get along with the participants from other Churches? What will the neighborhood be like? Will we be able to find our way around the city without getting lost? What kind of jobs and responsibilities will I be assigned, and will I be capable of doing them? And then, there were the really important questions like: Will there be a Dunkin' Donuts nearby!? 

So, after all of that pre-trip obsessing, guess what? In a word, I thought that the week together was nothing short of TREMENDOUS! Over these last several days, and as already mentioned to my fellow chaperones, I've had multiple opportunities to think about the things that we learned, the work we performed, the support that we provided and the many wonderful people we met... people like Frank and J.B. at Good News Partners, Reggie and Marvin at Ada Niles, Dan at Reba Place and Irma at First Church. 

As we all saw and experienced first hand, these are some of the finest kind of people who unselfishly give of themselves every single day in order to make a very positive difference in the lives of others. We provided all of them some much needed support, and without a doubt, they were most appreciative. At the same time, each and every one of these folks set an inspiring example... they helped me to understand and fully appreciate how I can be a better friend, a better person, a better Christian. For that, I am extremely grateful.

While I was proud of our ENTIRE group and all that we achieved, I especially enjoyed my association with "Team Chinatown." We logged countless miles on trains/buses/by foot, we performed an array of interesting (and sometimes dreadful!) jobs, we met a lot of fascinating Chicagoans, and very importantly, we got to know one another that much better, and we also managed to have some good laughs too. As I've reflected on all of these things and more, and as I've shared many stories with my family, friends, and work colleagues, I've done nothing but smile. Please know how much I admired each of you for your positive attitude, for working so hard to "make a difference," and for representing our church, our city and our state so proudly. And so, to Bree, Brae, Kyle, Sam, and Nancy, I'd like to say THANK YOU for the very memorable impact that you had on me!

Not to be missed was the FUN that we had, and the terrific memories that we created. While the week produced many standout moments, one of my favorite and most touching was on Thursday night when William said that "we are like a family." I could not agree more. Without question, I will long remember our Chicago experience as one of the "best ever" for me. 

My sincerest thanks to everyone and my very best wishes to all of you for a safe and happy Summer!

E.T