You are the God of this city

I have so many exciting stories to tell I don’t even know where to start! I do want to say thank you for all of your prayers. This was the best way I could have spent my spring break. It was truly a life changing experience. I didn’t really know anyone on going on this trip, but I definitely made some really great friends. After our 5 hour drive from Pittsburgh to Detroit, we arrived at the elementary school turned church called House of Help. The sight of this building was shocking to say the least. It was disheveled and many of the windows were broken. I honestly was worried about my safety at this point. As I looked around many of the house were boarded up and tires, mattresses, and garbage was in the yards. However, this was a case of don’t judge a book by its cover because honestly I felt very safe this entire trip. We got ourselves settled in and began to scope out the others we would be living with for the next week. The campuses represented were the University of Pittsburgh, Eastern Kentucky University, Ball State, and Eastern Michigan. The first day was pretty much a social day where we played games and hangout. The following day was sunday so naturally we attended church. We went to the church we were staying at. Let me just say it was quite the experience. Later that day we headed to downtown Detroit for a scavenger hunt.

downtown Detroit

One of the tasks was to get flaming cheese. Not only was it entertaining, but it was also delicious!

flaming cheese

That night was another night of getting to know each other and playing games. We even built a puzzle.

The third day we had a speaker. I was so impressed by the speakers this week! Every single one of them taught me so much. We learned that the Bible emphasises taking care of the poor, we need to love the poor not pity them, giving money to the poor should be like making an investment, and the importance of unity in Christ. This day I went to a school called City Mission and got to work with some amazing kids. I even went on a field trip to the library. I helped Diamond do a paper on Eleanor Roosevelt. She was such an amazing little girl. She just loved learning. I was so proud of her!

Diamond working hard on her paper

One day, we all went to Wayne State (a college in Detroit) and evangelised. I was super-duper nervous about this. However, God provided me with an amazing partner. His name is Jacob and we became very good friends throughout the week.

every campus should have a coffee with Jesus room

Jacob and I had some amazing conversations! The first picture is two girls who told us they are Chaldean. I had never heard of this before so naturally they had to explain. Chaldeans are middle eastern Catholics. In Detroit there is a large population of people from the middle east. These two girls, Sarah and Rebecca, are from Iraq. We talked about some of the negative perceptions of middle easterners and Catholics and how we could overcome them. The best part was praying out loud, together in the middle of a busy cafeteria.  Then Jacob and I decided to take a trip upstairs to see what was up there. While we were up there, we decided to approach a girl eating lunch in a common area. Her name was Tincy and she was Indian Orthodox which was another religion I never heard of. God was showing us that he is not only the God of this city but also the God of all nations. Just because some of our traditions are different, doesn’t make any of us better than the other. We all worship the same God which is the most important aspect. I know I felt so much more unified in Christ after these conversations. Again, we prayed together. At this point Jacob and I felt God moving and were on a spiritual high.

from left to right: Me, Sarah, Jacob, and Rebecca

left to right: Me, Tincy, Jacob

The next day, I had one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I volunteered at the I am My Brother’s Keeper homeless shelter. I just want to say that if you ever have the opportunity to serve the homeless, do it. I learned so much and was just so humbled by the whole experience. That day I was complaining about the uncomfortable cot I was sleeping on and the cold showers we had to take (there was no warm water).  But, the homeless were just so grateful to sleep on the gym floor. It was a slap in the face. I saw just how selfish I was. First, we served the homeless their food restaurant style. We got them refills on drinks and they were able to get seconds. Then, we were able to get some food and sit down and talk to the individuals. They were all so welcoming and friendly. They truly cared about me and wanted to get to know me. I even met two guys from Pittsburgh! However, one man just touched my heart and I still to this day cannot get him off my mind. His name was Quincy. He was a veteran that suffered from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that lead him to homelessness. He told me he joined the military to get an education and better himself. Somehow, that isn’t what happened. This caused me to wonder what are we doing wrong that our veterans are homeless? I asked Quincy if I could pray with him and he said yes. I still pray for him every day.

The church the homeless shelter was in is actually a pretty famous church. Mitch Albom’s book “Have a little Faith” is based on this church. The book was also made into a Hallmark movie! I don’t know the whole story behind the church, but I do know that it had to do with a large hole in the roof. I have the book and plan on reading it. I also really want to see the movie.

I am My Brother's Keeper

On the last full day, I helped clean up a garage full of donations at the Covenant House of Michigan. This is a place for 18 to 22-year-olds to escape whatever terrible situation they are in. The place is proactive in looking for youth. They actually drive around looking for people in trouble to take them back to the Covenant House. Sorting through all the donations was tough work, but the lady in charge was so grateful.

Covenant House

At the end of the week, I realized that I just took a whole week and didn’t worry about myself for one minute. It was all about what I could do for others. I am definitely not the same person I was before I left. I thank God so much for this amazing experience. This is just a quick summary of what I did that week. There is so much God showed me and taught me about myself and about Him.

I will end this blog with a picture of the group from Pittsburgh and a picture of the entire group from Urban Immersion. I just want to say these are some of the most amazing christians I have ever met. We had some really great spiritual conversations and praised God non-stop. So amazing!