Palm Pilots

Hi! We are team number 2, known as the Palm Pilots. :) Our team members include Pastor Sheryl, Dustin Gholson, Pam Kaltmeyer, Connie Gordon, Ryon Daggett, Gabby Blanton, Katherine McCullough, Katelyn Denby, Jenna Germer, Jessie Howell, Alexa Stephenson, Helen Babb, and our wonderful host Julie.

Our trip here in Chicago really began with our meal at a West African restuarant, where we ate chicken and coconut rice, and a prayer tour through the south side of Chicago. On the tour Julie gave us history and statistics, and it really touched every one of us and emphasized our need here and our purpose, and how even we can make a difference and to be God in someone's life with the little time we will be here.

Our "anchor site" this week, where we will go each morning while we are here, is Jackson Park, a camp ran by Chicago Parks District. Our group is split between the different groups of kid. Helen and Alexa are with the 6 and 7 year old boys and girls , Connie, Ryon, and Katelyn are with 7 and 8 yr old boys, Jessie and Pam are with the 7, 8, and 9 yr old girls, Pastor Sheryl and Jenna are with the 9 and 10 yr old boys, Gabby and Katherine are with the 10, 11, and 12 yr old girls, and Dustin is with the 11 and 12 yr old boys. We interact and play with these groups, watching dance practice for a show next week, gave "underdogs" (pushing kids on the swing and running underneath), playing with them (some with a parachute!!), ran with them, and even had to break up a few fights. We will work with these groups every morning all week! While every group has many challenges, we already know we will miss them when we have to leave on Friday. :'( So many of these kids are so amazing and sweet and it has been such a blessing already to interact with them! While some of the groups can be frustrating or a handful at times, we are looking forward to not only touching some of their lives, but to them touching our lives as well.

Our afternoon/ evening ministry was helping out at CCO, Cornerstone Christian Outreach. This soup kitchen serves 3 free meals a day to transitional housing guests, as well as a free dinner open to the public about 3 nights a week. This is what we served tonight. Our grouped was involved in serving the food, washing the dishes, and socializing with the guests. We worked very hard, Jessie in her trash bag dress, and some of us were even rewarded by getting to sample the absolutely delicious food (or so I hear). We also swept and mopped. This was an eye opening experience not only in working with the guests, but also through the diversity of the guests and the large number of kids running around. None of us expected this at all, and it truly broke some homeless people stereotypes we had previous to the trip. After we were done cleaning at CCO, we had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, where we had pho (pronounced fah). Yum :)

All in all, we had an amazing (and tiring) first day with only a few wrong turns (cough cough... Julie :-P) and are looking forward to the rest of the week!! (except for the leaving part haha) It has been great and we are all excited to find out what else we will be doing during our week here in Chicago.

Much Love,

Palm Pilots :)