I tried to document through photos as much as I could during out trip while also trying to preserve the dignity and privacy of those we were serving, which is why there are no pictures of us interacting with patrons of organizations or students from J. O. Wilson Elementary School. However, I hope some of you enjoy the 86 pictures I felt were interesting enough to post to the site. I also posted these pictures in a set on my Flickr site for access to the high resolution versions of any of these pics.
Purposeful discomfort
We made it to DC after a check engine light and a wrong turn made in Reading, but with a little help from a parts store diagnostic kit and some GPS we were on our way without incident and still arrived before any of the other service groups.
After touring DC last night with our trip coordinator, Mo from Center for Student Missions, we met as a group to discuss our goals for the week. Interestingly enough, a shared goal by many of us is to break out of our comfort zone of living and working on College Hill so we experience for ourselves the perspective of those suffering from homelessness and hunger. Day one will provide us this exact opportunity with an afternoon “urban plunge” where we’ll break into groups to meet and share a meal with those living on the streets as well as simply share a conversation. I’m curious to know how we’ll be received by them. Will they appreciate the gesture or will they think we’re a bunch of over-the-top good deed doers who have no idea what it’s like to be them? To be perfectly honest, I’m a bit nervous to make the plunge, but that’s all part of the purposeful discomfort I’m seeking.
Our first night
