We are so excited to send a team of chaperones and students to Detroit for a long weekend of serving and growing as a group. Check back for team updates and photos!
Please note that the team members will do their best to share daily updates, as schedules allow. We appreciate your understanding as they are navigating schedules and unpredictable internet access.
The team is on the ground in Detroit! We will post more updates from the team (time-permitting) throughout the weekend!
The team is on the ground in Detroit! We will post more updates from the team (time-permitting) throughout the weekend!
"Today I demolished an old convenience store that MACC is possibly going to turn into a community center in the future. I also cleaned the basement and first level of the house where we are staying, which MACC wants to potentially turn into a counseling center.
It was a really cool and fun experience. Using a sledgehammer was really fun since I don't get to do that in my normal life. I also tore off big pieces of wood and sheetrock. It might look like just a little thing, but even though we can't see the impact right now (and we might not be here in the future to see what kind of things it will do), it definitely has a big impact on MACC and the Detroit community.
Those projects were really fun to do, and cleaning the area helped create a space that can be used to have a huge impact on lives in the future.
In our devotion time with Pastor Leon today, I learned about taking moments to pause and reflect. I also learned to not just think about ourselves, but to think about patterns and different behaviors of people and how our human and sinful nature can fit into that. We can demonstrate God's love despite our human and sinful nature, overcome that, and be aware and grow in emotional maturity, love for others, and become a better person. Pastor Leon is really wise!
I really love serving people. Today was a really cool experience, and day one (well, technically day two) is off to a good start. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has to offer."
-Kensie Olson, 10th Grade
"I was part of a group that did demolition at an old convenience store. MACC Church is turning the old convenience store into a community center to bring the the community together.
One thing I learned today was not to judge other people based on how they might look or how they might act, because I don't know what their condition in life is and I don't know what they are going through."
-Thorin Goldie, 10th Grade
"Today I helped with the plant business and also swept up the demo area. I learned that when you slow down and really take the time to get to know someone, hear their story, what they are currently going through, or the things that they have gone through, your compassion for them grows. My compassion grew beyond just their circumstances, but who they are as people, and why they are choosing to live the life that they are living.
This even extends to then how you can help, because my love for Detroit grew a lot through the people we talked to today and got to learn from. It really made serving a lot more intentional and valuable of a thing to be doing." -Claire Louis, 10th Grade
"Today I got to work with all three groups. I got to work a little bit with the demo of the warehouse that we did both today and yesterday, and then I also got to work on organizing a storage closet for the church. I also got to help a local community member organize plants to help her out with her plant-selling business. It was a super fun opportunity to be part of all three groups.
One way that I definitely saw God today was in talking with Edith (a local church member) this morning. I came to Detroit last year as well, so being able to talk to Edith during both trips has been super interesting. It was interesting hearing her insight and different stories that I hadn't heard before. She shared a lot of insight about being a community member, which Rob (our morning and night speaker) talked about as well. They both talked about being a community and how a strong community can really bring out Christ. I learned that it's important to meet people where they are, and that Jesus isn't just found in a church. He can be found everywhere, and centering your communities and lives around him is really what is going to make the community flourish."
-Ainsley Ortner, 10th Grade
"Today we did a lot of demo in a warehouse that's going to be turned into a community center for the MACC on Mack Avenue. We tore down walls and then cleaned the space out by picking items up and putting them in the dumpster. When we finished, we got to pray over the space, which was really cool. The space used to be a grocery store ,and it is going to be transformed into a community space. I think it is really cool that the community will be able to visit experience Christ's love.
Today I learned from our devotion in Colossians 2. We talked about not just receiving Jesus and moving on. We have to live our lives in Him and love Him forever. I think that that's really important to remember. We can't just think that we received Jesus and we can life our lives the same way. We should be transformed and changed by the Gospel and try to love like Jesus every day. That stood out to me not just in the Scripture that we read today, but also throughout the week."
-Caleb Meyer, 10th Grade
"Today we had the awesome opportunity to attend Mack Church. I came on the trip last year, and there were so many more community members. After church, we went into the city and learned about things in our government and the history of Detroit. We then had the awesome opportunity to go to dinner downtown at a Mexican place with Pastor Leon and his family and hang out as a community.
It's so cool how the Lord is really growing our group together and that we are all starting to become closer friends. It's super awesome to see what He is doing in everyone's lives and knowing that I have things in common with people I have never talked with before this trip. This trip has been such a blessing and has really grown me in my sense of patience and community."
-Ben Kersten, 10th Grade
"This morning we got to go to church at the Mack Church. It was such a moving and powerful experience. It was really different than any church I've ever been to, but it was also one of the most joyful. It was an amazing experience, and the community was amazing. I really enjoyed getting to talk to people before and after the service and seeing how different the church was, but also how amazing it was.
After going to church, we got to explore Detroit. We went to a place that had abstract sculptures made out of garbage, and it was all about standing up for injustice. It really made me think, but it was also really powerful. We also got to walk around Detroit and learn a little bit of history and just what people in this community have experienced and are experiencing. That was all really good context for how far Detroit has come and how just amazing the community is now. We went to dinner and hung out as a community for a while, and it was a really great last day."
-Allie Volkman, 10th Grade
