from wednesday night

We survived the heat another day. Tomorrow's forecast looks cooler. Today the students continued at their work projects in the morning and then experienced the El train. In this experience, we rode the red line ( runs north and south) to the end and back again. We were challenged to strike up conversations with people which might lead to some discussions about faith. Below you will find a few testimonies from your kids about the experience.

In the evening, we heard a message from Brian Dye. He is the pastor of several home churches in the area. He spoke on Matthew 28: 16-20 and challenged the students to really understand what it means to be a disciple and what we are called to do.

Tomorrow ( Thursday) is a long work day. Please pray that the students have the energy to serve with their whole selves.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! So I just got back after an amazing train ride. I was scared outta my mind until we arrived at the first stop where I saw a kid who was wearing a shirt that said '' don't worry, God is in control. Then it all got better. I tried to talk to about 5 or so people. But they mostly just ignored except for 1 guy. His name was men-din and he said he escaped from north Korea! I didn't believe him at first but after he told me about the many ways to move about like sneaking in the back of a mining truck and got in touch with one of the few news photographers in north Korea. He acted as the mans assistant and fake IDs. He said the reason he came to chicago was for work far away from the coast. I wished him good luck and god bless as the train doors closed. I thanked God for the chance to meet such an amazing man and hear such an awesome story.

Zachary Goldberg
P.s. I love u mom! Happy birthday and enjoy Norway, you deserve it! Tell everyone else hi if you see this.

Today, I really enjoyed the L experience. I got to talk to 8 people, and it was really cool to hear their stories. One lady told me how her dad and sister died and how she wants to go back and finish college. It was so cool to hear all their stories and meet so many different types of people.

Also, today on the gardening team, we worked on a puzzle that will be laminated and hung on the fence to beautify the garden. We all pitched in to buy a new wheelbarrow, and we used it to move dirt from the brick street. It's looking really good now, and we're excited to make mosaic tiles tomorrow. Praise God for all the cool people we've met!

Emily Erickson

P. S. ~ I love you, mom and dad! I'm really enjoying the trip! Pet Daisy for me.

We went on the El today, it was super fun! I was a little nervous at first because there were so many directions given to us for the train, like what stop to get off at and switch trains but I ended up being just fine. We met this really cool guy named Daniel, he was Mexican and spoke mainly Spanish, which is the language I take at school so I guess it sort of came in handy! He was holding a guitar so I asked him to play for us(Greta, Amalie, Megan and Linlea) a song in Spanish and he played La Bamba and we sang along and enjoyed our trip on the train! Also on our work project today we went on a tour of the city and got to see President Obama's house!!!

I hope everything is going well back home, love you all!
Savannah Lasley

Today was so much fun! We went in the El and it was a really cool experience. At first, I was really nervous because I had no idea how I was going to start the conversation but I soon got into a really cool one with a guy named Devian. He was very open about his life and we talked for almost the whole ride. He let me share a little bit about me, including why I was in Chicago.( he thought it was really cool!). On the way back a guy named John easily picked me out as not being from Chicago. We talked about many things including sports, school, and most importantly Jesus! Riding the El was so amazing and I hope all is going well at home!

Love you all!
Claire McCartan

Hi everyone!! God really moved today. I was riding the el today and was feeling a bit discouraged because my meal share time yesterday didn't go as I'd hoped it would. God totally shook me up. I walked onto the train with my partner Linlea, and I saw maybe five people in the whole car.i made eye contact with a man and didn't really think anything of it while I sat down. A minute later I commented on how beautiful this woman's hair was and it quickly became a whole conversation between the woman, the man and I. He seemed super nice, and was very genuine. I noticed a stack of papers in his hand and I wondered what it was. (i later discovered it was a biblical foldout sheet for witnessing) Later in our conversation, the woman disengaged herself, but he continued speaking with me, going on to tell me his life story about when he grew up, was in a gang, dealt drugs, lived on the streets, his siblings' passing away, his alcoholic father and other stories. The conversation moved to faith and his faith in God. I asked him if he was a christian and he replied yes, which made us find an even deeper connection. He was so real, there is still something about him that I cannot put my finger on. :) Later we talked about the church and how God is NOT a God of fear. Then he told me about his family, how he cared for his remaining siblings and their children and how he strives to be a provider. His story really challenged me. He had such joy and peace while he talked, and that really inspired me. I will never forget what happened today. On the ride home I met a man who was carrying a guitar, Savannah asked him to play for us and we had a connection. I love music, so I was super excited. Then he played and sang in Spanish for us!!!!! :) I currently am learning Spanish and I got to talk with him in Spanish and translate for him in our group's conversation. I had an awesome experience today and I thank God for opening a door for me into other people's lives.

God bless!!! -Megan Shirley (sorry for writing sooooo much!)