Homecoming

Well, it's true. I am home. And if you're reading this wondering why I haven't made an attempt to see you, it is because I this trip is unexpected and temporary. I returned home for a few days to spend some time with my mom and help her along with some things. Depending on how long I stay, I am going to try to make it to some doctor appointments (PCP, Oncology, Urology) and see what her treatment plan will be. It has been good just being able to encourage her and be with her and my dad. It's difficult to leave the mission in Detroit, but as one pastor reminded me recently: God first, family second, mission third. I guess I'm getting a taste of what that really means.

Let's see... updates on Detroit...

Camp is going well. Tomorrow, the other interns will start the fourth week of camp. The end is in sight!! We had a rough third week, with a lot of bumps and unexpected twists and turns. The church where we were holding day camp (Blessed Sacrament) was unavailable for Monday and Tuesday, so we had to move back to the first church we used (Tried Stone). We then had to move back to Blessed Sacrament for Wednesday and Thursday. The kids were crazy without a set schedule, and on some days we attempted to do educational time outside, which was a mess. There were several fights, and copious amounts of children have been kicked out of camp for doing so. The meal schedules have also made life hectic. We usually provide the kids with three meals. In the morning, they receive a breakfast bar with juice if we have it. We are bussed to a local school for a free hot lunch program. Lunches are donated to us as well, so we can save those to bag up and send the children home with dinner.

What else... Our entire house has been sick at least once. The black lung (okay, it was just a cold) made it full circle, and all of us have been tired and lacking for the past week. I have been sick for a little over two weeks now, and I am so exhausted! It's difficult yelling at kids to get out of holes without a voice ;) I have received care packages full of cough drops, ibuprofen, and tea bags though, so I think I'll make it.

One of my favorite things we did recently was our discussion with ShaCha, the woman who leads our race discussion. We watched a speech of a white man named Tim Wise, speaking on white privilege. He talked a lot about how we can see poor blacks as being underprivileged, without seeing middle class whites as being overprivileged. He also gave insane statistics dealing with institutionalized racism and the injustice of such a thing.

My five white housemates and I watched this video with some of ShaCha's black friends, and discussed what stood out to us, whether it was related to our age, race, social status, or religion. It was so awesome to see why some of the things Tim Wise said hit home to them, and why it affected us as well. We had a question and answer section at the end of the video, and we could write anonymous questions on note cards and discuss things that way. It was an overall amazing experience. I have never had that kind of opportunity before!

The following are some statistics and important points Tim Wise revealed in his talk:

In the 1990's, over 800,000 black people died because of inequeal health care.

In a 1962 poll, white people were stopped on the street to ask if there is equality between blacks and whites. Seventy two percent said yes.

Black men are 3x more likely to be stopped by the police for suspected drug possession.
White men are 4x more likely to actually have drugs when they are stopped.

Terrorism is blamed on nineteen Arabs, causing many Arabs to be profiled and set apart. The one hundred twenty four white terrorists in history do not impact the face of the white community.



I will leave you with these things to think about.

Peace.