Breakout

After settling into the church that is graciously hosting us this week, the group came together to share our fears and anxieties about the trip. The common themes centered around a worry of feeling overwhelmed, a fear of expressing pity instead of empathy, and an anxiety of accidentally using incorrect terminology or making assumptions about people and their stories.

The activity was encouraging in that it showed the group is really thinking about and preparing for the experiences and conversations we’ll have this week. As a leader of the group, my fears were mainly that the group would feel disengaged or find the trip poorly planned. While the work my co-leaders and I put into planning the trip gives me confidence about the latter, tonight’s conversation and the great pre-trip activities we had together makes me optimistic that the group will be actively engaged with our community partners.

The week will be mentally, emotionally, and even physically demanding, but I am pumped to see the group grow both individually and as a unit. The issue of youth homelessness is difficult to discuss, but I’m confident our group members will support each other as they learn about such an important problem.

Bring on the Breakout!

- Rodrigo ‘12