Personal Narrative: My Trip To The City Of Detroit

The name of the city Detroit will now forever be ingrained in my memory. Not only have I been introduced to every song ever made that even relates to the city, or every Detroit related joke ever conceived, but was given the opportunity to meet an amazing group of individuals and put Mercy into Action. Although not new to the service trip experience, each one holds something new and special to discover. On this particular trip, it started out rolling down an alley in Detroit late in the evening the first night of fall break. Then sleeping on a tile floor after laughing so hard we were all in tears from the events of the day and new memories we shared of pizza, absurd traffic, VHS tapes, and new friendships that made it all so worthwhile. As we found out that next morning, our primary goal was to paint rooms in an abandoned hospital that was being converted into housing for the homeless. What it looked like was exactly what you would expect of an abandoned hospital. Every room on the floor was the same—dirty and concrete. The people there were anything but this description. We were welcomed with open arms as we ate our meals with others in the soup kitchen as they asked us about our lives and thanked us for coming so far to help. As everyone ate together they joyfully asked each other how their day was, thankful for the opportunity
to just be alive, and wanted to serve us even though we had come their to serve them. The first day at lunch there was this little girl sitting at the table next to me. She was with her grandmother that day getting lunch and as a beautiful little two year old she smiled and was shy as I played with her. Just down from her was a rambunctious little boy who just a bit older was all over the attention he received from our group, showing off his cool shoes and sweet dance moves. Every child melts my heart but it is different to know how I could never begin to relate to the struggles their families must be going through. In their smiling eyes is innocence but it is difficult to know these little ones have been born into a social system here that that makes their future uncertain. Seeing the needs of the families and those little ones helps drive me even now to do well coming back because I know how greatly I have been blessed with this opportunity for education and to serve the needs of others. Mission accomplished, our task our team set out to do was completed.
While doing so we got to know the dreams and aspirations of our group making many new friendships in process. We grew as individuals in connecting with others and trying to empathize with them. Seeing the world in a little bit more vivid light and amazed at the joy people choose to have everyday in the most trying of circumstances. After a large selection of the most random music playlists possible, our team left with the knowledge that even if we could not do a lot for how great the need is we did not just talk about it we did something to put our Mercy into
Action.

You are all amazing individuals, thank you all! Detroit!