Ending with a bang

It's a few days post ASB and it's awesome looking back at what an amazing experience I had. I have done multiple service trips in the past but I think that I walked away from this trip with a totally new perspective having learned new things about myself, my views, opinions and world around me.

As for a recap of the end of the week...

Friday morning we gathered to debrief Thursday's reflection. Our reflection consisted of everyone writing a comment, question or observation gained from the week. The pieces of paper were passed around the circle so that everyone wrote a comment/response back to each other's papers. It turned into a written discussion forum where everyone contributed their opinion. My questions were about religion and service. Why and how does religion inform acts of service? Do atheists feel the same calling to do service? Without religion, why do we do service? From reading others people's comments, I came to some overarching realizations about how the week was meaningful. One person mentioned that during the week they felt more selfless. I totally agree. Being in Atlanta on a service mission I felt removed from my usual personal concerns I think of like worrying about getting a job, getting good grades and extracurriculars. I felt completely motivated by wanting to serve others, not focussing on my own needs, and it felt really fulfilling. That positive feeling of selfless service helps me understand why the people work at City of Refuge even when hardly earning a living wage.

Later Friday morning we participated in City of Refuge's Street Ministry. We walked out of the gates, past the "four corners of hell" intersection and down the block to a housing project community apartment complex (if it can be called that in the least). The goal is to go door to door passing out flyers and publicizing the services of City of Refuge. The apartments looked dilapidated, many were boarded up and the surrounding area was covered with trash. While some spoke with the tenants, others walked around picking up trash around the area. Many of us picked up tiny plastic zip locked bags that we were told were empty drug bags (probably cocaine). Behind one building I noticed a pair of sneakers strung over the telephone wires hanging by the laces. We were told the day before that this signals that someone was killed by a gang at that spot. In that area, many brick walls were graffitied "RIP Dee." It was chilling to see and know that I was standing on the site of a gang murder.

The street ministry service didn't feel like the most meaningful project we did. I felt uncomfortable to be a white girl coming into a neighborhood with plastic gloves and trash bags picking up trash on the doorsteps of people's homes. It seemed as though we were entering a neighborhood complex and sending the message that they do not take care of their own environment and we were coming in to do it for them. I don't think it empowers them to want to take care of their environment any more. However, I appreciated the opportunity to go to the neighborhood because I got a sense of how people live and what the communities look like. (Some of the kids we tutored even lived there.) It was a reality check.

We couldn't leave Atlanta without visiting another popular ATL tourist spot, the Martin Luther King Jr museum. He is buried along side his wife in a reflecting pool. Down the street is the home where he was born. The exhibit shared quotes and history of MLK and his wife but also included an exhibit of Ghandi and his philosophy. We also managed to stop by the famous Gladys Knight and Ron Winer Chicken and Waffles Atlanta restaurant for a grab to-go bite to eat. Who knew that chicken and waffles go together?

Saturday morning we woke at the crack of dawn to begin our drive back home. We departed at 5:30 AM and arrived back to College Park, MD by 5 PM. That has to be record time.

I am so appreciative for the many experiences I had and stories I heard through ASB. Even though I have done other ASB trips to different places, I left this trip feeling more fulfilled and excited about what I learned and did. Unlike other topics I've learned about on ASB, I think the issue of hunger and homelessness/ urban poverty is relevant no matter where you are from. Go to any urban area (LA, NY, Chicago, Houston, DC) and you will encounter neighborhoods similar to Bankhead. We live just miles away from DC where people face the same challenges.

I have had many opportunities this week back to practice my "elevator speech" to friends I run into asking how my break was. (Elevator speeches are our 20-30 second explanation of what we did over break that will catch a persons attention in a short amount of time). What I tell people is that I did ASB in Atlanta and that we stayed in the neighborhood called Bankhead (many recognize that name) with high rates of crime, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, drug use and trafficking and homelessness. I tell them that we stayed and volunteered at a homeless shelter facility that serves the community and that we heard incredible personal stories from the people we met. Adjectives used: humbling, fulfilling, amazing, fun, interesting, enlightening etc...So far my speech is working and I think it definitely makes people think, even if it's just for a second. I plan on delivering my elevator speech even in the coming weeks.

We all are walking away with different experiences, memories, encounters with people throughout the week. We met new people and made some great friendships. I hope and think everyone took away something special from this ASB trip. I also hope that everyone continues to talk about their experience and share some of the messages insights that we are taking with us. I know I am!

Countdown to reunion of ASB ATLANTA 2010!!

--Jen--

From ADL to Morehouse...it was a good day!

Today started with a speech given by Bill Nigut who is the southeast regional director of the Anti-defamation League(ADL) which was created to stop the defamation of Jewish people but was later expanded to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens. The ADL work to end discrimination practices around the country. It also helps with victim assistance and law inforcement training. One thing that I found very important was the fact that the ADL is the leading diversity educator for students starting at pre-K. I think that teaching children about diversity is the best way for society to become more diversify. He also spoke about the fact that racism was still prevalent in society and I completely agree with this statement. Nowadays people will subtly use discrimatory slurrs at others. For instance, somepeople might say "thats so gay" without realizing that those words might hurt a homosexual person by equating them to being lame. This made me realize that we need to be careful what we say because it might offend someone. This can be tied to the homeless issue through certain stereotype that many people have of homeless people. Some people can make insensitive jokes about the homeless being lazy and that they are responsible for their situation without looking at the root causes of the problem.

Bill Nigut finished his speech with this quote from Rabbi Hillel “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I?" “If not now, when?” -----To me this means that although we think of ourselves, we can not forget about others in need and if we aren't going to act now, are we ever going to?

The next thing we did was Safe Haven where people are picked up off the street and are given a hot meal. Today there weren't as many people as there were on Tuesday. The reason for this is that many people received their tax returns so they go an spend all their money. What is interesting is that by the end of the month, their money will be gone. This brings up the issue of education or rather the lack of education. Would a better educated person know how to wisely use that money in order to better their situation in life? I believe so.

The next part of our day was tutoring. Today, the students were joined by Laurence Sidbury who plays football for the Atlanta Falcons. Laurence Sidbury stressed the importance of staying in school and not becoming influence by others who are behaving badly. For this example, Michael Vick who followed his friends in making bad decisions was punished by the law. Some of the children were not paying attention but I hope that they at least get his message and work hard to achieve their dreams.

The next part the day consist of some people going to CNN for a tour(tickets sold out but they got to see Emory) and the rest(including me--Kenisha) going to see Morehouse College. Morehouse College was very interesting to see because of the history associated with it. Morehouse College is a historically black male college that was established in 1867. We received a tour from Rob Myric(Reni's friend who goes to Morehouse). We started out tour at the Martin Luther King International Chapel which had a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in front of the building with Dr. King's "I have a Dream Speech" etched in the side of the building. Dr. King was an alumi of Morehouse College. The next part of our tour consist of seeing various academic buildings and dorms names after famous African Americans who fought for justice and civils rights for black people. We also saw benches that were made to acknowledge the importance of black faternities. The next part of our tour took us to Graves Hall which was actually Morehouse College at one point. One interesting fact that I learned about Graves Hall was that when the Ku Klux Klan were nearby, the bell on top of Graves Hall would ring so that students know to go some place safe. In front of Graves Hall was the tomes of Benjamin Elijah Mays and his wife Sadie Gray Mays. Benjamin Elijah Mays was a former president of Morehouse College. Dr. King had credited Benjamin Mays as his inspiration for many of his speeches. The next part of our tour consist of seeing different parts of Clark Altanta University pointed out to us while walking across the promedade or the "strip" which is an open courtyard that is a hang out spot for students(we were in a hurry to get to dinner on time so we didn't get to go and see the campus upclose). We then went to Spelman University which was very beautiful and the more aesthetically appealing of the three campuses. Spelman was very beautiful...too bad my camera died. The trip to these colleges were a success because I learned plenty about the history of African American education in the United States.
Overall, today has been a wonderful day. I have learned the importance of service, the harmful effects of discrimination in the country and what the ADL is trying to do to end discrimination. I also learned history of Morehose College, Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College.

~~~~
Kenisha Solomon

The world of Coke! Before you even get to the tasting stations, you're consumed with so much in the world of coke that you start craving the bubbly. The mecca of coke has various stories about how the company has made a difference in peoples lives, 2 museums,



2 theaters...
this....











and of course, the most anticipated part....tasting the 64 flavors of coke in the world. Honestly, most of the flavors were.....umm, different. It was fun trying new tastes and sometimes, I wondered how some people could stand the taste of certain beverages. Our group's personal favorite was....





(hahaha, jokes jokes!)
For those who hadn't tried it, it actually tasted like expired cough medicine which literally would make you gag.


In the museum of pop culture, there was a story of how coke decided to change their formula in the 80s and the advertisement around it. This caused people to be furious about the change in the taste which lead to many protests. Thousands of people called and wrote letter to coke urging them to go back to the original formula. While Coke is important and all, THOUSANDS?! I was shocked and saddened by the number of people that would take this issue so seriously while other issues that need this type of attention are ignored. For example, if we had 40,000 people writing letters AND calling in to the city of _____ to do something about homeless, maybe there might be one less child who's hungry....and even one less child is a big deal. This goes back to the importance of community that we've been talking about the whole week. If we keep living in our little bubble, we're going to be floating...it takes a lot of bubbles to bond and make foam. And of course, we need a lot of foam to clean enough so that it makes a difference....ok I'm getting a little carried away with this foam business.

People (not everyone though) don't do something until they are the ones affected but it's so important to look beyond the "I" and step into the shoes of someone else of see things from their perspective. That's how a community is formed...from understanding, being compassionate and connecting to others. Studies have shown that the more we feel connected to others and/or a higher spiritual power, the better our overall health tends to be. We need a reason to live which guides our life. A lot of the people living on the streets don't have the luxury to talk to someone about their day much less express themselves. They have people who walk past them on the streets denying their existence altogether. A lot of them are separated or have no families at all. They feel no connection with anyone hence they're "floating". I'm not trying to say they're suicidal, but they have nothing to live for...which is evident in their self abuse by using drugs (knowing that buying food is probably a better option for them). Being ignored from birth to adulthood can destroy a person's self-esteem to the point where it's invisible.


FYI: If you were wondering, coke changed the formula back to the original.


In addition to going to the Coke factory, we walked around the city of Atlanta and ate lunch in the CNN building. Then we had to quickly drive back to City of Refuge to do tutoring with the kids. I (Jessica H) was paired up with a first grader named Denaria and she was working on writing proper nouns. I started by asking her to read the directions at the top of the page, and already we had hit a road block. She only knew how to read about 2 words in the whole sentence, so it was hard for her to understand what the assignment was asking. I think she's just so used to having people read things to her that she's never properly learned the correct way to decipher a written sentence. I find it frustrating that she has so much potential and is eager to learn, yet she does not have a consistent mentor to help her along. I work at America Reads back in Maryland, which helps 1st and 2nd graders improve their reading skills, and I feel that she could improve so much if she were part of a program like this, but their school doesn't offer it. I just find so sad that some students in Atlanta who are willing to learn are deprived of the opportunity to excel in school. Anyway, I had to whip out some of my America Reads mentoring skills and we were able to finish her work. Afterwards we colored flowers, houses, and a bunny onto a big piece of paper. Before she left, Denaria wrote "I love Jessica" on the back of the paper. She also asked me for my phone number, but seeing as I'd rather not be called 10 times a day, I told her that I didn't have my phone with me and couldn't remember my number. :)












I (Sumrita) was helping 2 boys with their homework. I was proud of myself for knowing how to deal with 2 little energetic boys (my expertise is girls!). This tutoring experience was probably the most different from the past two days. Usually I go straight to their assignment and get them to start working on their homework. With the boys, I made small talk first....asked them how their school day was, why was it __(good/bad)__, etc etc. They asked me where I was from...instead of saying Maryland, I purposely said India. Why? Their next question was "Where is that?". Eventually this discussion lead into what continents are, where are certain continents, how they became separate land masses...luckily I found a world map puzzle to show them what I was talking about but of course they weren't allowed to put it together until they finished their homework.....my bribery skills at their best! One of the boys, Anthony, didn't have much homework so I pumped his confidence and told him to help Wesley do his homework. Ofcourse the boys were distracted every now and then, like any other child, but we had a great time finishing up the homework. Both Anthony and Wesley are intelligent but I fear that as they get older, they will loose the motivation to work towards school because maybe they're not getting the push from home or that they don't see the benefits of school....basically their environmental and familial factors.

BTW, I just want to put it out there....homeless/poor people are NOT dumb! They are some of the most intelligent people you will ever meet....some even have college or grad degrees (fyi intelligence is not only how much you got out of school...that's being educated....intelligence is everything combined).

Anyways, back to Anthony and Wesley....while working on the homework, Wesley told me that his uncle died recently and a couple other things about his family. This was one of the most rewarding experiences while working with him because I never asked him anything, but he felt comfortable enough to tell me about his life. When he was done with his homework, he got a big hug from me and we got working on the puzzle. I showed them where Maryland is and where Georgia is...although they were more interested in Florida. Then I showed them where India is and it was funny to hear Wesley say "You came from THERE?"....even though they don't technically know how far away it is. The puzzle was a lot harder than I thought....the boys got bored and ran off to play basketball while Kenisha and I were stuck on the puzzle. Before leaving, Wesley came up to me and asked me if I 'd be there tomorrow...I said yes and he smiled and jumped and was on his merry way!

After tutoring, we were helping out with the Youth Ministry. (Instead of Youth Ministry, Jessica and Matt went out to the streets to hand out pork and veggies to the people in the neighborhood. This was similar to what we did on Sunday, but we went to 2 different locations and had fewer people)

We had the night off, so after our chili and rice dinner, we decided to go out dancing at a place called LocaLuna (recommended by the man serving St. Patty's Day drinks at the Coke Factory). We ate nachos, did some salsa dancing, and had interesting conversations...some of which aren't blog-appropriate, so will not be repeated. ;)

On the way back to City of Refuge, Lee took us on a driving tour of Georgia Tech and then to a block called "The 4 Corners of Hell." This crossing is literally 2 or 3 blocks down the same road that City of Refuge is on, and is the worst part of the entire city. On one corner is illegal drug dealing, one is murder, another is prostitution, and the last one is human trafficking (young girls who will eventually go on to prostitution). It was fascinating and a little nerve wracking to drive by this area, but one thing that I noticed was that there weren't any police cars around. For the high amount of crime rates that go on in this city, especially on this particular block, I feel like the police should be more noticeable. Why haven't we seen them? Do they honestly think that these conflicts will resolve on their own? Sumrita and I both agree that it seems like the city has given up on these people, which is sad because they're the ones that need the most help.

There's a general trend of lost hope for people who live in low income areas. The city government can only to so much. These people don't have anyone that believes in them and their abilities. We're fortunate enough to have families and friends who encourage us and believe in us. We have resources available that give us options. The types of resources available here are things like WIC. Although WIC/other gov. programs are great...they don't prevent the issue...they're treating it. This reminds me of President Obama's presedential election....the country was in a state of hopelessness. When Senator Obama gave his speeches during the rallies, he presented hope to the American people among other things. People in the country were tired and hope was the underlying need of many. Imagine living your whole life in the need for hope and purpose....it would be absolutely miserable. So even if you can't do much on your own, you can believe in someone who doesn't believe in themself...you may just turn the key that may start the car.

- Jessica H & Sumrita

Two girls and a guy in Atlanta

Today we went outside the gates of the City of Refuge to pick up trash while the rest of the group built cribs. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they have a program called Safe Haven where they pick up the residents of Bankhead and provide them with a hot meal. It was a great experience because we got to talk to the locals about their day-to-day lives in Atlanta. Although most of the people were enjoying their lunch, one woman was certain that a volunteer spat in her drink. It was wild. She stormed out and cursed us all!!!!! (But like professionals, we kept it moving).

Next, a few of the volunteers helped tutor students from the surrounding area. It was sad to see one of the students struggle to read simple words while attempting to solve math problems. I really wish I could help. It was heartbreaking to see because we just discussed generations of poverty and a lack of education.

Finally, we helped prepare dinner for the residents of Eden Village, which is the women's shelter on the City of Refuge campus. The menu was familiar (chicken) but the experience was a little different today. The great thing about this trip is meeting new people and hearing their stories. Today we were able to dine with three beautiful ladies, Virginia, Ursula, and Jasmine. Surprisingly, Reni found out that Virginia is in the process of applying to Spelman College, an all female, historically black college. She is also willing to trade her infamous poundcake recipe for Jessica's phenomenal brown sugar pie. Ursula is a very well-spoken, intelligent mother of three, who is also an amazing chef. Jasmine gave us a wonderful idea about exploring Atlanta's attractions such as the aquarium and Lennox Mall. We are excited about venturing in Atlanta and continuing our journey!!

xoxoxo Jessica and Reni

and Matt

Pictures from Day 1-3

Arifa, Bei & Jessica


Matt cheezing before Lunch



Shannon and Bei after tutoring




Paul and Bei in the "City of Refuge" campus





After Dinner at Cracker Barrel


Before Dinner

Bei being "Bei"

The Trip Leaders being Expressive, having reached our "half-way" Mile Marker outside of Durham, NC

Katie & Bei at the Gas Station

The Rainbows

Matt with some of the Ladies...the "Black Crew"

Day 2

If someone were to have told me I was going to have as much fun as I had on the first day, of this trip.....I would have told them they were lying. I mean, the drive down to Atlanta was an INTERESTING one, to say the least. Crazy, fun, AMAZING, Awesome, Thrilling, tiring (a bit), and BEAUTIFUL!!! I feel blessed to have been chosen for the Atlanta Hunger and Homelessness ASB trip because I feel God wanted ME to impact some of the lives at the City of Refuge(the Homeless Shelter, we are residing at) && learn more about some of the most pressing issues we face as a society-here in little 'ole Georgia. The church service on Sunday-was AWESOME!!! The Pastor spoke about two main things. He spoke about 1.) How to Acknowledge the UnPurity in our lives (because we fall short/struggle with common sin in our daily lives) && 2.) Admit that He (God) is the only one that can fix our UnPure Hearts. The Word that day really spoke volume because that day when the Pastor gave his little testimony about how he had an UnPure heart, when he sat next to a Parrot (Someone who spoke Non-stop...throughout his flight), he was so frustrated that he started to think Negative thoughts about the man- who he didnt even know. It kinda made me put my life into perspective. There have been numerous times I have had UnPure thoughts about someone, who didn't necessarily do anything to me, but I began to ignite the fire by not wanting to get to know that person. The one question the pastor left me with was, "How do I live a pure life"? I personally answered that question by telling myself to start/form Fruitful relationships that are SIMPLY built on a PURE FOUNDATION.

On Day Two of the trip, one activity I really enjoyed was when our two group leaders had a discussion on Stereotypes vs. myths. I enjoyed it because there were a lot of stereotypes that surround homelessness, some of which are more fact than fiction, and others more fiction than fact.

I can't wait to see what our trip leaders have in store for us. I anticipate more fun && building fruitful relationships.

God Bless,

-Bei AchiriMofor

Day 2: Monday

We have been pretty busy today since waking up. Most of the group was happy they got to sleep in till 8am, instead of the original plan of getting up at 6:30am to eat with the ladies at Eden Village. Lee, the group program leader here at City of Refuge, said after observing other groups he decided that having grumpy women who didnt want to be up interacting with grumpy college students who didn't want to be up was maybe not such an effective plan. Jen, Samantha, and myself (Tracey), did however still get up around 6:30 to workout in the gym since we knew the day would be busy and might not get a chance to workout later.
So... after getting up and eating breakfast we cleaned up the 180 degree kitchen area and the area we used for church service by sweeping the floor than divded into 2 groups, half of us going to the clothing closet to tidy up and sort donated clothing, and half of us staying at the 180 degree kitchen to help clean up and set up. I ended up washing dishes for the second time on this trip, which is ok, cause I kinda like washing dishes (but don't tell anyone), then I put raw and frozen chicken breast onto pans to be cooked (mmmm). I have been very impressed both times working in the kitchen at the ability of the ladies running it (Q this morning, and I am not sure the name of the woman yesterday evening) to dole out tasks to such a large group effectively. I felt that each time we have been in there to help, we have actually be given something to do which is helpful to them... I know from being pres of the triathlon club that sometimes delegating is no easy task.
After working in the kitchen, then we met as a group in the kids lounge area (which is pretty nice) to discuss the different stereotypes people have of homeless people and the responsibility of us, corporations, and the government (or no responsibility) to do something to help. I really enjoyed the discussion and actually participated more than I did yesterday although after today I feel like many people in our group are more liberal than I am as the discussion seemed to move towards "the government should be doing more" at the end of the conversation. Everyone was really open to other peoples ideas though which makes me feel like everyones points can still be heard without feeling out of place or awkward. So after the reflection, which we are finishing later, we ate lunch. Delicious!! Chicken parmasean, salad, rice, and stuffing... mmmm.
After eating we went to Compassion where we made boxes of food for needy families. We unpacked lots and lots of boxes of donated food from places like Walmart that are either broken, defective, dented, returned, etc. Then we kinda sorted them, and repacked them more evenly into boxes that could be given out to families. I spent most of my time unpacking, specifically trying to find stuff that was low on the table. So, the boxes are given out to average families (family of 4?) and it is supposed to last them for 30 days... one whole month. Each box had maybe like 2 boxes of cereal, 10 cans of food, and 3 different snack items, plus a few other random goodies. There is no way this lasts a family of 4 for a whole month. That wouldn't even last me for a whole month! I mean, the food should definitely still be handed out and I am super glad they do it, but it is just unrealistic to think that the box could last for a whole month for 4 people with no other food source added. Also, the food is pretty unhealthy which can't really be helped but you can still be overweight and malnourished. It just makes me realize how much I have learned as a KNES major and an educated athlete about food, taking care of yourself, exercise, etc, that I take for granted but other people either don't know about or don't even have the luxery of worrying about. If someone is hungry and they have $3.. they go to McDonalds, not Whole Foods (understandably). This frustrates me and there is nothing I can see that I can do about it. My other dilemma is with Walmart... because I am not a fan of Walmart and some of their business practices (couple of my high school teachers brainwashed me) so I generally refuse to shop there (which I did yesterday... wasn't super excited about it) but then I saw all this food they were donating, so now I am torn as to whether I should be disliking them as strongly... hmmm.