When you first hear your going on a trip you start to imagine what it will be like. Sometimes you can be right and other times wrong. After I had first decided that I wanted to go on the Mississippi trip I started to think of what it could be like. I had only heard a little bit about from when our Sunday School classes would watch the presentations about the trip. It looked like fun and I knew that some of my friends were already signed up to go. I was nervous about being away from home for a week, but I went anyways. I thought we would just be working hard. I had no idea what was in store for us.
When we first arrived it was not extremely noticeable that we were in the minority group of the neighborhood. After the trip to Walmart it was obvious. For most of us this was a new experience. We went on walks around the neighborhood we were staying in and we got stared at. Looking through their eyes a bunch of white teenagers walking aimlessly around is an odd sight to see. We got to meet some people on these walks. They were all really nice, polite and had no problem stopping to talk to strangers. All through the week we met different people. After lunch each day we had a speaker who would come and talk to us. What they had to tell us was very eye opening.
Most of the projects we worked on were outside in lots or on the walls of a building. We got to work on a house the last two days we were there. While we were working we were learning. Many people already know how to pick stuff up and throw it away, but how many people learn how to put flooring down or shutters up? We were not only helping a community, we were learning how to do things we could do in and around our homes. The main pipe burst at the Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM) church building. Every day we would send a few of us over there to help dig trenches or fill them in. Most of the people we sent over worked harder that the people who were getting paid. In the end we helped the VOCM save over a thousand dollars. This was amazing. I didn’t realize how much we were helping others. During most of the work days I was having a lot of fun even if some of the jobs weren’t so fun.
On the way home we stopped at the Civil Rights Museum. This was an amazing place. I wish that we had had more time to look at the museum. After we got home I was happy to be back. Being away from home for a week was a stretch for me. We came back with more knowledge than we had when we first left on the trip. I think the trip was very effective on teaching us about Civil Rights and being in a minority as well as teaching us how to work for a full day. I had a great time. I hope that many others will enjoy this trip as much as I did. When we started this expedition I was only planning on going once. Now, I am planning to go again.
Rebecca Baldus
2007 WHLC Confirmand