Going off the deep end...

The second week of "The Radical Journey" has definitely proven to go much deeper. While the first week was exploring the city and getting to know each other, week two has dove headfirst into our Spiritual Narratives (aka testimonies), theological exploration/conversation, and continuation of spiritual disciplines.
We’ve also been able to break off into individual country groups to do some team building. This has mainly been composed talking through and getting to know some of our spiritual tendencies, love languages and personality traits. Besides this, the house has had ample time to bond as well. We usually have a good chunk of the day either in the afternoon or at night for free time that we fill with ultimate frisbee in the nearby park and a myriad of card/board games in the house. We also have time to explore the city and get acquainted with its diverse neighborhoods and attractions. We’re encouraged to go to festivals, new church services and experience Chicago’s different cultures. It’s been a fascinating time. In the midst of all of this we have also had some time to explore some service and ministry. After a unit on the spiritual discipline of service we were able to animate this by doing our own service. The house split up into groups; one went to a homeless shelter and the other went to a sort of preparatory preschool called Gad’s Hill to hang out with kids and help the teachers, I was part of the later group. The kids were amazing and the level of excellence there is off the charts.
Later that week we visited Emmaus Ministries in Uptown Chicago, what a uniquely amazing ministry. They work with male prostitutes and are one of the few, if any, ministries that do this. We listened in on a couple that musically recounts some of the guys’ stories that are worked with at Emmaus. It was a very honest and humbling experience.
Only two more weeks until we make the trek to Paraguay!