I'm Sorry If You Think I'm Rude But...

My group this week is from Texas. They're awesome. I wasn't sure what to expect out of a small, baptist youth group from Texas. In fact, I was a bit nervous. So far, they have only broken stereotypes and surprised me.

Last night, we did our prayer tour. It's the first activity that we do with our groups every week as they arrive. It's a 2 hour drive around DC, where they are able to see every aspect of the city. They see the monuments, the government buildings, the ritzy neighbors, embassy row, and the poorer areas of the city. The point of this tour is for them to be able to understand the stark contrasts in the city.

Our tour last night ended in Anacostia. Anacostia is the predominant neighborhood in Southeast, the section of the city that I have blogged about before. Southeast struggles with crime, poverty and a reputation as 'an area not to go to.'

As we were outside of a Black, Catholic church in Anacostia that overlooks downtown DC, my group heard something that sounded similar to gunshots. They then watched a couple cops with their sirens drive past the church we were standing outside of. I'm not convinced that that is what the sound was. There had been fireworks going on earlier, and I haven't been near gunshots before, so it doesn't seem to be the origin of the sound. Regardless, my groups imagination went wild, assumptions were made, and they were shaken up.

Another area that we drove by on our tour was K Street. K Street is a predominant location for the sex-trafficking industry in DC. It's interesting because K Street is located in the financial district, near a lot of the upscale restaurants in the city. It is the same place where a lot of powerful people will dine regularly. It is seems a bit 'ironic' that one of the streets in DC with a lot of upscale restaurants also struggles with sex trafficking.

During our debrief tonight, the youth group leaders and I were asking the kids about what had shaken them up, what had opened their eyes, and what they were glad that they saw during our tour. A large emphasis was placed on the 'gunshots' that were heard. After awhile, it became a bit repetitive and redundant.

Finally, one girl stepped up and prefaced her statement with, "I'm sorry if you think I'm rude but..."

Before I go on, I have to say. Her honesty was so appreciated. What she had to say was straight from her heart, it was on target, and it was genuine. The way she spoke was a reminder of how to go about accountability in a gentle, but firm way.

She went on to tell the group that she essentially thought that their focus, and their priorities were wrong. She said that she heard them speaking about their fear of these 'gunshots' rather than their fear of the well-being of the city that they were called to love this week. She explained that a lot of the things that the group was saying troubled them, had to do with their own well-being. She went on to remind them that, this week, they are not in DC for their own well being. They are hear to met the needs of the neighborhood of Anacostia. She also reminded them that, if they stopped speaking of their fear of safety, and started worrying about the people they were called to serve, their need for safety would be met in that process.

This girl was exceptional in her understanding as to why she is here this week. The best part about her reminder was that, as soon as she was done speaking, the group got it. They understood that they needed to stop thinking about themselves, and they had to start thinking about the people of DC, and the poverty they are living in. The youth group is here to try and meet the emergency needs of the poor, destitute and homeless.

I'm so excited to work with this group. Their work ethic is awesome, they have a GREAT sense of humor, and they know why they're here. To top it off, they are already reminding me why I am here, and they are helping to keep my priorities straight. It's gonna be a good week :)