This morning, the students were dropped off at Ward Church by their wonderful host families, and we set our sights on the city of Detroit. We arrived at Gleaner's Food Pantry, which was an impressively large (and well-run) organization in the heart of the city. There were many other volunteers there with us, and our group was assigned to turnip duty! (Yep, you read that correct: turnip duty.) We were cleaning and sorting thousands of turnips to be delivered to various families in need. According to Karen, our host at Gleaners, we bagged more than 5000 pounds of turnips, meaning that our service will impact 4728 individual people who rely on the assistance of the Food Pantry to have access to food. After our morning of service, we enjoyed some delicious pizza from Pizzapopolis, including some deep-dish pizza.
Next, we made our way to Heidelberg Street to check out this Heidelberg Project. This place was amazing, and it will be pretty difficult to describe. (Definitely ask your kids about it when they get home!) We started off with a guided tour from the education director, Margaret. She explained that all of the art came from the mind of Tyree Guyton, who had grown up on the street. He used found objects that had been discarded around the city and gave them new life by turning them into art. Eventually, we got to have a conversation with Tyree himself. The students engaged in an awesome conversation where Tyree explained his artistic process with us. He said, "We live, we die, and we live again.... God's image is in all of us. He created everything, and because we are made in his image, we can use our imaginations to create beautiful art." Tyree also talked about the importance of listening for God's calling on your life. It was truly inspiring.
The students thanked Tyree for sharing is art with us by sharing their music with him (and with many of the residents from the area). It was a joyful time of music-making and celebration as all of our groups performed in the middle of a crazy art exhibit in the middle of an urban Detroit neighborhood.
After our time at the Heidelberg Project, we hopped on the bus and crossed the border into Canada (without any issues!). We arrived in London, Ontario at our hotel, and the students dressed up for a nice banquet meal together. After dinner, Mr. Kempton shared his story about hearing God's call to come to AACS, and he encouraged the students that they should be ready and listening for the voice of God. After dinner, the students headed to the water slide and pool at the hotel.
In a few minutes, the girls and guys will split up to have separate devotional times before we wake up tomorrow and make our way to Niagara Falls! Tomorrow evening, we perform at Jarvis Street Baptist Church in downtown Toronto.
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| The students listening to Margaret during the guided tour at the Heidelberg Project |
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| Tyree (on the right in the red hoodie) dialoguing with our students about God, art, and calling |
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| The students singing for Tyree and the neighborhood residents |
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| The AACS choirs with Tyree Guyton |
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| Students getting ready to enjoy a delicious banquet dinner |
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