8/10/08

It, the day, started off rough. The line between people and their differences became known. However, with the words of Rev. Michael, we understood that this mission trip, this service project was not about our personal emotions or the struggles we carry with us, it was about much more than that.
We started off early in Missouri, but didn’t quite get out until a few hours after we had originally planned, however that did not slow us down from momentum we started off with going to Kentucky. We surged through until we stopped for lunch in St. Louis. While there, passing through the aesthetic and beautiful region of the old downtown, we saw her (St. Louis’s) most known monument, the Gateway Arch. It was a beautiful and radiant bridge, standing silver atop of the city, looking on down on the mighty Mississippi. But more importantly she stands exactly for what she is, a gate, symbolizing progress into the future, and stabilizing life when moving from east, to west. The Mississippi laid quietly as we passed, just a few visitors in her muddy waters, but her might can never be forgotten.
The day moved on, many people catching up on lost sleep, reading novels or watchin’ movies, nonetheless still alive as we moved on. Illinois passed like a dream, and before we even knew it we were in Indiana, which it, itself passed with haste. During the day, we passed two other major rivers, the Missouri and the Ohio. Coming into Louisville was astonishing. The bridgework had many people in awe, and the old factory chimneys reaching up towards the sky, long passed Its days of work. We moved on, towards the church, passing by massive baseball stadiums and through the cozy and friendly old shopping-style downtown, curving and winding until we finally saw it, the old bell tower like those of ancient catholic cathedrals, and astonishing brick work build that sent this gothic style church dancing into the heavens, while trees stood in front welcoming the path into her heart. We finally pulled in the back, taken aback and caught in the middle of the old meeting the new and we could finally unpack and settle in for the night.
But the day we trekked on, moving beyond the struggles amidst the early morning that found us caught up in ourselves. We moved on, just like the great Arch told us to do. We passed through and made our way, realizing we were here for more than our own struggles, we had to leave those behind. We are here as a team, strong in each other so we may be the H.O.G, building up lives and not letting conflicts set us down. So here we stand, or sit, today, comfortably on the couch waiting a new day’s promise, as a team, as leaders, and as friends.


Alex Gorman-Chamness