Kansas Report 2 Days 1-2

So I am now back home from my trip (I have actually been home several days) and am now writing down some of the highlights from the trip. Unlike last year, we decided to take the trip in 2 days this year, splitting the driving up a little more. So on the first day, we did not leave until late afternoon, and we only traveled to St. Louis. As uneventful as this first day might seem, this is really one of the most crucial times of any trip. The initial drive is crucial for bonding. We had met several times prior to the trip, and many of us already knew each other. But none of us had spent this much time together before, and after the first few hours on the road, I knew that our team was going to work well together. We just had fun, cracking jokes, listening to music, telling stories about our life, and hanging out on the road. We arrived in St. Louis later that night and ended the day by watching basketball (for March Madness was still going on at the time).

The next morning (Day 2) we got up and set out again. We were not half way yet, and we needed to get to Hays be supper time. So we left St. Louis that morning and set out for Hays. Once again, this was great time together. Once we got to Salina, Kansas, I began getting anxious. I was so ready to get to Hays just to see everyone that I had met last year. One major prayer request I had from the start was that I would not be distracted by these past relationships. Instead, I prayed that they would only help me more in serving them this year. Still, I could not wait to see everyone again.

Once we got to the church, which is now called Crosspoint Hays (rather than Agape), we noticed that several people were already there. Once again, they were waiting for us, and we just hung out at the church for a while. It was great to see familiar faces, seeing how the group had grown, and seeing the excitement that they had for our being there. I also was able to meet several freshmen and new students to Challenge. Not only was the freshman class a fairly large class in Challenge, but there were also several new upperclassmen who were beginning to get more involved in Challenge. It was great to see how much they had grown over the last year.

So that night we went to Freddy's (similar to Steak and Shake) and Carin's house. After supper, we hung out in Carin's basement for a time of getting to know each other. We had the typical introductions as we ate and played games the rest of the night. After that we needed to get settled into our dorms. Many of the Challenge students took us into their rooms for the week, which was a big burden for some. My roommate, Nathan, already had a roommate. Both him and Eric stay in the same small room. Throwing in a third person (me) made the room much more crowded. But despite this problem, it was so encouraging to know that they were willing to host me for the week. They took not only time out of their schedule to let me back in the room whenever I needed, but they also sacrificed some of their comforts in allowing me to stay in their room (as did the other student hosts).

Last year we stayed in student's houses across Hays, so this was a lot different. But I appreciated the experience, for it gave us a taste of what dorm life is like on a more secular campus. Whereas we have our own private rooms and bathrooms at Union, they share rooms with someone else and have community bathrooms on each floor. Although this did not pose a major problem for the week, it did take some getting used to. Furthermore, you could hear everything that went on down the hall. I heard conversations that I do not typically hear on a daily basis. But this first night reminded me of the darkness on their campus. It brought me back to what I had experienced last year, and it also energized me for the work that we had ahead. We knew God was at work on the campus already and could not wait to join Him.

Matt