Portland Day Three: Blanchet House, Saturday Market, and the sights of Portland

Welcome to day three! We have two writers this evening, Ellie Baxter who will be giving an overview on the whole day, and Masame Fletcher, who felt compelled to share her thoughts on our daily drives to and from Downtown Portland each day. Enjoy! -Taryn :)

Overview of the Day: Ellie Baxter

Today was a great day in Portland. This morning, we woke up and got ready to go to the Blanchet House of Hospitality. Our service project today was to help and serve in their Founder's Cafe, which makes and serves food to the homeless. It was an amazing experience getting to help so many underprivileged people. My job, along with Gavin, Simon, and Andy, was to plate all of the food. It was an absolutely AMAZING feeling and I would love to do it again.

When we were done serving, they gave us lunch, and then we went to the Saturday Market. The market had things from soap to jewelry made from spoons. It was fun getting to walk around and look at all the little booths they had. At the end, Andy and Taryn gave us a game to play. Andy went to one of the booths in the market and took a picture of something they had there. Once he showed us the picture, we had to try to find that same item, take a picture of it, and find out the price. Whoever could do that first, won a free doughnut from Voodoo Doughnuts. To wrap up our third full day in Portland, we went to Voodoo and got doughnuts. We all had a great time in Portland and I can't wait for our last couple days here!

Driving: Masame Fletcher

I have never enjoyed driving around in a car. I am one of those people who gets sick by doing anything, whether it's writing, reading, or playing on my phone. I remember the first time I rode in a car, I felt like throwing up. My stomach felt so queasy. But this time, I was able to stare out the window and enjoy the view.

I loved and I hated what I saw, because it brought me on a roller coaster of emotions. The pretty views were of people riding on their bikes and motorcycles, while others were walking their dogs. Not to mention the flashing signs advertising the stores, little kids holding their parent's hand while crossing the street, dogs walking by their side in perfect stance.

But then the more we got into the city, the trees and flowers disappeared, making the view and images more painful and beautiful at the same time. People were lying around in front of stores with their sleeping bags, others bodies looked like they functioned but seemed out of it; their faces told another story. With sleeping bags underneath them, dressed in old ragged clothes with cardboard signs in their hands, they simply asked for money, hoping someone would be generous. There was nothing beautiful about watching people who have lost themselves.

The beautiful part of driving was realizing that, in fact, I could help those people. Also, it was amazing to get to see the brokenness here. I enjoyed getting to see something that I normally don't get to in my town. Also, it inspired me to do everything I can. I loved this experience.

Portland Day Two: Food Trucks, Powell's, and Connected

Yesterday was our second full day in Portland. We had an easy morning, with no plans until lunchtime. For lunch, we went to a large pod of food trucks in the Pearl District of Portland, where I challenged each youth to find a new friend who may be in need of a good meal, then ask to sit and talk with them. Some of the kids dove right in, others needed a little bit of time to warm up to the idea of stepping outside of their comfort zones. After all was said and done, this challenge went way better than I expected. In today's blog post, you'll hear one of those stories from Gavin. After we finished with our lunch project, we headed to Powell's City of Books, which will be chronicled by Sara. Then, I will return to share with you our main service project of the day, walking in Holladay Park with a group called Connected. I hope you enjoy!

Food Trucks: Gavin Newton

Simon and I got a random person named Tamoki. He said he was a pro violinist and performs in many places and at weddings. It's cool how you can just ask someone to have lunch with you and learn how everyone is different. He said that, no matter how hard it is to reach your goal in like, you can. He's been playing the violin since he was six and he enjoys people that he performs for. It's nice to have people like that.

Powell's City of Books: Sara Hemingway

So, today we went to that one-block bookstore, which, if I forgot to mention had 6 floors? Yes, the place was huge. I don't think I was able to look around the whole thing. I will admit, I got lost a few times, which isn't anything new with the general life of Sara. The place had everything, from art to graphic novels, to travel, and then to sci-fi (three of those genres are some of my personal favorites and it was quite pleasing). Wait, hold up. I didn't even write what the bookstore was called, the bookstore-that-you-can-easily-get-lost-in-if-you-are-not-paying-attention is called Powell's City of Books. Lots and lots of books. I ended up buying a few, a bit expensive, I will admit. It was worth it though.

Okay, I have a single question, as you, the reader, is finished reading this, please tell me I'm not the only one who gets this feeling of proudness and happiness of some sort when you see a book you already own in a bookstore like that? I mean, I even had that book in my bag next to me as I was on my way to get an Italian soda, but that feeling of, "Hey, I have that book, I am so glad that it's here so other people can see and read it." Plus, it was even better because it was one of those great, unnappreciated books that no one knows about? No? Oh, well, that was a waste of time on these last few sentences. Oh, bye.

Connected Walk: Taryn Hauglie

I apologize for the length of this part of the post, but I'm the youth director and I do what I want :) I feel like this is such an important thing to share, and I want to be thorough. After we left Powell's, we went to Holladay Park, a one square city block wide park in the middle of Downtown Portland. There, we met up with a few pastors and volunteers who made up the organization called Connected.  Connected was formed about five years ago when Holladay Park had a much different landscape. Five years ago, Holladay Park was a hotbed gang activity, prostitution, violence, and even human trafficking. Police officers would often avoid the park because of how unsafe it was. Five years ago, at the corner of the park, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed. Upon hearing about this event, a small group of pastors and other volunteers decided that enough was enough, and they needed to take this park back. From there, Connected was formed. Every single Friday, they meet at 4:30pm and walk for 2-3 hours. Their work is simple: they meet together, and walk around the perimeter of the park, along with one or two park rangers. They aim to be a loving presence in the park. Greeting anyone and everyone they cross paths with, their kindness and openness was contagious. In five years, they have not missed a single Friday. Why Fridays? Before the park cleaned up, Friday was typically the worst day for criminal activities and incidents in the park. This group values consistency, kindness, and community, and it was so great to just hang back a step or two and watch them interact, not only with each other, but with people in the park, whether they knew them or not. Everyone was a new friend to them, and I found that so inspiring.

What I found particularly moving was that I imagined what this park once looked like: dark, ugly, scary, full of not very nice things and not very nice people... definitely not a place I would feel comfortable bringing kids whose parents were entrusting me with their safety. Then I looked around and saw what it looked like today: there was a little splash pad or fountain, there were fooseball and ping-pong tables, there was a member of the Parks and Recreation department playing music and helping people with the games, families were walking through the park to go to or from the mall which was just behind the park (unheard of five years ago; people would walk blocks around just to avoid going through the park), there were advertisements for Fitness in the Park summer events and other youth programs... the park was booming, in a positive way. And I honestly believe a lot of the improvements of this park came to be because of the presence of the Connected organization.

Earlier in the day, I sat down with the kids and we spoke a bit on the racial tensions our country is seeing and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Our conversation led me to share a story I've heard of a man seeing another man on a beach, throwing starfish that had been brought onto the sand from the tide back into the water. The man approaches the other man and says, "But there are so many, surely you can't save them all. What's the point?" And the man simply picks up another starfish, throws it in the water, and says, "Well, I just saved that one's life." The point of this story is to share that we may think we may not be able to make a difference in the world, because we are just one person, and surely we can't make any big changes, but there's such a beauty in the little things. And I believe that Connected embodies that idea so much. They have such a simple model, and I see Jesus at work in them. I believe that this park is where it is today, largely in part of the work Connected has done. Their story and the work they do is so inspiring, and it's an idea that can do some great work in the world.

Portland Day Two: Food Trucks, Powell's, and Connected

Yesterday was our second full day in Portland. We had an easy morning, with no plans until lunchtime. For lunch, we went to a large pod of food trucks in the Pearl District of Portland, where I challenged each youth to find a new friend who may be in need of a good meal, then ask to sit and talk with them. Some of the kids dove right in, others needed a little bit of time to warm up to the idea of stepping outside of their comfort zones. After all was said and done, this challenge went way better than I expected. In today's blog post, you'll hear two of those stories from Gavin. After we finished with our lunch project, we headed to Powell's City of Books, which will be chronicled by Sara. Then, I will return to share with you our main service project of the day, walking in Holladay Park with a group called Connected. I hope you enjoy!

Food Trucks: Gavin Newton

Simon and I got a random person named Tamoki. He said he was a pro violinist and performs in many places and at weddings. It's cool how you can just ask someone to have lunch with you and learn how everyone is different. He said that, no matter how hard it is to reach your goal in like, you can. He's been playing the violin since he was six and he enjoys people that he performs for. It's nice to have people like that.

Powell's City of Books: Sara Hemingway

So, today we went to that one-block bookstore, which, if I forgot to mention had 6 floors? Yes, the place was huge. I don't think I was able to look around the whole thing. I will admit, I got lost a few times, which isn't anything new with the general life of Sara. The place had everything, from art to graphic novels, to travel, and then to sci-fi (three of those genres are some of my personal favorites and it was quite pleasing). Wait, hold up. I didn't even write what the bookstore was called, the bookstore-that-you-can-easily-get-lost-in-if-you-are-not-paying-attention is called Powell's City of Books. Lots and lots of books. I ended up buying a few, a bit expensive, I will admit. It was worth it though.

Okay, I have a single question, as you, the reader, is finished reading this, please tell me I'm not the only one who gets this feeling of proudness and happiness of some sort when you see a book you already own in a bookstore like that? I mean, I even had that book in my bag next to me as I was on my way to get an Italian soda, but that feeling of, "Hey, I have that book, I am so glad that it's here so other people can see and read it." Plus, it was even better because it was one of those great, unnappreciated books that no one knows about? No? Oh, well, that was a waste of time on these last few sentences. Oh, bye.

Connected Walk: Taryn Hauglie

I apologize for the length of this part of the post, but I'm the youth director and I do what I want :) I feel like this is such an important thing to share, and I want to be thorough. After we left Powell's, we went to Holladay Park, a one square city block wide park in the middle of Downtown Portland. There, we met up with a few pastors and volunteers who made up the organization called Connected.  Connected was formed about five years ago when Holladay Park had a much different landscape. Five years ago, Holladay Park was a hotbed gang activity, prostitution, violence, and even human trafficking. Police officers would often avoid the park because of how unsafe it was. Five years ago, at the corner of the park, a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed. Upon hearing about this event, a small group of pastors and other volunteers decided that enough was enough, and they needed to take this park back. From there, Connected was formed. Every single Friday, they meet at 4:30pm and walk for 2-3 hours. Their work is simple: they meet together, and walk around the perimeter of the park, along with one or two park rangers. They aim to be a loving presence in the park. Greeting anyone and everyone they cross paths with, their kindness and openness was contagious. In five years, they have not missed a single Friday. Why Fridays? Before the park cleaned up, Friday was typically the worst day for criminal activities and incidents in the park. This group values consistency, kindness, and community, and it was so great to just hang back a step or two and watch them interact, not only with each other, but with people in the park, whether they knew them or not. Everyone was a new friend to them, and I found that so inspiring.

What I found particularly moving was that I imagined what this park once looked like: dark, ugly, scary, full of not very nice things and not very nice people... definitely not a place I would feel comfortable bringing kids whose parents were entrusting me with their safety. Then I looked around and saw what it looked like today: there was a little splash pad or fountain, there were fooseball and ping-pong tables, there was a member of the Parks and Recreation department playing music and helping people with the games, families were walking through the park to go to or from the mall which was just behind the park (unheard of five years ago; people would walk blocks around just to avoid going through the park), there were advertisements for Fitness in the Park summer events and other youth programs... the park was booming, in a positive way. And I honestly believe a lot of the improvements of this park came to be because of the presence of the Connected organization.

Earlier in the day, I sat down with the kids and we spoke a bit on the racial tensions our country is seeing and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Our conversation led me to share a story I've heard of a man seeing another man on a beach, throwing starfish that had been brought onto the sand from the tide back into the water. The man approaches the other man and says, "But there are so many, surely you can't save them all. What's the point?" And the man simply picks up another starfish, throws it in the water, and says, "Well, I just saved that one's life." The point of this story is to share that we may think we may not be able to make a difference in the world, because we are just one person, and surely we can't make any big changes, but there's such a beauty in the little things. And I believe that Connected embodies that idea so much. They have such a simple model, and I see Jesus at work in them. I believe that this park is where it is today, largely in part of the work Connected has done. Their story and the work they do is so inspiring, and it's an idea that can do some great work in the world.

Keep CTK Weird 2016: Portland Day 1!

Ellie Baxter:

Today was our first full day in Portland. The first thing that we did was go to the Portland Food Bank. Our first shift was sorting packaged foods into healthy foods and unhealthy foods, which they called "supplementary." Then, we went to lunch and came back for our second shift. We had to put on aprons, hair nets, and gloves on. We liked dancing in them. At first, we were sorting and bagging onions, then when those were all done, we sorted and boxed cherries. In the end, we had sorted and packaged 19,613 pounds of produce, which made 16,349 meals. I thought it was an amazing experience and I would love to do it again.

When we were finished at the food bank, we came home and got ready for dinner and the Shanghai Tunnels tour. We went to dinner, ate, and found the place where the tour started. We went underneath the buildings of Portland to see things like boots from young men who had been imprisoned, trap doors, hear about human trafficking, and even stood in paranormal portals.

It was a really cool first day in Portland and I can't wait for more to come.


Simon Bidne:

Today at the food bank, the first shift we packed up boxes of food with non-perishable items to be packed and sent to food banks across Oregon. On the second shift, we packed onions and cherries to be sent around Oregon as well. On the second shift, we packed 19,613 pounds of cherries and onions, 16,349 meals, which comes out to an average of 206 meals per volunteer there.

The Shanghai Tunnels were an interesting turn-around from the food bank because it went from helping a bunch of people to learning about how innocent people were taken advantage of. We learned about how men were sedated and taken advantage of, then sent off for 3 to 6 years. And they were taken from their families and sold into slavery. We also learned about women who were taken off the streets, then mentally broken down and sold into prostitution. It really saddened my heart to hear how proud some of these men were that did this. It was hard to go and do good and then turn around and learn about some of the worst things that happened. It was a very emotional first day and it really set a tone for the rest of the trip.

ELCA Youth Gathering: Break Chains

Today was the last of our full ELCA Youth Gathering days, and we, after participating in the Proclaim Community and Proclaim Story days, found ourselves with our synod for Proclaim Story day. This consisted of many short videos, a “story journal”, and a pen. We got to listen to our Bishop Kirby Unti tell his faith story. At the end we took a selfie with him! We also had communion, and sang songs with a praise band. We got to branch out and talk to youth from our synod. It was so touching to hear their stories, and in return we shared our stories with them.

Before that, we hung out in the Cobo Convention Center and visited the Old Lutheran Store that had a lot of funny or awesome t-shirts and sweatshirts. At the big youth gathering night, we listened to a few inspirational speakers who all touched our hearts in different ways. We also got to listen to the beautiful Rachel Kurtz sing, and we got to rock out to Skillet! On our way back to the bus, it started to rain and we felt right at home. ;)

All in all, it was a wonderful day and we can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day. –Anastasia & Sara aka The Queen

ELCA Youth Gathering: Build Bridges

This morning we hopped on a bus to go to Hart Plaza. We waited there for the buses to pick us up to go to our service site. While we were waiting, there was a man singing to keep us occupied during the long wait. The buses arrived around 1 which took us to Oakman Blvd. for our service project. We were given the task to beautify the neighborhood. We took out weeds, cleared trash, and cleaned sidewalks for 3 hours. We were done at 4:30, and the buses took us back to Hart Plaza. We then walked to The Renaissance food court, ate dinner, and walked to Ford Field for the Mass Gathering, which started at 7:30. During the worship we listened to 4 amazing speakers, and had the privilege to listen to The Temptations sing a few Motown classics. Afterwards, we walked through humid Detroit, rode back to our hotel, had our closing, and then typed up what you are reading right now.

-Hailey Ostbo and Alessandro Squadrito

Our speakers at tonight’s Mass Gathering were phenomenal, and all spoke on the theme “Build Bridges.” First, we heard from Rani Abdulmasih, pastor to one of the only Arabic speaking churches in the ELCA. He spoke on bridging the gap between Christians and Muslims, and bringing to light our Christian roots in the Middle East. One of his quotes was, “The first Christians were Arabs, and the first Arabs were Christians.”

Next, we heard from a young woman named Sarah Funkhouser, who recently completed a year with the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program, where she served in Jerusalem. She talked about how she was assigned to teach English to blind students at the Helen Keller School for the Visually Impaired. Not having a background in teaching and not knowing how to speak Arabic, she turned to a passion of hers: Yoga. She challenged herself to teach these blind students yoga poses, and reveled in the spirituality of the exercise. The impact she had on those students was great, and she is now discerning where God is calling her next.

The last speaker of the evening was Reverend Steve Jerbi from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He spoke about racial injustice, particularly in the story of a 13-year-old boy named Damaris Simmons. “Damaris should be here and having this experience, but he can’t.” He then when into detail about how a couple years ago, Damaris was taking out the trash, and his neighbor, who wasn’t particularly fond of having a black family on the block, shot him in his front yard, while his mother helplessly looked on from her front steps. The power in which he spoke about the plague of racism in our country was incredibly moving and powerful. At one point, the entire stadium stood up and clapped, and after about 10 more minutes of him speaking, I realized we never sat back down! He drove the message home that Jesus claims us, and we claim him as well.

Awesome day!!! What an incredible experience for everyone here. Thanks so much for reading our blog and sharing in our time in Detroit!

ELCA Youth Gathering: Bear Burdens

Today was ‘Proclaim Community’ day, and so we walked around doing activities. Us ladies (Anastasia, Sara, Hailey, and Taryn) stopped to paint a mural of a tree with other high schoolers. It was a picture of a tree, and then we put fingerprints on it as the leaves. These murals are going to be used to board up abandoned buildings, making it less likely for the buildings to be looted (as they will become beautiful pieces of art). Afterwards, we wandered around and Taryn sang a karaoke song (Note from Taryn: And I rocked it!).

We participated in a mass cast performance at the end of the day in Ford Field to a song called “If You’re Out There” by John Legend. It was very moving walking up to the stage next to strangers who were feeling the same emotions you were. There was a very moving speaker at the gathering tonight, who shared her story about growing up in Detroit and what the city means to her. She said, “This is a city filled with more semi-colons than periods.” The sentence could end, but instead, it continues on. This city is full of so many beautiful people with kind hearts, and we are excited to continue our journey tomorrow. –Anastasia & Sara <3