The City Life and Return

Friday and Saturday of our trip were spent concluding our week in Chicago. On Friday morning we packed up, cleaned up and left our dorm rooms squeezing everything back into the van. Our final session was at 10:00 am in the group meeting hall. There we discussed what it meant to be the church and how the church fit into the overall big picture of scripture. It was great to see the students response as the understood who they are and their role in God's Mission. We left our final session excited about what we learned through the week and ready to hit the big city for a whirlwind tour. Before we could head to the city we needed to drop all the luggage at the nearby church that was putting us up for the night. That didn't take too long and then we were off for the city. Traffic was crazy as we got to the city. The positive side was that it allowed us to take some great pictures. Before long we had parked at Moody, toured the campus with the help of our friend Shawn Proctor who met us there, and were off to see the sights. Our first stop was Navy Pier on the edge of downtown where the students could shop and get some local Chicago souvenirs. Then we headed up to Chinatown for dinner. It was a great feast as all 13 of us squeezed around a single table with a lazy Susan to enjoy some Americanized Chinese cuisine. After stuffing our bellies it was time to head to the La Salle Bank Theatre for a viewing of a Chicago Broadway favorite "Stomp." The show was quite a unique experience and was a great conclusion to the evening. After one more ride on the Metro we picked up the vans and headed back to Wheaton for the night.

Bright and early we rose again, packed the van and Ashley's car one more time and drove back to Moody Bible Institute in the heart of Chicago. Nearby there was a farmers market right in the middle of the city. It amazed the students that they would just close off the streets and allow vendors to set up shop. We saw everything from flowers to cherries, honey and hot sauce. Lots of fun. Next we headed by bus and metro to the heart of the city to tour Michigan Avenue. It was great to be in the city and see all the skyscrapers and shops, people moving quickly from place to place and doing "city stuff." We were able to visit Niketown, the Disney store and some other downtown favorites before lunch. On our walk to Giordano's for some famous Chicago Style stuffed pizza we made a stop at the historic Chicago Water Works in Downtown and viewed the Hancock Center from the ground level. It is still amazing that we can create buildings so tall and massive. See included photos. Lunch was amazing and made us slow our pace a bit. We took our time heading back to Moody to pick up the vehicles. While reaching Moody one last time we witnessed an accident between two police cars. It astonished our group and we all wanted to see if they were ok. We walked close for a few minutes then decided to give the accident some space. One student spontaneously said, "We should pray." We jumped into action huddling in a circle and taking turns praying for the police officers. Of course the students took a bunch of pictures as they had never seen a live police chase accident before.

Wrapping up our day we headed to the airport and got a quick McDonald's dinner before our flight. The students were all excited to get home to their families, their beds and their comforts. Lessons were learned and lives were changed once again by our great Creator God. He is Awesome!!! At 10:45 pm we arrived safely in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It didn't take very long for the students to grab their bags, greet their families and head on out.

Thanks for all your support and prayers.

The Chicago Team