As my contribution (along with Barton) to help plan our trip to Cairo, we decided to have a free hot chocolate stand where we also served cupcakes in the McBride project development. To start off, it was not cold in southern IL, it was warmly pleasant. So we decided instead to make lemonade. We came into conflict while making the lemonade because the five gallon cooler we were trying to make it in, broke/cracked, so our lemonade was down the drain…well, actually down into the depths of the grass. This did not stop our ambition though, we still wanted to go and meet people. We instead bought jugs of very extremely sugary punch “blue” or “red”.
We headed over to the McBride, and of course there are kids running around and people just chilling outside. We started interacting with a group of kids, just loving them and taking time to notice them. I believed it truly meant something and it wasn’t just about the free cupcakes. We played at the park with them, they did our hair, and we talked about their mock voting in school that day and about how they all voted for Obama. It was a good hang out time and we all enjoyed it…until that sugar kicked in and some of the kids started going crazy having cupcake-fight wars. We than decided it was probably time to get going.
Rosie (my roomie) had a vision of a doorway numbered 524 and how we were supposed to pray for whoever is there. Rosie was not able to come to McBride so it was our duty to act upon her vision. As our time with the kids was end; Amanda, Jess and I went to apartment 524. We knocked on the door and this girl answered, she was 17 years old, a senior in high school. As we conversed with her we were astonished to know that she was on the honor roll, she had applied to Tennessee State University and also Marquette. She had very high dreams and goals. I believe the reason we were sent to apt. 524 was to prayerfully encourage and uplift this sister. She had hope, which was exciting to see for an individual in Cairo.
Koolio!