07/10/2026
Today was a FULL day. We helped run a carnival for 300+ kids. It was chaos. We assembled carnival games in the parking lot, we filled up hundreds of water balloons, and then students manned prize and food stations, games, bounce houses, and the dunk tank. We anxiously watched the skies as storms rolled in but everyone was able to enjoy the carnival. It was our job to tear everything down, pack it up, and put it away. We just beat the torrential downpour.
Bruce Main, the founder of Urban Promise spoke to us after lunch. Talked about founding Urban Promise and dreams for future Urban Promises in the US and around the world. He also spoke about the University Urban Promise is starting in Malawi, Africa. Hope Church has a classroom named after it because we raised money and supported this initiative.
We had some projects rained out as we waited for dinner. We had some cleanup things to do right before dinner and the kids did really well despite being tired. We ate dinner and then had an activity which was designed to help us connect with some inequalities that people face everyday.
The activity divided the room into 4 teams. But the playing area was not equal. One whole side of the room was given to the blue team. This team had an abundance of supplies and resources. And they had walls blocking so it was hard to see into their team area. There were two smaller squares for the green and yellow teams. They had resources just less than. And then the smaller square was for the red team. It had the least resources, smallest area, and the most people.
The goal of the game was to build a neighborhood. BUT, you had different amounts of money based on your team. The team had to decide how to allocate their resources for things like housing, schools, businesses, churches, and parks. But each of those things cost money. So teams worked together to figure things out. They had to apply to a permit office and pay Monopoly money to build their team structures.
But there were also ‘supervisors’ and referees who enforced laws and rules unequally especially towards the less resourced.
Also, there were temptations. Maybe we can pay you to build a prison, a landfill, or maybe a massive bridge in your neighborhood? You don’t have as many resources as this other team. This seems like a good deal. But there unintended consequences. That was a tough pill to swallow for some.
It caused big feelings but the discussion was powerful. Ian and Garland, our hosts, walked us thru our feelings of frustrations, hurt, happiness, and everything in between. They challenged us with how our game ends but for some people in life these feelings, injustices, and mistreatment are everyday occurrences. It got students thinking. Then we were challenged with two questions. What’s the good news of this scenario and what would Jesus have done in these systems?
The good news for a lot of us is that we have a sliver of a sense of how others are feeling. The good news for us is that we can partner and discover and help people who are already doing the work. Like partnering with Urban Promise and other community members who we are neighbors with. And what would Jesus do? He would pull up those tape lines and move those walls that separate us. We have the good news of the gospel! We have Jesus’ example! He challenged us to love our neighbor. He challenged us to identify with them. He challenged us to step into the gaps to fight injustice!
It was a hard moment. It was a powerful moment. It’s a moment I hope sticks with all of us.
