Looking Back to Move Forward

        After a hearty homemade breakfast, we headed to a local church for the Sunday service. The church was unique in the fact that it had both Catholic and Baptist traditions. Their community and music ministry were excellent. Even though our group comes from a variety of different religious backgrounds, we unanimously agreed that the service was beautiful and that it started off our day on a positive note. Ari mentioned that “The church overwhelmed me with joy when the people swarmed us with hugs and blessed us with peace and grace. The choir presented such an enthusiasm and spirit within their songs and it showed us how much love and passion they have for the grace of God and the community of Detroit.” After an almost two-hour service, we went over to their cafeteria and engaged in conversations with some of the congregation. By sitting down and delving into relationships, we were able to get to know more about the people who has been so welcoming to us. This community was a living witness of people who had fought and lived through the hardships surrounding the city, yet they filled atmosphere with hope and happiness. 

After lunch at the retreat center, we traveled to the Detroit Historical Museum. They had a great amount of detail that covered the walls top to bottom. Some of the museum’s highlights were Kid Rock, the city’s car industry, Detroit’s impact on freeing slavery, and the race riots of the 1960s. It was a very large promoter of the saying “looking back to move forward”. The museum’s set up prompted visitors to think about what Detroit will be like in the coming decades. After leaving the museum, we visited a local coffee shop where customers could purchase an extra cup of coffee for an individual in need. 

Our main focus of the trip is food security, so we looked into certain neighborhoods access to grocery stores. First, we visited “Pick & Save” on Seven Mile. The store had a moderate amount of people in it, limited amounts of fresh food, was in a lower income area, and had high security, but they also had a friendly staff. Next we visited “Whole Foods” which was located in the downtown area. This store was directed toward an upper class and was relatively crowded, had a large variety, and higher prices. The perk was that they had free samples! We wanted tot focus on how the environments and prices differed. After our shopping experiences, we returned to the retreat dinner, cooked a Mexican feast, and reflected on our day. Our whole group realized that all our interactions with the people of Detroit have been positive and hospitable. We also discussed the vicious cycle of living in a food desert and how the best way to end it is with strong community efforts.