Day 2-Shawna Elsey

Today's camp ran much more smoothly than yesterday and you can tell the kids are starting to want to participate. They want to be around us and build relationships with us. Just giving each a little individual attention makes a big difference. They were much more cooperative today than yesterday. Not to mention, they are adorable (especially the kindergartners). I really hope this camp just makes them realize that other people care. Also it gives them time to spend with their friends and eat 2 meals. Trips like this are what really make you realize how blessed you are and how easy your life as been. Next time I'm worried about something, I should remember that.

Day one-advisor post :)

Day one was like any other first day, we didn't know what to expect and most of what we planned changed a little along the way, but overall it went well. Meeting the kids today was an adventure, all very entergetic with very different personalities. Most of us experienced some eye opening moments that were unexpected, but it was worth it seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids. I mean we are here for them right? 

Day one was practice for day two, we learned from our mistakes and changed some things around for tomorrow. You have to be flexible when dealing with kids and I believe all participants of the Dallas trip have learned that quickly! 

Tomorrow is full of exploding chalk paint, a LOT of gym running around getting energy out time, and some quality interactions with some very interesting kids! 

-Amanda Gabbard 

Day 1-Abi Zupon

I'm not going to lie, I was unsure of how this trip would go and what would really happen on my immersion trip to Dallas. I've gone on mission trips all through out high school so I had experience in social diversity but this is definitely a new but positive experience. This is called an immersion trip and the goal is to immerse in the culture that we are put into, we have only been here for a little over 24 hours but I feel myself doing just that. 

Dallas Texas has a lot of Hispanics and there are a lot of Latinos in the area we are in. On almost every street corner there is a different taco restaurant, and Spanish is the dominant language that I have heard spoken here. 

We are running a camp with elementary school kids and 100% of the kids are Latinos which was a little intimidating because I wasn't quiet sure of how they would respond to us coming in. 

What I've experienced on this first day running the spring break camp is that the kids, as well as this community has a close knit family feeling. Even in the kids, they want to tell everyone who their cousin or brother or sister is. If my brother and I at the elementary school age would had been at the same camp he would have ignored me, so it's cool to see the love of family going on in little kids. 

This community has a low rate of high school graduates, there are low income families and some are financially unstable, that being said today I was suprised at how many kids wanted to pick up a book and read. It was encouraging to see that because not too far down the road in Missouri I see kids playing on iPads or owning their own cell phone and not wanting to physically run around outside. 

I'm going to be honest and say that I was unsure of the culture down here and really had no expectations. I am planning on minoring in Spanish and taking some Spanish credits right now at school and it is exciting to be able to use just the little that I know. Coming here and being able to interact with the culture has insured me that this is infact a major part of my life. I have loved learning about evey culture and seeing the diversity that has gone on. One of these days I want to go overseas and use my Spanish somehow but it is encouraging to know that I can do just that here in my own country.

I am beyond excited to learn more about the city this week. I am so glad to be here and I love my school and so thankful for a wonderful opportunity to do this. Thank you Missouri State for allowing me to follow my passion

Day 1-Dalton Breeding

Today was certainly an interesting day... We really did not know what to expect when we walked through the doors of Wesley-Rankin this morning. I was stationed in the gym, and quickly realized one thing: any and all plans needed to be thrown out the window in favor of flexibility and the interests of the kids. We were scheduled for an hour of freeze tag, however one game was not enough to keep them occupied for the full time. We ended up playing soccer, catch, basketball, and a number of variations of tag. 

I certainly experienced some significant culture shock throughout the day. Many of the kids are used to being disciplined by their fathers, so they did not respond to female authority figures well. We were all surprised at the number of gang-related references that we heard throughout the day, even from kids as young as five. 

Each age group presented different challenges, but the oldest groups were certainly the most rambunctious, but they all had seemingly endless energy. The kindergarteners in particular were comparable to the energizer bunny: they just kept going. All in all, today was a successful first day. While we are all exhausted already, we are preparing for another exciting day to tomorrow! 

Tyler Street United Methodist/C2K welcomes us with open arms

We have only been in Dallas for six hours and we already feel welcome with our housing site (Tyler Street United Methodist) and the service site (Wesley Rankin Community Center). It just shows how much each of these organizations care about this community and it makes us want to serve them that much more! We are really excited for what tomorrow holds! 

-Amanda Gabbard (advisor)

The Fun Has Just Begun

Hey everyone it's Kristen Meyer. Even with the little time we have spent in Dallas thus far, I know great things are in store. One thing we talked about tonight in reflection was the difference between helping, fixing, and serving. Serving is by far the most rewarding and has the largest impact. I know none of us on this trip are looking the fix the children that are here, and helping doesn't have a lasting impact. However, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that in serving the underprivileged children of Dallas, Texas, they will teach us more than we could ever teach them. I look forward to what the future holds for this week. Please keep us in your thoughts and/or prayers. God bless! 

Ellis Cole

This is Ellis Cole with the Dallas BearBreaks trip. I wanted to join this particular trip because of the emphasis on childhood poverty. We are extremely fortunate to be able to lead lives that allow us to go to university. Unfortunately, some children do not currently have the same opportunities. There are some great organizations right here in Dallas that seek to serve those challenged by childhood poverty. One of these organizations is the Wesley Rankin Community Center which we will be helping to host a spring break camp for the kids. I'm super stoked about it and can't wait until tomorrow morning!