This week I have had a privilege of going on our annual bus trip with many of our middle and high schoolers. Exhausted does not come close to describe how we all feel, a bus load of 48.

Yet I see the smiles, the excitement of a week living life together. I’ve seen friendships grow beyond racial boundaries. I see teens who understand what it means to think of someone else.

As we have explored the sites of Chicago, I have explored the lives of those students we serve.

I sum it up with… hope. These kids have hope. Hope that their lives can be better, their academic career can include college, that they don’t have to be cursed to live forever in poverty.

Thanks for investing in their lives. I’ve got to see the return on the investment.

jay