Memoirs of a Jackson

HELLOOOOO BLOGOSPHERE!!!!!!

Senior Blogger, Jackson Parker, here. I AM THE FIRST BLOGGER ON THIS TRIP! After spending around sixteen hours with one another in vans, we have finally made it to Denver. The ride was filled with laughter, sorrow, and “holding it in for a little longer’s.” I am pleased to inform you all that we managed to run over a mere three dogs throughout the entire drive. However, it is with great sorrow that I tell you that Lindsey Kerr no longer has any more hair due to an unfortunate accident with an exhaust pipe. (By the way, the thing about the dogs and Lindsey's hair is a joke).  Nevertheless, we made it and are very happy to be here. We were greeted by CSM’s “City Hosts” who broke us up into four groups and took us on a tour around the city. It was truly amazing to see the contrast of living situations from one block to the next. We were taken down a road of extremely luxurious, 19th century homes and not a quarter-mile down a corner of the road were streets teeming with homeless men and houses being left in shambles. Later we were taken down Colfax Avenue, a street that stretches across several cities and spreads for dozens of miles, that is located in the heart of Denver. Zack Mills and I noticed that a band we like was playing a show in a theater that we passed and could hear a familiar song from outside. I considered that if I lived in Denver and was not on this mission trip I would likely be spending my evening in that theatre. Not even five minutes later we came across a part of town that had homeless people sleeping up and down the sidewalk. I thought about how if I’d been in a different place of mind, I would have seriously desired to be at that concert. However, after spending about on hour on the tour before seeing the theatre, I realized that doing a good work this week and learning about poverty is my main concern. We ended the tour in the outskirts of town with a perfect view of Denver’s skyline. We reflected on the good and the bad that reside in this city and look forward to spending the next week of our lives here.