After a late night for some of the MABers playing hide-and-seek in Calvary Baptist Church in Denver, we awoke to a colorful sunrise at the butt crack of dawn. We shared our dreams: NFL Combine for Chris, and homeless burglar for Ashley. We attempted to make ourselves somewhat presentable—attempted being the key word which is specifically directed at Ashley's grunge poetry chic boots and Justin's all the way buttoned shirt and tennis shoes.
We split for pre-service meetings. Those who attended the youth class discussed with some of the congregation's youth their college experience and involvement. One of the youth members, Owen, shared that he is fluent in Mandarin, and he is planning on going international for college—awkward because a sophomore in high school is cooler than every single one of us. During our discussion, in walked Mr. and Mrs. Kreg Brown - with brownies, I might add - who met while in school at our very own Mizzou. They told us about their time at the university and shared that they return every year. Once a tiger, always a tiger, am I right?
Those who attended the adult class got to sit in on a book discussion. The members were reading a sort of Christian reflection book which the members discussed calmly even when difference of opinion occurred—something we could probably learn from considering our experience with "mafia." The adults also served as a support group very aware and concerned with each other's lives.
We then attended the service at 10:30. Justin had his first exposure to an organized worship and was surprised that it didn't resemble the movies, at all. The message of the sermon was the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman. Rather than portraying the woman as someone who we should pity, the speaker portrayed her as a woman who was confined by her social circumstances and who broke from these stereotypes and was empowered by the power of Jesus. It was the most liberal and feminist sermon most of us have ever heard. Some members of our group noticed a drastic difference in interpretation of the verse from what they expected. Not only was the sermon liberal, but the back of the bulletin had a message welcoming people of all sexualities and beliefs – something we appreciate given the events that have taken place on our own campus. No matter the religious ties, all of us found the service to be an enjoyable and enlightening experience.
After the service we headed to Wal-Mart to pick up groceries for the week. On a scale of 1 to organized, our trip probably got a 2. However, the Panda Express we enjoyed afterwards got a solid 12 on a scale of 1 to heaven on our taste buds.
After our chaotic shopping experience, us MABers headed to the Nuggets game… Go Nuggs! (We just like saying it.) The game was the first NBA experience for most of us. We were #blessed to be at a game that the Nuggs actually won—apparently it doesn't happen… EVER. Thomas fell asleep…in an NBA game…with thousands of people yelling around him. No one understands him. Even though we won, we were 5 points away from 110 points, which would've meant 4 tacos for $1. By the end of the game, we were all rooting for tacos, not the Nuggets. Entertainment throughout the game was provided by the surprisingly "risqué" dancers—not a problem for Thomas whose dream job is to be a judge for Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader tryouts.
When we arrived back at the church (after getting lost), we were welcomed by Calvary's youth group. They meet every Sunday from 6-8. We ate some really awesome food—see a common theme for our trip?—and then did an icebreaker to get to know each other. We passed a ball riddled with questions to each other, and then each of us answered the question our right hand was on. We learned Chelsea doesn't know left from right and Emily's spirit animal is a kangaroo. After the icebreaker, we played Romans vs. Christians with the youth group around the church. The girls ended up winning, of course.
We're now about to play some Cards vs. Humanity and Hide-and-Seek—yes, this place is haunted. Then it's off to bed to prepare for our busy day at the hospital tomorrow! Peace n blessings from the mountain tops!
-MAB Aurora
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