The Lord broke our hearts in Chicago’s Westside neighborhood of Austin. The first day our eyes were opened to the racial and economic systematic injustice in our country. Our hearts broke for the people these systems have affected and continue to affect.

We saw that as Caucasian, upper middle class Americans we were oblivious to what was going on around us…just a few neighborhoods away. We learned about God’s heart to make right all that has gone wrong in the world as a result of sin. We were challenged to think about what our role as individuals could be in this redemption process.

Lauren’s service for three days was in the neighborhood of Cabrini Green working with Kid’s Club, an after school program. The kid’s received help with their homework, learned about Jesus through chapel and other fun activities like chorus, praise dancing, bucket drumming and art. Lauren will never be the same as a result of this week, and neither will the three Greek IV women who went with her.

God also moved mightily on the Habitat for Humanity trip Brian led. There are three reasons why we go on a Habitat trip each year: first, to serve those in need and fight against poverty, second, for the students in Greek IV to grow deeper friendships with one another as they serve together, and third, to bring some non-Christians on the trip to see God through experiencing scripture and Christian community. All three goals were accomplished this year.

Of the 13 students on the trip, three were not yet Christians. One student in particular, James, had not come to any Greek IV activities at U of I before going on the Habitat trip. He went on the trip because one of his fraternity brothers was going and invited him to come along. James said that the Habitat experience has motivated him to look for answers to the tough questions that were preventing him from believing in and following Jesus. Since returning to campus, James has joined the Greek IV community and also attended Chapter Focus Week after the semester ended.

The Greek IV story was shared by Lauren Mann Author Website: http://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/GreekInterVarsity Author Email: Contact Author Author Bio: Lauren is a campus staff with Greek InterVarsity at the University of Illinois. More Stories by Lauren Mann

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This post is tagged Racial Reconciliation, Service, Social Justice