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It all started with a question. "Wanna go again?" Just a question. A simple interrogative statement that would send Alison and me on an adventure with nineteen high school seniors and recent graduates through the streets of New York City and Washington, D.C. It would be an adventure that would send us to the poorer parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan to feed the hungry, an adventure that would take us to see shows on and off broadway, and it would be an adventure that had us walking more than any other trip. It all started with a question.

Now, who would ask such a thing, knowing the consequences ahead of time, you may ask. Good question. That person is Howie Baird, a United Methodist pastor in South Dakota.

"Wanna go again?" Such a seemingly innocent question, but let us, as my seminary professors would say, "unpack it a little." Howie and I had journeyed on a similar trip in the summer of 2003. The trip is coordinated through the Camping Office in the Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church. The intended travelers on the trip are high school juniors and seniors. The purpose of the trip is to expose them to the city as well as to educate and empower them regarding issues in our society. In the summer of 2003, the topic of choice was "Sons and Daughters of Abraham: Christianity, Judaism and Islam." Overall, it made a good subject, but many of the youth had difficulty connecting with a topic in which they had no personal experience. Thus, this trip, we chose a topic that would engage them with their experiences. The subject was hunger and its related causes and consequences.

Our trip started in Fargo, North Dakota, very EARLY in Fargo, North Dakota. We had to wake up at 4:00 am to make our flight out of Fargo Municipal Airport. I'll let the photos speak for themselves from here. Also, I'm tired of typing, so I don't feel like narrating anymore. Enjoy.

As a side note, I didn't take photographs of stuff that I had already taken photos of. Thus, if you feel like something is missing from this photographic journal, it may be at the gallery from the 2003 NYC/DC Trip.

Early, early morning.
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This was the first plane ride for many of the youth.
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And the first NYC cab ride.
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Arriving at the "hotel."
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Walking down the street towards Central Park.
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Isn't he cute?
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We didn't realize it until we got there, but there was a Puerto Rican parade on 5th Ave. That made our travel quite difficult.
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In Central Park, every softball field was full.
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These guys were amazing volleyball players.
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This was just bizarre. There were folks dancing on skates in Central Park.
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Someone videotaping the skate dancers.
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Alison asks the park rangers for directions.
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Such an idyllic setting.
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Musicians abounded, in this case, they're playing at the castle.
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Isn't he still cute?
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Isn't she cute?
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This was the first time that many of the youth had ever witnessed homelessness.
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This is what sleep deprivation can do to someone.
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Finally after a long day, we headed back to the hotel. The next day was bound to be action packed as well. First, we headed to the United Methodist UN Building (across the street from the UN headquarters). Then, we split into three groups and went to three separate direct service centers. My group went to the Upper West Side to a food pantry.

Riding the subway to our work site.
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Packaging frozen foods for disbursement.
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And it continues...

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