Back from Milwaukee!

So it's been a few days since I returned from my Urban Immersion trip to Milwaukee, WI, and I still feel like I'm in what my travel buddy Amanda calls a "time warp." I went from spending 10 days in a city, immersed in the ministries and programs there, to my "normal" life. It's painful.

It's painful because, at least right now, I want to go DO things, not be sitting in a classroom. It's painful because I've seen what ministries can do in the inner city, and I want to do that RIGHT NOW. It's painful because I met such cool people there-- the clergy, the lay leaders, the members of congregations and organizations that are all working (and struggling) to make the world a better place for humankind. When Amanda and I went to Chapel at the seminary after returning from the trip, both of us felt stifled. It's as if both of us have changed, but our surrounding environment has not. And we both feel this tension, so I know it's not just me and my possible neuroses. Why do we both feel so stifled and want to go back so much?

I am personally trying to unpack why I feel this way, and I feel like I still need some time removed from the trip before I can fully understand this reaction. I think my wanting to go back is more complicated than I initially thought it was. I'm trying to figure out if my longing for Milwaukee is just for doing ACTION in an urban setting, or for the people, or for the city itself, or something else entirely. There's a good chance that it's D) all of the above.

I'll have to think on it more. All I know is, I long to be back in Milwaukee right now. I have a feeling that this longing will fade once my busy schedule starts up again. But until then, for many reasons (some that I may not know about yet), I want to go back.