On a chilly Seattle Saturday in January, they came through the doors, two or three at a time, wrote name tags and found a place in the circle.

Thirty-eight middle and high school students from three Seattle churches--Bethany Presbyterian, Japanese Presbyterian, and Emerald City Bible Fellowship--gathered for the first of four training sessions led by Museum Without Walls, preparing them for their summer mission trip serving the city of Seattle.

On the schedule: building community, defining words, learning civil rights movement history, and wrestling with issues.

Laughter from icebreaker games filled the fellowship hall. Students guessed the names of famous people stuck to their backs and played "shuffle your buns" (a new one that left us leaders quite thankful to be watching, rather than playing).

As the laughter quieted, students gathered into small groups to tackle writing definitions for five words:

discrimination

prejudice

racism

stereotype

institutional racism

Afterwards, we went to the Northwest African American Museum, and then heard Rev Dr Samuel McKinney speak about his life and experiences--a close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the person who invited King to visit Seattle in 1961. We learned how King had to speak in a different location after the reserved venue cancelled at the last minute without reason. Students learned that much has changed, but so much remains to be done.

And at the end of the day the students shared thoughts and questions and frustrations as they reflected on hard history that began before their birth, that continues to today. We the leaders marveled at their energy and conviction.

Hope filled the room.

These students are the next generation, may they continue working toward the dream.