It's been an amazing week. I don't know how I could fit everything I want to reflect on in one blog, but I'll try to keep it short and sweet, and if I fail at that I'll break it up into some parts.
This past week, if you're wondering what's been so amazing, I've been in Richmond, VA on our annual spring break mission trip. We spent half the week working with urban ministries in the city, and the last half working at a camp 2 hours away that houses underprivileged students during the summer.
We left last Sunday [6:45am], and I had my first experience driving a 12 passenger van. I started driving in Jacksonville, and ended up driving until 6pm that night--through one of the worst storms I've ever had to drive through. It started hailing at one point, and lightning was striking down in the fields beside the interstate...quite a scary experience. I handled the stress by singing and creating conversation, but Margie [my driving partner of 3 years, the ex-director of BCM, and one of my cool wise friends/mentors] decided the rain was getting too loud and that she was going to yell back at it. Love her.
We finally arrived at the church that night around 8:30 and unloaded, made our palates and eventually fell asleep. The next morning began our first day at the sites. We were split up into 3 or 4 groups and we all went to separate sites during the afternoon. My first site was a private school in the midst of the Richmond projects. The school just started 2 years ago and has 30 students enrolled...these students are amongst the poorest, most challenged behaviorally, and dealing with the most baggage at home. I was amazed at the discipline, curriculum and love at the school.
I got to go to class for the first two days with the 6th grade girls class, and aside from falling asleep in science class, it was an awesome opportunity. I got to read with them, and help with school work and also got to run a mini basketball clinic during recess...they don't have anyone in their lives that will teach them sports. I was sad that the experience wasn't more long term--as I felt we were just beginning to build up relationships. Seeing the teachers pray for and with their students was really moving, and I am so happy to have had the experience for whatever time period.
In the afternoon the first day I was able to help run an after-school program for more intercity, underprivileged kids. This group was much younger, and as we were walking to the playground down the road, they latched their tiny hands into mine and looked up and gave the most sincere smile. now, I know I give them a really hard time, and I fight so hard to deny this...but I love children. These tiny humans stole my heart in about 5 minutes and there wasn't really anything I could do to resist.
to be in the situations they are in, to have to live in the conditions they do daily, and to still have the capacity to love whole-heartedly, to still be able to laugh, play, hug, and smile taught me so much. the innocence and trust of tiny humans speaks volumes to what Christ wants from us as His children. I'm not sure what I did to minister to those tiny humans, but they did a whole lot of ministering to me.
Some of the other sites we went to was a program called Boaz and Ruth, which was a job/life-training facility for ex-offenders. One of the classes they take is called "The Lies We're Told" where they discuss lies people have told them, like "you're not good enough, you're stupid, you'll never change, no one loves you." What a powerful ministry. I went to Caritas one afternoon, which is a program for people experiencing homelessness. They do job training, have a warehouse of used clothes, furniture, etc where their clients can shop with points assigned based on need. They network to find jobs for the clients and also provide jobs on the site itself. We painted furniture for the warehouse, and sorted used wood that will be used to make furniture for the warehouse.
Other students painted a church's gym. The church is one of the main financial supporters of the camp we worked at later in the week, so it was nice to give back to a group of people who give so much to students in Richmond. There were a couple of other afterschool programs that we ran too.
Wednesday was originally going to be a free day morning to site see in Richmond, and then a half travel day to the camp two hours away. However, flood warnings all over and crazy weather delayed us a little. We got to sleep in a little later, and all walked a historic part of Richmond. I got to eat at a famous burgers and fries place that was *so* good. it was also good to continue creating community amongst the students that were with us, as I hadn't even met a couple of the students that were with us before the trip.
That night we attended the church's Ash Wednesday service, which was something different for me. It was a great reminder that shortly after Jesus says follow me he dies...and in the same way we must die to ourselves. "You are dust and to dust you will return." It's also good to be stretched and challenged and uncomfortable...as faith should constantly be alive in those ways.
I should mention that every night at the church our group played Sardines (one person hides, everyone else searches for them)....*so* great. We even had people who weren't playing but instead hiding throughout the church scaring people to death. It was so much fun and a love how the Lord is the Lord of laughter and fun--even in silly kids games.
The next morning we woke up and drove to camp--more rain, more wind, and we found that one of our tires was flat. So the trip took longer than expected and we didn't arrive until mid afternoon. I was really proud of our group for all choosing to work that evening when given the choice to wait and just work the next day. We all knew what a great thing the camp was doing and wanted to be apart of that. We painted one of the lodges that evening...and I must say that I think the fumes got to us...I'm sure if you had walked by and heard about 25 college students belting Disney jams and then 99 bottles of coke on the wall to a ghetto beat you'd have thought so too.
The next morning the temperature was in the 20s, but we all put on our hardcore faces and split up into work groups. We finished painting the lodge, a group painted the floor of the kitchen in the dining hall, a group designed and created a mini golf course, and a group designed and built a Frisbee golf course, all in about 7 hours. We left at around 5pm for our 5 hour drive to Charlotte, NC to spend the night at a church before finishing the drive the next morning.
The drive back was about 20 hours in total after weather and traffic and stopping reared their ugly heads. But it was one of my most favorite times because it provided the opportunity for wonderful conversation. Margie and I as well as two of our freshmen, Marya and Ian had awesome conversation on things like loss & letting go, friendship, the Church and its future, serving, selflessness, the student ministry at Stetson and it's future, theology, love, perception and personality types. It was awesome. I learned a lot and loved getting to hear everyone's thoughts. No music, or car games, or hours where I was bored to tears. Just raw conversation.
We got back safe and sound and completely different than we had left. The transformation of the group every year is my favorite part. There is something special about doing life and ministry together--I learned that at camp this year, and the same things I loved about camp are the same things I loved about this week.
Speaking of camp, there seems to always be a connection everywhere I go. The first day as we were unpacking things I was wearing my Fuge sweatpants [great travel wear] and a girl that I had just met noticed them, and asked if I went to Fuge. I told her I was a bible study leader at Carson Newman Centerfuge and then she got really excited because she said she was a camper there this year. I got really excited and had a little freak-out fest as I asked her to describe her bible study leader. 30 seconds later I knew she was mistaken as she was describing someone who wasn't on our staff....she went to Ridgecrest. but it was so exciting to talk to her, because she wants to work M-Fuge in a couple of summers and I am always looking for an outlet to talk camp. We ended up being prayer partners too, so I got to learn a lot about Carly.
I've been praying for community here, and this week went a long way to forming a great one. There are so many stories I want to share, and things I learned, and funny things too...but I've already broken my promise of making this short.
I'll post some pictures later and more thoughts.
LtoR (me, Ashli, Sabrina, Paula, Amanda, Cate, Karen, Laura)
