Home again

What an experience (and I’m not talking about the 17 hour car ride home)! We took a terrific group of youth and leaders to West Virginia and came back changed. Touched by the welcome and love from the people of Mingo County, supported and encouraged by those who worked along side us, and enabled by a great group of Youthworks staff. We had our preconceptions changed, our bodies and minds and spirits challenged and strengthened, and found Jesus reaching us while we thought we were reaching others. Thanks to all of you back home who prepared for us, prayed for us, and followed our adventure electronically. The final set of pictures is up at the Shutterfly site, so enjoy another look at a week of mission in the mountains.

Late Late Thursday Update

More pictures up at Shutterfly. Another big, long day: nursing home visits and Kids Club celebration party for half of us; mountain top coal mining tour and work project wrap up for work teams. The rain held up for a community cookout in Delbarton, where we heard again what an impact this summer’s ministry has had throughout the community. Worship finished with a foot washing, where the Youthworks staff washed leaders’ feet and prayed over them, and then leaders washed their youth’s feet. We met, reflected, journaled, and celebrated each other. Must be up by 6:30 tomorrow to pack by 7, and then clean, clean, clean. We’ll take breakfast on the road and hopefully be off between 8:30 and 9:00. Thanks to all for a terrific week!

Thursday Journaling: How has God used this experience to challenge or change you?

Alex: I have started to care more about others and to put others before me.

Sydney: I have started to come out of my shell more and God challenged me by having to meet, stay, and become friends with everyone here.

Kim: I have definitely been challenged to step outside my comfort zone. I was pleasantly surprised that I can get so much out of just being a part of listening to the residents of the nursing home and playing with the kids. It would have been too easy to just lead a workgroup with my expertise but it would not have been as fulfilling.

Dan: I have been challenged to use this trip as a way to understand what God’s plans are for me. he has showed me that there is more to serving others than just fixing up their houses. The real service that you are doing is taking the time to get to know them and to understand what they’re going through.

Arianna: This experience has challenged me by really making me get out of my comfort zone to get to God and to get to bond and learn. It has changed me by making me realize that being the greatest, the funniest, the most athletic, or the smartest is not what I should focus on.

Sara: This challenged me by having to get out of our comfort zone and opening my heart!

Brooklyn: Helped me change who I thought I was.

Jacob B.: Changed me to become more free flowing, hard working, and observantly focused on the word of God.

Jake M.: The comforts of home were taken from me to help these people…. But I enjoyed it.

Jordan: This challenged me to put myself second and let someone else touch my feet which is really uncomfortable. But my feet have never been cleaner.

Elizabeth: This experience has challenged me to accept faith as an important means of changing the world. I’ve been disillusioned by religion for a while, but feel willing to embrace it after this week and inspired to live out justice and mercy.

Tim: Changed my ideas on people. The are generally really good.

Emily: This trip has really challenged me to push myself.

Katie: This trip has helped me be more open-minded and work hard no matter what.

Pastor Dan: I have been challenged because youth do that. They are both a joy and a frustration. One of our youth forgave a deep seated resentment—which resulted in a bear hug in another youth. That gave me great hope!

Jeremy: This week has challenged me to grow in my faith, work hard, and be close to our youth. Serving God through serving others does not stop in Mingo County!

Bruce: This week has challenged my preconceptions about this part of the country, about the people here, about folks from other churches. It has been a joy to serve together with others from across the whole Church, and to hear their stories, enjoy their fellowship, and enjoy the warm welcome of churches and people in Mingo County. (Effective welcoming here evidently requires a lot of food, and I’m OK with that.)

Wednesday Journaling: What have you learned in Mingo County?

Pastor Dan: The people in Mingo County are just like the people in Greene County–young and old alike have the need for love and acceptance and to receive the grace of God.

Alex: I learned that I shouldn’t take things for granted as much as I do because they don’t get the chances and opportunities as we do.

Sydney: I learned more about God and that there are many people that have less than me, so I need to give more and take less.

Robert: I learned that they mine coal here, and how important it is to everyone’s life.

Elizabeth: I’ve learned to take faith seriously–that its potential for good outweighs the bad it sometimes does, and that faith requires service.

Tim: This is an amazing youth group. Also helping people doesn’t have to be direct. We have affected more people than just the people whose houses we were working on.

Emily: I’ve learned how far I can push myself and how big of a motivator I can be for myself.

Katie: I’ve learned how you shouldn’t let other people’s opinions interfere with your relationship with God.

Kim: That you can get very confused as to which state you are in as you drive around this town! I’m so confused, still…

Dan: I’ve learned that everything you do for this community doesn’t just affect one person’s life, it affects everybody around. everyone here is extremely grateful for everything we do, and acknowledge everything we do.

Jake B.: Mingo County is the most heart warming place in the entire world.

Brooklyn: I’ve gotten over my fear of bugs! Learned how to paint, hammer nails… EVERYTHING! I’ve met wonderful people! I <3 Mingo County!

Sara: I learned to, when I’m out of my comfort zone, just sit back and watch.

Kelsey: I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter whether you have a lot or not, the people in this community may not have a lot but they are very happy. I’ve also learned that doing something small can have an impact on a whole community.

Arianna: I’ve learned about love, bonding, what God expects, how to put Jesus before me, and how to crawl out of my comfort zone for others.

Wednesday Update

Would you believe… modeling?? Adult leaders took one for the larger team and ‘modeled’ t-shirts on the runway tonight, in advance of tomorrow evening’s t-shirts sales. Hopefully, all photos have been confiscated; but you may be proud (or dismayed) to know that not a single Messiah leader bowed out.

In somewhat more meaningful activity, the Megantic Mountains team (Bruce, Emily, Brooklyn, Dan) continued building a wheelchair ramp for Barbara, who is limited to her home without. It feels like the whole town knows about this, and is thrilled for her. Blue Ridge Mountains (Jeremy, Tim, Katie, Kelsey, Jake M., Jake B., Elizabeth) worked on the Delbarton baseball fields, painting dugouts, clearing the infield of rocks, and did groundskeeping work. Uplands (Pastor Dan, Robbie, Sydney, Alex, Sara, Arianna, Jordan, Kim) hosted Eleven kids at Kids’ Club today, which excited everyone, and engaged in a well-timed water balloon fight (forget 90-90 days, this one was a 100-100), and prepped for tomorrow’s summer’s-end Kids’ Club celebration. They’ll visit the nursing home again in the morning before partying with the kids. Work crews will get a special tour of a coal mine in the morning, before heading back to wrap up outstanding projects.

This evening we headed up the road to the Rawl Freewill Baptist Church, who welcomed us for their Wednesday evening service. Many of us joined the night’s choir, and led the congregation in singing five or six hymns. This church has welcomed the Youthworks Team for weeks now, and it’s easy to see why our leaders love these people. Their kind and generous welcome and appreciative comments about the work in their community were followed by tons of pizza, cake and even pasta and salad downstairs in the fellowship space. And the sunset on the way back to Williamson was amazing.

Thanks for the gifts from home! We had fun reading notes, munching snacks, and looking at pictures. Everyone in Williamson now knows who Timothy, Michela, Josie and Marcus are. One more day in these mountains–it will be hard to leave, but the experience has been fantastic.

Tuesday: More Be, Less Do

Our lesson tonight was the story of Mary and Martha, and we thought about the things that distract us from time with God, and our focus on activity. We had two times of silence tonight, which everyone found meaningful, and then in our church group time we considered the following question:

What has surprised you the most so far?

Jake M.: What has surprised me the most was how nice the people were.

Robert: That only four kids showed up for Kids’ Club.

Kim: I have been amazed by the hard work the kids have done! They are all so excited and engaged in the activities that are going on. Our kids have made me so proud, I can’t even begin to express my joy!

Dan J.: The people have surprised me with their willingness to share a part of their lives with us. They want nothing more than to have a conversation with us and to open up their lives.

Elizabeth: ‘ve been most surprised by how meaningful this experience has been so far. I came in with a lot of preconceptions about the trip, but they have all been proven wrong, and I ‘ve gotten so much out of everything.

Kelsey: I have been the most surprised by how happy all of the community members are even though they have so little. They have offered refreshments and welcomed us into their homes like family.

Jacob B.: The very dedicated teams, the heat, the gratitude and the lack of work for largely impoverished areas.

Brooklyn: I’ve been the most surprised with the friendly people from the other churches and the community.

Katie: I’ve been most surprised by how open and willing these people are to share their lives and just want to have a conversation.

Emily: I’ve been surprised the most by how much I’ve been able to set aside my fears and work really hard to get these jobs done.

Sara: I’ve been most surprised by how I have really enjoyed myself and had a good time.

Arianna: I’ve been surprised at how easily everyone is talking and getting along: the ‘no judgment’, because it’s everywhere in high school. It’s just refreshing to be at a place where people agree and accept you because you accept God and Jesus.

Jordan: What has surprised me the most was how welcomed the people of Mingo County have made us feel and willing to help us.

Alex: By how little kids show up to Kids’ Club.

Pastor Dan: What has surprised me is that our youth have a deep desire to help, to serve, and to make a difference in the world. At the same time, they want to know Jesus.

Tim: The people in the other groups are so accepting and fun.

Sydney: The fact that people know who we are right away, and are very talkative.

Bruce: I’ve been surprised by a lot: how much work we’ve been able to get done, and how much conversation we’ve had with those we’ve served and those we’ve served with. The town of Williamson surprises me, crammed atop hillsides and along ‘bottoms’, cantilevered over roadways and deeply split by railroad tracks. It seems a good analogy for the larger challenges of living in this part of the world, clinging to a footprint while the coal runs out.

Tuesday Night: quick update

Just back from a bluegrass concert in Delbarton, up and over the mountain to the NE (and down an 11% grade)! We were also joined by the Youthworks site in Lincoln County, so 150 people were dancing and singing and enjoying the music. New pictures are up at the Shutterfly site. More news later. Off to worship!

Picture update

Bruce’s pictures are now expanded.

Visit the Shutterfly site by clicking here. Or just go to mlcmingo.shutterfly.com

Monday Update—Today’s theme: More Courage, Less Fear

Our team was split among the six workgroups, three each devoted to the Kids’ Care Club and three sent out on work projects in the area. We cleaned siding, painted a porch, stained a 30 foot wheelchair and three-level deck, cleared tree branches that were threatening a porch, and dug out around a foundation to address water issues. At Kids’ Care Club, we welcomed area kids and gave them an afternoon surrounding by caring, attentive youth and adults. For dinner, we headed up and over the mountain to Matewan, where we had pizza and did a photo scavenger hunt with our work teams. Who knew you could find the Statue of Liberty and a blue goose in Matewan?

The days are full: breakfast at 7:15, morning devotions and then departure to the worksite, and then heading to the Williamson Field House for showers in late afternoon. Spare time is really hard to come by–even harder than cell phone service!–but rest assured that everyone is doing well. Evenings are full, too, with songs, devotions, group time and lights out at 11 am.

It’s wonderful to be here with our youth and their leaders. Keep those groups in your prayers, too: Kenosha, WI Lord of Life Lutheran Church; Kernersville (NC) Wesleyan, and the Byzantine Catholic group with youth and leaders from Cincinnati, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. More tomorrow!

Monday night: our best experiences today

After our first full day, we gathered tonight in church team time and reflected on the best experiences each of us had in our ministry settings today. Here’s what people had to say in our group journals:

Robert: At Kids’ Club today, I met a kid that was really hyper. I found out he was picked on at school, and I worked with him all afternoon and gave him my attention.

Jake M.: My feeling is that I did a good job helping the people I worked for. The people were very nice, kind, and considerate.

Tim: Meeting new people and doing hard labor.

Dan J.: Bonded with fellow workers from other churches while at the work site.

Emily: Being able to work with other youth and also have fellowship with them.

Bruce: Worked for Miss Margaret, whose kind, calm and generous spirit made a real impression on me.

Jacob B.: My favorite part was being able to help a kind elderly soul as well as putting my charisma to good use.

Brooklyn: Learning new things–painting, and being thrown out of my comfort zone. I also enjoyed talking to home owners.

Sara: Even though I was scared about having to be with kids, seeing their smiling faces and how ready they were to make new friends.

Kelsey: Meeting new people and being able to come out of my shell a little. Meeting the homeowners and seeing how welcoming they were was good, too.

Arianna: Having a few of the kids be comfortable enough with me to look me straight in the eye and talk.

Jordan: My favorite part was when Jenson taught several of us how to french braid hair, and then she french braided my hair, and  she did it with so much confidence that it was shocking.

Kt: Seeing the relief on the people’s faces when we took the branches and put the away so their house was safer.

Kim: Watching the wonderful boys and girls with the kids was awesome! Meeting the neighbor at the church and visiting with the people of Matewan was wonderful. All the people here are very friendly and so happy to meet us.

Alex: My favorite part was when all the kids got attached to us very quickly.

Sydney: Seeing how much fun the kids and all of us were having, even with just 5 kids.

Elizabeth: Seeing the disparity between the haves and have nots in West Virginia, but the hospitality and graciousness of both.

Pastor Dan: It was a joy working with the youth at Kids’ Care Club. Our youth were motivated, included all the youth workers, and showed understanding toward others with different gifts and personalities. It was a pleasure spending the day with them.

Jeremy: Watching our youth work so hard at the site. Many people commented about what they were seeing with our youth. Very Proud!