Vacation Bible Camp - Day Two

It’s been another great day at St Thomas Vacation Bible Camp!  Today the campers sang a psalm (along with lots of other fun songs) and learned a psalm verse.  Ask them to say it, and sign it for you!  It’s Psalm 51:10.  There was sand painting and water play and lots of connection with children happy to be back in their groups with new friends.  Campers learned today about water as a source of refreshment and health, through the story of Naaman the leper (2 Kings 5:1-19).  Naaman was healed of his illness, and his heart was healed too.  A young girl was instrumental in Naaman’s healing – an important reminder that God can use all of us – no matter how big or little we are – to help make the world a better place.

 Singing in the music station

We also learned more about making the world a better place by bringing food for the Bellevue Renewal Foodbank, by purchasing water bottles from MiiR, a company that donates $1 from each sale for clean water projects all over the world, and by making quilt squares for the Love Quilt Project.  The Love Quilt Project was started at an Episcopal Church in Virginia by the aunt of one of our VBC youth group leaders.  During VBC, the children will be making quilt squares that represent what love means to them.  The squares will then be sewn into a quilt that will be blessed and sent to an African orphan child living in a group home.

Vacation Bible Camp - Day One

Vacation Bible Camp 2013 is officially underway and what a fun day it was!  This year's theme, Take Me to the Water, is all about the many ways God provides for our needs through water: water sustains life; we become part of God's family, the church, in the waters of baptism; and Jesus gives us "living water" to sustain faith that we can share with others.  After our first opening worship where we sang fun songs about water, the campers went off to their stations for the day: crafts, storytelling, service, music, recreation, and chapel.

The story woven throughout today’s activities is the story of the Israelites who wandered in the desert in need of food and water.  As the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, stuck between the horror of slavery and the yet-to-be-fulfilled promise of a new home, they became cranky.  It was difficult to see beyond the stressful and difficult circumstances!  There were so many people and just as is true in our world today, they often lacked food and water.  In our story today, the people quarreled and complained against their leader, Moses, and against God.  In fact, they became so upset that Moses was afraid they would harm him!

In the midst of the chaos and grumbling, God told Moses how to provide water from a rock.  God worked through the natural means of a rock, part of creation, to give refreshing, life-giving water.  All of us sometimes wander through our own wilderness, tempted to grumble and complain about not having what we want or need.  Yet even as we do, we know God is present and that we can trust God to be with us, loving us and sustaining us.  The children of Israel were right to be concerned about the lack of water – life is not possible without it!  The VBC children went home with a stone that has been washed and worn and smoothed by the Pacific Ocean to keep in their pockets, a gentle reminder that God provides for us in amazing and wonderful ways.    

Children also learned that water needs to be clean in order for life to continue.  Sadly, more people die from dirty water than from all wars combined.  Over 1,000,000,000 people in the world today lack access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation.  The VBC children began to think about ways we can help provide access to clean water around the world, particularly in Africa.  One of those ways is very simple.

St. Thomas has partnered with a local company: MiiR Water Bottles.  For every water bottle sold, MiiR gives $1 to One Days Wages and the dollar provides one person with clean drinking water for one whole year.  There are two ways that you can be a part of this process.  St. Thomas has a limited quantity of bottles printed with the St. Thomas logo.  They are available for purchase for $20 ($3 off retail) at VBC all week!  You can also purchase any MiiR bottle through this link, which provides water to one person for a year AND supports the childrens' programs at St. Thomas.  Visit MiiR to learn more about the clean water crisis and how MiiR is involved in finding a solution.

Jackson Mission Trip Update: Wrap Up

What an amazing week!  We are tired, but our hearts are full of love and hope.  As we have talked a bit today about our trip, it is apparent that we are all different now than we were a week ago.  We have seen, experienced, and learned so much – and the youth have seen passion and commitment for the gospel, justice, and reconciliation lived out.  They have been inspired to go back home and live that out in their community, their schools, and our churches.  They are truly the leaders, not only of tomorrow, but also of today.  We ended our evening tonight by blessing and commissioning the youth to go back home and continue to live with intentionality, a commitment to love and justice, and a boldness to believe that they can change the world.  While we may be ending our mission trip to Jackson tomorrow, this is not the end of our mission with or service to the world.  Now the hard part begins as we return home, back to our daily lives, and seek to serve like we have been this week.  We attended Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans this morning, and we were struck by the Gospel lesson – Luke 10:25-37.  This is the story of Good Samaritan.  We have certainly met new neighbors this week, and have begun thinking about who our neighbors are at home.  The story ends with a profound instruction: “Go and do likewise.”  I can almost here Dr. Perkins saying that to our group.  He lives a life of immense passion and commitment and we have all been inspired by his life and his work.  But we did not go to Jackson simply to see and learn about another part of the country.  Now that we have seen that rich community and reconciliation is possible, it is now our time to “go and do likewise.”

Missy, Gabbie, Claire, and Jacqui served as acolytes at Trinity this morning!

After church, we went on a tour of the Ninth Ward, the area hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina.  There are still areas that have not ben rebuilt…whole streets of lots that sit empty.  It was humbling to drive down streets where floodwaters covered a whole community.

A levee along the Mississippi River in the Ninth Ward.  The water regularly rises to the top of the levee on the right, leaving the community below the water level.

A newly rebuilt house in the Ninth Ward with empty lots on both sides.

On a different note, we had an amazing evening at Will Bush’s cousins house for dinner and a much appreciated swim in a cool pool.  It was a very fun evening for our group to just relax, enjoy some amazing New Orleans food, and laugh together.  We even had an impromptu synchronized swimming contest.

 I don't know if this synchronized swimming move will get Kyra to the Olympics

Such beautiful form and synchronization!

We will be getting up early in the morning to clean our house and then head down to Café Du Monde for their world-famous beignets (French doughnuts) and some shopping in the French Quarter.  Our flight leaves New Orleans at 4:30 and we’ll be back in Seattle in time for some sleep in our own beds!  Prayers for safe travels would be much appreciated! 

Jackson Mission Trip Update: Leaving Jackson

We left Jackson at about noon today.  Dr. Perkins stopped in to say goodbye and tell us how much he enjoyed spending time with us this week.  We were sad to say goodbye to Dr. Perkins and all the lovely people that we met at the Perkins Center.  When some of the kids were asked tonight the best part of their time at the Perkin's Center, they said, it was all the people they met that were doing different work, but all with the same theme of justice.  

Our last group shot in front of our house at the Perkins Center

We made it to New Orleans today around 3pm.  We were pleasantly surprised with how nice our accommodations were at Trinity Episcopal Church.  The building is beautiful and parts of it have been restored from the 1860's.  It has beautiful tall ceilings and wood floors.  It is located in the Garden District.

After we arrived we ventured to the French Quarter for dinner.  Some of us had delicious local food; po' boys, dirty rice, banana pudding, and jambalaya,  We all got to see a peak into this historic and eccentric city.  We headed back home around 8 and closed out the night with compline (as we usually do).

The French Quarter in New Orleans

Not sure how to describe this.  Eccentric doesn't quite capture it.

Tomorrow we will go to service at Trinity Church where some of our own will acolyte.  Then Claire Webbeking's sister in law will give us a tour of the 9th Ward, which was the hardest hit region of Hurricane Katrina.  We will end the day with a cook out and swimming at some of Will's extended family's house in New Orleans.  We are excited to be refreshed by the pool and have some time to relax.

Jackson Mission Trip Update: Day 6

Today was our last full day at the Perkins Center.  We will certainly miss this place and the people we have come to know and love.  Many in our group have commented that the rich community and love of this place is palpable.  It would be nearly impossible to spend any amount of time here and not feel loved and like you are someone incredibly special.  We are certainly tired, but it has been a very full and rich time for our group.

The Perkins Center certainly embodies this sign that hangs at the entrance to their grounds!

This morning, we had the honor of spending some time with Jerry Mitchell.  Jerry is an investigative reporter for Jackson newspaper, the Clarion-Ledger who, in 1989, discovered through his investigation that the state of Mississippi had secretly given assistance to the defense of Byron De La Beckwith – the man who assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers.  Jerry’s revelation of that news led the case to be reopened after 30 years – a case that had been to trial twice in the 60’s and ended in a mistrial both times.  Jerry was instrumental in rebuilding the case for the prosecution and Beckwith was finally convicted in 1994.  Through his sources and interviews with other clansman, Jerry’s reporting has led to convictions of at least three other men who committed racial hate crimes during the civil rights movement.  It was inspiring for our group to hear someone who is so committed to justice and has spent his life helping to right the wrongs of the past.  Even though Jerry and his family have received many threats over the years, he is still committed to justice.  You can read Jerry’s blog here.

Jerry Mitchell with our group

After a full morning of our last breakfast with Dr. Perkins and our time with Jerry Mitchell, we headed out to our last day of work.  We completed the latticework and put the finishing touches on the freshly painted house, but most of our work time today was spent organizing loose ends and tidying up the grounds of the Perkins Center.  Hopefully, our labor has contributed something of value to this community, but more importantly, our time spent at work has freed up the staff and resources of the Perkins Center to engage in their primary ministry of community development.

This evening, we were invited by several of the Perkins Center interns to go to a Mississippi Braves baseball game.  The Braves are the AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.  It was a wonderful time to relax and simply be with one another.  On top of a win for the home team, they put on a fireworks show after every Friday home game.  We can literally say that our time in Jackson is ending with a bang!

The interns and our group at the Braves game

What ends a day better than baseball and fireworks?!

In the morning, we will pack our stuff, clean our house, and make the 3-hour drive to New Orleans.  While in New Orleans, we will do a little sightseeing, eat some great food, worship at Trinity Episcopal Church, and be led on a tour of the post-Katrina city.  Your prayers for safe travels are much appreciated!