It's difficult to blog and pass on what we do when I keep everyone so busy and up late at night. The past two days have been great! The weather has cooperated, the youth have had great spirits and worked hard, and we've had a lot of fun.
Yesterday (Wednesday) three groups again left Calvary after breakfast to go to SOME, Christ House, and Food & Friends. Their work was similar to what they did on Monday, but different youth went to the different agencies. The SOME group woke up before the sun rose to be there in time to serve breakfast. The other two groups worked "normal" morning hours and planted flowers at Christ House and packed food at Food & Friends.
In the afternoon, we visited the Holocaust Museum. Our two hours there were humbling, sobering, and incredibly reflective. After spending the previous afternoon at the BJC, we learned what religious intolerance can look like when it gets really, really bad. That night, the youth talked for about an hour about their experience and impressions of the afternoon. They understood what they saw, and were horrified at what they understood. It was one of those moments where I was glad we did it, and sad that it was available to do.
Today, we split into two groups and did some grunt work. One group went to SOME and worked in their warehouse sorting food, organizing medical files, and going through electric equipment. The volume of work was overwhelming, but they made a dent in it and left the warehouse in better shape than when they got there.
The other group went to Calvary Women's Shelter. They spent the morning in the basement, cleaning and organizing 15 years of donations. By the end of the morning, there was rhyme and reason to the basement. Catherine, CWS's Volunteer Coordinator said we saved her at least 3 weeks of work! It was a good morning.
This afternoon we spent time with the International Justice Mission and learned about slavery and human trafficking. IJM is an impressive Christian organization, doing great work around the world to end this incredible injustice. The youth were actively listening and participating in the presentation and came away full passion about IJM's work.
The week has been great and one of the parts that has been great has been our food. Dennis Hyatt is our cook. He makes sure we have a good breakfast and a good lunch--everyday. We've had pancakes. I had planned on cold cereal and pop tarts--he quickly changed my plans! Yesterday we even had omelets! The youth have eaten well and it is all due to Dennis.
Tomorrow we get to relax a little as we tour the Capitol and do some other sight-seeing. After our week, it's time to relax a little. Please continue to keep the group in your prayers as we head home on Saturday. We can't wait to get home to tell you our stories!
Peace,
Woody
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
DC--Day 2
Today was a great day!
We spent the morning with the Church of the Epiphany. Every Tuesday, they host an outdoor Street Church for the homeless. After worship they pass out lunch bags to whoever is there. Today, we helped get the food bags ready, assisted in worship, and mixed and mingled with the homeless men and women.
It was a moving experience and one the youth won't soon forget. Instead of us having a worship service in our space and inviting others to join us, we went to "their" space and had worship there. They were "at home" and we were the guests. Passing the peace and taking communion with the homeless opened our eyes to the community that God is trying to create in all of us.
This afternoon we spent time with Holly Hollman at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom. We learned a lot about their work, how it affects all of us, and why it's important. We met in the conference room, which was really cool! It looked like the briefing room from a movie where the President meets with all the important military leaders. The youth expected President Obama to come out from behind a door to say, "Hey!"
Tonight we ate in style. Capital Q, a Texas-style BBQ restaurant across the street from Calvary, closed its doors for everyone except us as we enjoyed a private "party" of BBQ and all the fixins'! It was delicious.
Tomorrow we go to three different worksites in the morning and visit the Holocaust Museum in the afternoon. It should be another great day.
I've been impressed that the youth are paying attention to what they see and what they hear. When we talked tonight, I was touched by what stuck in their minds and what made an impression on them. God is working in their lives and they are seeing new things and growing. It's a good thing!
Thank you for your continued prayers. I'll post more tomorrow.
Woody
We spent the morning with the Church of the Epiphany. Every Tuesday, they host an outdoor Street Church for the homeless. After worship they pass out lunch bags to whoever is there. Today, we helped get the food bags ready, assisted in worship, and mixed and mingled with the homeless men and women.
It was a moving experience and one the youth won't soon forget. Instead of us having a worship service in our space and inviting others to join us, we went to "their" space and had worship there. They were "at home" and we were the guests. Passing the peace and taking communion with the homeless opened our eyes to the community that God is trying to create in all of us.
This afternoon we spent time with Holly Hollman at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Freedom. We learned a lot about their work, how it affects all of us, and why it's important. We met in the conference room, which was really cool! It looked like the briefing room from a movie where the President meets with all the important military leaders. The youth expected President Obama to come out from behind a door to say, "Hey!"
Tonight we ate in style. Capital Q, a Texas-style BBQ restaurant across the street from Calvary, closed its doors for everyone except us as we enjoyed a private "party" of BBQ and all the fixins'! It was delicious.
Tomorrow we go to three different worksites in the morning and visit the Holocaust Museum in the afternoon. It should be another great day.
I've been impressed that the youth are paying attention to what they see and what they hear. When we talked tonight, I was touched by what stuck in their minds and what made an impression on them. God is working in their lives and they are seeing new things and growing. It's a good thing!
Thank you for your continued prayers. I'll post more tomorrow.
Woody
Monday, June 14, 2010
Urban Mission Experience--Day 1
We have successfully and officially completed our first day of "work" in DC. We left Charleston at 8:00am on Saturday and after a detour to avoid a pile-up on I-95 in SC, a lunch stop, a few potty breaks, horrendous weather in Richmond, VA, and terrible traffic from Fredricksburg to DC, we arrived at Calvary Baptist Church 12 hours later.
Sunday morning we worshiped with Calvary and their Pastor, Amy Butler said nice things about our church, and accurate things about Don. That afternoon, we all went to the Smithsonian area where groups went to the Air and Space, American History, and Natural History Museums.
Today, Monday, we began our work. Groups went to Food & Friends and bagged between 450-500 meals; to So Others Might Eat and served lunch to over 350 homeless people; and to Christ House to help with the facilities and grounds. Each group experienced a high level of organization and professionalism from their places of ministry. The spirit of servitude was obvious and those "being served" were treated with respect and dignity and in kind, were gracious and thankful. It was a great first day of work and opened many eyes to the needs of the ones who live "in the shadows."
This afternoon we visited the Lincoln Memorial, VietNam Wall, and the WWII Memorial. We did a lot of walking and are tired, but we got to see some great sites. We ate dinner at Union Station--a beautiful train and Metro Station in downtown DC.
We're all tired tonight and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow we will work with the Church of the Epiphany and their weekly street worship service for the homeless and serving them lunch after worship. Then, we jump on the Metro to meet with the folks at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. It should be another great day!
Peace,
Woody
Sunday morning we worshiped with Calvary and their Pastor, Amy Butler said nice things about our church, and accurate things about Don. That afternoon, we all went to the Smithsonian area where groups went to the Air and Space, American History, and Natural History Museums.
Today, Monday, we began our work. Groups went to Food & Friends and bagged between 450-500 meals; to So Others Might Eat and served lunch to over 350 homeless people; and to Christ House to help with the facilities and grounds. Each group experienced a high level of organization and professionalism from their places of ministry. The spirit of servitude was obvious and those "being served" were treated with respect and dignity and in kind, were gracious and thankful. It was a great first day of work and opened many eyes to the needs of the ones who live "in the shadows."
This afternoon we visited the Lincoln Memorial, VietNam Wall, and the WWII Memorial. We did a lot of walking and are tired, but we got to see some great sites. We ate dinner at Union Station--a beautiful train and Metro Station in downtown DC.
We're all tired tonight and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow we will work with the Church of the Epiphany and their weekly street worship service for the homeless and serving them lunch after worship. Then, we jump on the Metro to meet with the folks at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. It should be another great day!
Peace,
Woody
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