Getting to the Core of it

One of the hardest parts of going on a mission trip is returning into an environment where the people around you have no idea what you've seen, experienced, and felt. It's difficult for our friends and families to grasp why we're so passionate or disturbed or changed.  It's difficult for us to work through all we've gone through without having some time to process.  So, here are a list of questions (some of which we've already asked the students to answer and some of which are new) that the trip participants need to work through.  Feel free to steal them to ask the Atlanta team about their experiences.

*  What was something from the trip that excited you?

*  What was difficult for you?

*  What is something you did that you thought you couldn't do?

*  What is something that touched your heart?

*  What is something that disturbed you?

*  What's something that makes you smile to think about?

*  What changed in Atlanta because you were here?

*  What are you leaving in Atlanta?

*  What are you bringing back with you?

*  Where/how did God show up this week?

*  What's next? 

Friday, Saturday, Done

So, by now everyone is home and reunited with their families and friends (except Zach, who is flying solo for the week).  Even so, it only seemed fitting to put up a post detailing the final events of the trip.  Here are a few more things for relatives to look at or just to refresh memories concerning the trip.

FRIDAY

Friday started out like every other day, only earlier.  We packed up our bags the night before, but still had loading and cleanup to do.  Before taking off, we had the opportunity to pray with Raymond, who had coordinated and/or cooked all of our meals at Rescue Atlanta.  We cleaned up, moved a few pieced of furniture, unlocked the gate one final time, turned in our keys, and hit the road.

Both the Stewart Center group and the Walton Reserve group had a great and exhausting day.  

The Walton team showed up at the center to a handful of kids who had shown up early.  The kids were excited that Korey had brought his X-box 360 for the students to play with.  After breakfast, students changed and headed out to the pool for a few hours of swimming.  We became horses, submarines, monkeys and pitchers for the sake of the kids.  In the afternoon, our team lead the students in 3 songs and Jenny and Jordan gave their testimonies for the students, who hung intently on their every words.  A final game of kickball and a few minutes of outdoor activity rounded out the day.  Before leaving, Mr. VanDyke gave our team a copy of the cartoon books he wrote/illustrated.  We also had the chance to pray with and exchange info with the Walton staff.

With all of the field trips out of the way, all 5 of the groups were at the center.  All the kids presence brought extra energy and chaos.  The day's highlights included a great game of "Guess the Cartoon Theme song", some impromptu wrestling matches, and the painting of the basketball court with 3-point lines, half court markers, and an original Stewart Center logo.   Brittany from the Stewart Center also took some time to encourage our team and speak truth into our lives.  It was a touching end to a challenging week.  The Walton team met up at the Stewart center to give some final hugs and fist bumps.  Good-byes there weren't easy, but they had to happen. 

  

And then we were off . . . The goal was to get out of town before rush hour traffic took over.  We failed.  After rounding the first corner from S.R. 20 and I-75, we immediately caught a caterpillar-paced line of traffic.  Eventually, we stared moving at double-digit mph speed and then moved north toward Chattanooga.

Once arriving in Chattanooga, we checked into the hotel, struggled to find a place to eat, wandered lost around town for a few minutes, and landed at Tony's.  It was a nice Italian restaurant where we had a great time around one big table and got to eat and reminisce about the week's events.  It was a great time to celebrate and enjoy each other's company.  The food was incredible and the service was great.  We left full and happy.

After returning to the hotel at 11:00p.m., we dove into our final time of debriefing on the pool patio.  It was a perfect night with warm-cool temperature and an occasional breeze.  The debrief began as a series of questions "What surprised you this week? What are you taking home from Atlanta? "What's next?", etc., followed by responses from each team member.  And the evening ended with a time of encouragement for each student and leader on the team.  Before we knew it, it was 1:00 a.m.  We quickly discovered that we were locked out of the hotel and had to walk to several entrances of the building before finding a door that we could re-enter.  We headed up to the 3rd floor and to our rooms where we called it a night (but not before having been approached by security after a noise complaint - which, by the way, was highly unwarranted).  

SATURDAY

We loaded up the vans and headed north, taking an unscheduled detour past the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga stadium.  Breakfast was a quick stop at the local WalMart to procure juice, chocolate milk, mini doughnuts, muffins, bananas, tubed yogurt, and breakfast bars.  We ate on the road and headed north.  A few potty breaks, one lunch stop, and a couple of hundred miles later, we reached our destination at Southeast Christian Church.  We had the opportunity to meet a few parents, pray with most of the team, and pack up.  It was a whirlwind of a week, but we made it home safely.  

Thank you, God, for your protection along the way and for an incredible week!

Thursday Already?

When leaving town, it's always funny how time passes by.  This past week has seemed like a whirlwind - of impromptu projects, workshops, divine appointments with complete strangers, and a lot of ministry packaged in various ways.  In two short days, we'll all be home feeling like this has been the blink of an eye, but also like we've been gone for a lifetime.

It's very evident to see the fingerprint of God in the hearts and lives of the Atlanta Southeast team.  The looks of tension, the pauses for thought, the comments, the interactions, the changes in speech, behavior, and thought: they all point towards a common theme - that God is changing us.  

We are wrestling with ideas - homelessness, poverty, love, abandonment, wealth, drugs, faith, witnessing, etc.  We've been exposed to so much in such a short amount of time that we haven't been able to come close to processing what we've encountered.  Our days have been filled with so much structure and stimuli that having time to think or discuss what we've been through has been a luxury not often afforded for a few minutes at a time.  The hope is that when we return to Louisville, we'll be surrounded by people who ask great questions, listen to stories, point out subtle differences in our lives, and really challenge us to extract all that God had in mind to teach us long before we ever piled into two white vans and headed south for a week.

Everyday seems to bring some different story or experience and today was no different.  In our hearts each day as we travel down the road sort of tired and really wanting to still be in bed the is an expectation of what the day might bring.  Spending time at the Walton Center, playing yet another intense game of kick ball, making crafts and eating lunch with students as they chant out "EAT YOUR FOOD" were memories of Tuesday, but there were some stark differences. 

The morning started off with Mr. Van Dyke from the Walton Center pouring out his heart in a morning devotion and encouraging us to be prepared for what the Lord has in store.  His love for Jesus and people is truly an encouragement to our students and is evident from his life and big smile.  Although our preparation was in crafts and recreation, TJ Hastings gave his testimony in front of all the students. He poured out his heart and shared what God was doing in his life.  He talked of his love and concern for his mother which touched the lives of many of the students who sat quietly listening to his every word.  The connection for these children of losing their mother is just as hard for them to imagine as it is for TJ. This was very real.  At the end of his testimony the staff from the center laid hands on TJ and Jake and prayed for them as the children reached out their hands in faith asking the Lord of healing to bring healing to Jake and TJ's mom.  God has a funny way of taking what we think we are doing for others and blessing us in return.  We were prepared for many things, but receiving such encouragement from forty kindergarten through sixth graders was a not what we expected.  

Today also marked the first day of saying good-bye.  For our group we only spend two days at the Walton Center, however this did not make saying good-bye any easier.  Our plan was to leave promptly after crafts, but turned into a thirty minute hug-fest which made us late for our next engagement.  It's so hard to tell kids you won't be back tomorrow and yet we get to do this again tomorrow at both places. Our prayer is that in some small way God will use our short time here to transform our lives, but make a difference in the lives of these children.  

The Stewart Center was, once again, a place of amazing fun and ministry.  It was great to join them for Harambee this morning and know their songs and chants and really jump in with the students.  It made it very fun and an almost-bonding moment to be able to be participants rather than observers in their morning session.

We jumped into some yard work outside at the Stewart center yesterday and today.  Lots of sweat, dirt, and vines flew through the air as we worked to clean up debris and chop down trees that were overgrowing throughout the complex perimeter.  

Meanwhile part of the team was inside writing encouragement notes to each of the student at the center (which they loved when they got them at the end of the week).  As well, we helped out with snack and lunch preparation throughout the morning.  

Here are just a few of today's highlights . . . 

-  Circle tag with a group of students (who really had a good time).

-  A music workshop trying to teach students about melody.

-  Craft time making fans and decorating them.

-  One of the students who sat on a seat that was part of an art exhibit and set off the alarm at the art museum.

-  Several kids helping move debris with a wheel barrel.

-  Round 1 of good-byes at the Stewart Center (it was a fake out because we're actually stopping by tomorrow too).

  

The reality of leaving is beginning to settle in.  We have one more day to give, to invest, to observe, to grow in the context of Atlanta.  While we're looking forward to heading home, it's going to be a really hard thing to leave behind the community we have experienced this week and the people we've grown to love. But as is the case with many of God's lessons for us, it is for a season.  This season is coming to a close in just a few short hours.

 

Slump Day

So today was definitely the day that the Lord had made...let us rejoice and be glad in it!!!! --Madison

Day three of our mission trip, aka "slump day." Fatigue is starting to settle in, as well as soreness and aches from never ending piggyback rides and "dog-piles." Slump day defines the trip and the people participating. Will we keep going, no matter the aches and pains, or will we give in and nap under a tree? Today we proved that this team does not give in....

From the Stewart Center:

It started like any other regular, Wednesday morning, with pyramids and dog-piles. We had barely been trying five minutes when we realized that the human pyramid was a failure and someone first yelled, "DOG-PILE ON ZACH!" For the next ten minutes, each and every member of our team had been tackled and body slammed into the ground enough times that we probably left body-prints behind.

After morning exercises, about twelve of the kids, along with Samantha and Katie, left on a field trip to the botanical gardens. The 15 minute drive turned into over an hour when two major roads were shut down because of a threatened suicide. They ended up only spending 45 minutes in the water park part of the gardens, but both Sam and Katie agreed that the ride was the best because of the time they got to spend with the kids.

Back at the blue center, the kids were reading and we were working. Somehow, Zach, who likes to tease that the role of women is in the kitchen, ended up cooking, while Aly and Katie helped James and T.J. clear the brush from the edges of the center. He needs a major reality check.   

After lunch, the kids rotated stations, from worship to crafts to recreation to teaching. Each group went a little better than it had gone on Monday. The kids loved the dum-dum suckers in worship and teaching, as well as the relaxation they enjoyed in recreation. They also loved the shirts they were able to tye-dye (as I'm typing my hands are still blue and green from the dye --Aly). 

We were able to connect to kids on a whole new level today, as it was our second time at the center. Many of them opened up to us about their home lives and the kinds of things they are witness to every day. Not only did this make us realize how good we have it at home, it brought us closer to these kids than ever before, and got us more than excited to come back on Friday. 

From Walton Reserve:

As soon as we got to Walton Reserve, which we easily found this time, and said hello to the leaders, we began to place Fruit Loops and a little carton of Orange Juice at the tables for the kids. After a little bit of playing, breakfast was served.

Then, of course, we had to go outside and play (something that is very popular at Walton). You could tell from the very beginning of the day that the kids remembered us and were ready for a great day. A fun little game of capture the flag in the "woods" turned into a 2 hour long sweatfest. Some of the younger kids didn't want to play, so Mallory, Melinda, Kristin, and Lindsay stayed back and played on the playground and in the nice air conditioned computer room with them.

Then it was time for everyone to gather again for a devotional. Mallory and Melinda told the story of Jonah and the whale, and let the kids act it out. We sang a couple songs and were ready to go back outside. 

Lunch was served. Eating with the kids is something I really enjoy. Its a time to sit and talk to the kids while enjoying a great turkey and cheese sandwich, orange, celery, milk, and some animal crackers.

After lunch, and a craft of beaded bracelets (hosted by Evan and Kristin), we went outside to play again. Mr. Van Dyke had a game planned for a hot summer day. The kids had to run across part of the yard, stick their hand in a bucket full of ice, pick out one marble and place it in another bucket. The first team to get all 45 marbles won.

It amazed me that the kids were willing to play a game of dodgeball versus the leaders. All of the kids stood in the middle of a circle of all the leaders and got pounded with a ball. This was all while having freezing cold water dumped on top of them. They loved it!

When the kids had to leave, you could tell a closeness that wasn't as present on Monday. Many of them asked if we would be here again next week or if we would see them again. It breaks my heart to have to tell them that we may never see them again after Friday.  

Tonight was all about relaxation. We went to a shopping center where we got to walk around and shop, and even see Brian propose to Lindsay (surprise, mom and dad). We ended the night at Grant Park, in front of Zoo Atlanta, debriefing and sharing experiences from the day. I think we are all beginning to understand and appreciate the time and effort the workers at the Stewart Center and the Walton Reserve put in. God has been tugging on a lot of hearts this week and we are excited to come back home and bring our work and efforts to Louisville. 

In the Groove . . . Well, Sort Of

Today was our second full day in Atlanta.  The two sub-teams of our group swapped sites today.  So even though we're starting to get in the groove of putting VBS programming on for the students, the day was completely different for each team.

For those of us who were on last year's Atlanta team, it's been great to be back in Atlanta and reconnect with some of the wonderful kingdom workers and students from the Stewart Center.  It's also been great to see growth (both physically and spiritually) in these people.

From the Walton Site . . .

After a day full of piggy back rides, hair styling, and football games (on Monday), fatigue finally set in, that was until we stepped foot into the Walton site. We were immediately greeted by smiling faces, and everyone felt completely welcomed. We started the day by serving the kids a delicious breakfast, then everyone changed into their swimsuits and hopped in the pool. A little fun in the sun was all it took for the bonding to take place. The kids began to connect with us in ways we wouldn't have believed after 20 minutes of knowing us. They had no problem dunking us, splashing us, and asking for us to carry them around the pool. 

The fun didn't stop there however, we shortly began an extremely competitive game of kickball. This intense game was shortly called off so we could go eat some delicious lunch. After our tuna sandwiches, chocolate milk, and cookies, we were able to fully realize how out of shape we are by doing some basic kickboxing, which turns out to be extremely painful. Everyone was sore and sick from running off their tuna sandwiches except for James Hauser, the king of P90x. 

After this exciting event we all headed to an awesome display of our artistic abilities by coloring. It was a great opportunity to hang out with the kids, and start some meaningful conversations. We ended the day with some hilarious chants and we were off. Of course the day wouldn't have been complete without a Sonic trip to pick up the always delicious Cranberry limeades.

From the Stewart Center Site . . .

After a breakfast of biscuits, the students at the Stewart center gathered together for their morning freedom school main session.  It's called Harambee, which is Swahili for something like "we all work together."  The students participated in singing songs, cheering chants, and participating in traditions they in the session, and the students get very excited . . . which in turn got us excited too.

Then, the students went off to their summer learning classes while our team got to make some final tweaks to our workshops for the day.  As well, we helped prepare mid morning snacks and a full-scale spaghetti and meatball lunch for the kids.

After lunch, our teams led workshops on worship (which was crazy), a Bible Study, a craft of beaded bracelets, and outdoor activities (clothespin tag).  Each one lasted about 30 minutes.  The students were wild, crazy, and fun.  And we really got to know them as we taught the workshops, which was fantastic.

Mallory and Melinda, during the workshop time, left to go on field trips with two of the groups of kids from the center.  One went to the High Art Museum while the other went to the water playscape in Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta.  Both groups had fun, but we learned that gradeschool kids and art museums are an "interesting" mix.

The day ended with our team playing with students . . . on swings, basketball courts, dance troupes, foosball, and several other activities.  It was fantastic to be able to share the love of Christ with these kids - children who desperately want to receive attention and love.    

In the evening, the Atlanta team split apart to go to a few different places in the city to fee the homeless.  One of our groups went to "The Docks", a parking lot with some warehouse loading docks.  About 25 homeless men and women were waiting to be served a hot meal, a variety of beverages, and their choice of several sweet confections for deserts.

During and after the meal was being served, we got to jump into conversations with some men who were living on the street.  Some reeked of body odor, some were missing teeth, some were barely understandable from slurred speech, and some were as average as could be.  We jumped in head first, walking up to complete strangers and initiating conversations.  We heard stories of tragedy, superstition, God's victories, and apathy.  Each member of the team had a completely different experience from the other, meeting different people, getting different reactions, serving in different ways.  All of us walked away tonight encouraged by what God is doing and also internally challenged.  

I think we all have some questions lingering in our minds.  "What did we really accomplish in an hour and a half?," "Why serve here, but not back in Louisville?,"  "When did my heart get hard towards people in a different life circumstance?,"  "What needs to change in my life when I get back home?," and many other similar thoughts are filtering through our brains.  To be sure we're, there's a bittersweet feeling to be a part of what God is doing in us - excitement, fear, guilt - perhaps.  And the question remains, "What's next?"

P.S. As I write this, about a third of the team is doing the P90X Plyometrics routine.

Dividing to Multiply

We're nearing the end of our first full day in Atlanta.  It's almost like we have two simultaneous mission trips happening here.  From the early stages of trip planning, we divided the full team into two parts with the knowledge that we'd be running two sites of Vacation Bible School at the same time.  Today, we took advantage of the sub-teams and launched into the first day of programming.  One team headed off to Walton Reserve and the others headed off to the Andrew P. Stewart Center.  To put it simply, the sites were very different from one another, as were the events that transpired at each.

The Stewart Center team met up with the Stewart Center kids and everyone took MARTA (via train) to go down to the capitol building for a rally that the area freedom schools participated in.  The point of the rally was to urge congress to pass legislation to provide healthcare for every child in the United States.  The teams were able to help watch the kids as they chanted, listened to information about healthcare needs, and interact with other freedom schools.  The kids had a great time and we did too.  But it was an atypical start to the day.

After a group lunch back at the Stewart Center, the students got some free time to blow off some steam before jumping into their daily reading program.  All the students then rallied together for a worship session led by the Southeast team (namely, Joanna Hester).  Then we led students through a rotation of workshops - teaching, outdoor activity, enrichment, and crafts.  Each team had their own challenges and surprises as they learned more about the chemistry of the kids in their groups.  We had to scrap some of our prefab workshop plans to make things work.  In the end, we learned a lot and made some good connections with the kids.

The children at the Stewart Center were a handful.  Living in a community marked by poverty, broken families, and a lack of supervision, students responded quickly to the affection and attention of our team.  They were very lovable, and sometimes simultaneously challenging to get focused or involved in the activities.  The team left the Stewart Center happy and exhausted.

The Walton Reserve team spent the day in the activities building of a government subsidized neighborhood complex. We didn't know exactly what we were walking into when we arrived.  Being greeted by a warm and loving staff helped bring a calm that we needed. They were very gracious in allowing us to join them and to partner with them through the day's activities. Although the students weren't supposed to arrive until 9:30 a couple of them showed up earlier than anticipated and were very excited to learn of "visitors." Breakfast rolled along and we finally realized that this was going to be a great experience. Some students were very open to receiving us; as others were a little shy at first. It was a great mix of kids. The ages ranged from Kindergarten to 5th grade; and even some a tad older joined with us as volunteers. 

We were shocked to realize that we would be participating in Tae Bo, which is a cardio workout that brought memories of Jazzercise to the table. It was exhausting but great to see the students engage and get active before the start of the day. After Tae Bo we ventured outside for a bit of recreational time . . . which turned out being a very intense match of kickball.  The kids were so much fun to be around and just had a great time playing with our team. 

Miss Turner led us in worship as well as devotion. For those of us used to the "big show" worship that Southeast has to offer were taken back to something a little more stripped. We were led in worship acappella with a hint of R&B and soul. It was great worship. She then led us in a devotion going through the story from Acts 12 where Peter is thrown into prison by King Herod and the church earnestly prayed that God would release him. The students as well as some of us helped to reenact this story to bring it to life for everyone. All in all it was a great shock to see exactly what we were getting into. Nobody expected it to be this way. God is really doing great things in our team as well as the students and staff. He took our plans that we had made in Louisville and just obliterated them. Which is so great for us as a team; it gives us more of a chance to step up in our role on this mission and in the "Body of Christ" as a whole.

When the site activities were over, both teams headed back to Rescue Atlanta to eat.  After an early dinner, the entire team got a teensy bit lost on the way downtown to a homeless outreach ministry called Shelter House.  There, pastor Dave introduced the team to the ministry of shelter house as well as his (amazing & thought-provoking) testimony.  This quick meeting dissolved into an evening of conversation with homeless men and women.  Some had entertaining or disturbing chats with the folks who had come into the center to wait for dinner.  Others went to participate in the worship service that was in progress for the center's guests. Eventually, all the members of the team wound up outside to "love on" the folks who had come in to get something to eat.  Many of these conversations ended in prayer and words of encouragement.  Although largely out of our comfort zone, the team did a great job of sharing the love of Christ with a group of people who are often the invisible in the community.

A quick run to WalMart was in order, so we stopped to pick up some much needed (mostly edible) supplies.  Then we headed back to Rescue Atlanta for the night to decompress from the day.  Sitting in a circle on the top of a hit that overlooks the Atlanta nighttime skyline, the group shared laughs, stories, and heartaches from the day.  The team is starting to feel a little bit of the weight of what we've come here to do.  It's a grab bag of emotions - compassion, joy, discomfort, heartbreak, encouragement, and so on.  Even so, we look forward to the next part of the journey starting at an early morning hour tomorrow.  And tomorrow, the teams trade sites with each other. 

The Launch of an Adventure

Firstly, a big thanks goes out to everyone who was there at the start of the day at Southeast Christian Church this morning.  It was toasty, humid, and there was quite a bit of waiting.  But amidst the lulls, chaos, and frantic searches, everything came together (and quite well, I might add).

Today we made the 420+ mile trek from Louisville, KY to Atlanta, GA.  As is typically the case with a high school trip, the road was not boring.  Somehow the vans wound up being gender-separated, with the fellas rallied together in one vehicle while the ladies had a safe haven in their own.  While you'd expect the girls van to have been singing all the way down, it was actually the guys who were in chorus with everything from Miley Cirus to Journey.  Other than Trent attempting to rip the driver's-side door off one of the vans and a few steep and windy roads, the traveling went without incident.

When we arrived in Atlanta, some ominous and threatening clouds were looming over the city.  When arriving at Rescue Atlanta, our residence for the week, we were encouraged to quickly unload our van to avoid the impending rain.  Fortunately, the rain held off just long enough for a quick unpacking of belongings and supplies.  We hustled inside for the evening just before the downpour started.  

The entire team had the opportunity to hear from the staff of Rescue Atlanta, Atlanta Youth Project, and the Andrew P. Stewart Center.  In a briefing that lasted a little over an hour, the team was introduced to the history, policies, and expectations for the week.  As well, the group was challenged to not only love people well in the name of Jesus, but to not limit what God can do with the individuals on the team or the team as a whole.  

After an 8-hour journey and the informational meeting, the team was absolutely worn out. We took about an hour to recoup while pizza was being procured for dinner.  After eating, the team rallied up to talk about thoughts, fears, advice, and opportunities for the week ahead.  It was a great time of bonding and learning about how God brought the whole team together.  

To cap off the evening, we felt that it would be good to play together.  So, we dove into a game called Salad Bowl (it's not worth trying to explain.  Just ask someone from the team when we get back).  It brought out the best and worst of the team all at once, and we got some good laughs in before heading to shower and go to bed.

The team is filled with excitement and anticipation of what tomorrow brings.  Please pray that God will open our eyes, break our hearts, and transform lives (both of people on our team and people we encounter).  Thanks for loving, supporting, and praying for our team.  More to come . . .