Mission Accomplished

The theme for the YouthWorks missions this summer is DESIRABLE. While we were partially focusing on helping the community of Booneville, we also were focusing on ourselves -- working beyond labels we may have stuck to ourselves: unwanted, unloved, undesirable.

Through the devotions, songs and personal testimonials from the staff, we were reminded that Jesus empowers us to be an incredible part of his work in this world. That work was happening in Booneville while we were there and in our community back home. It gave us the opportunity to see others as God sees us... wanted, loved, desirable.

We used this knowledge to connect with the community, which also needs to feel wanted, loved and desirable.

Here are few photos from our mission WORK...

This is our team before we left Wisconsin Rapids on June 28. Front row: Grace, Macy, me, Rhana, Allison, Alyssa. Back row: Hailey, Carter, Pastor Josh, Dana and Shelby. I laugh about this "before" picture because we are all standing straight up with our hands to ourselves. Eight days later, our "after" picture would have looked something like a giant group hug with me squished (lovingly) in the middle. That image alone made the trip worth it.
 

I mentioned Carter was in a different "work group." Here he helps plan some activities for the Outrageous Sports Club for 10- to 14-year-olds. He did really well and had a great time. I caught a glimpse of him at work one day. He was holding a little girl's hand as they walked on the sidewalk to the school. Very cool to see him so helpful and loving. These kids needed that so much! (I do hope to get some more pictures of him and his group from our pastor, since he was working with that group.)

My girls rocked the Arts & Crafts team!

The kids loved the hats.

They were mostly adorable!

Shelby ties on a bracelet.

Alyssa works on a bracelet.

Allison, Hailey and Macy on hat duty.

Cinderella (a.k.a. Shelby) proving she is the world's greatest sweeper!

We were at Kids Club Monday and Tuesday only. When we weren't doing that, we did service work projects...

We spent Tuesday morning at Ms. Caroline's house painting, painting and more painting. Now if you looked out your front yard and had this beautiful view of the Ozarks, you wouldn't have a care in the world, would you? Well Caroline has her share. She's been a widow for some 20 years, had to bury one of her daughters who died from weird back surgery complications at age 52, and can only get around with a cane due to osteo-arthritis in her knees. Life isn't always as it seems.

Macy and Hailey work on the shed door.

Alyssa paints the garage.

Shelby, Allison and Alyssa work poolside. I took care of trim, etc, around Caroline's porch area.

On Wednesday, we spent the whole day at work sites. We helped an elderly gentleman named Sterling in the morning, cutting branches, pulling weeds, etc. You know me and my black thumb -- sort of out of my element! He was so nice, though. He grilled hotdogs for lunch for us and we got to sample his homemade BBQ sauce. Yum. Of course, that was accompanied by the typical Sweet Tea and some cold baked beans. That was new for me!

Sterling also was one of those people that seemed to get around OK. But he can't bend down for that yard work anymore. Like Caroline, he has had his share of loss. He has been widowed for a few decades and he, too, had to bury a child when his son died at age 34 of cancer. How sad!

Sterling likes to write. He shared several poems with us over lunch -- including a handful he turned into songs and sang for us. Some touching work.

That afternoon we met Betty, who had polio as a child and gets around with a motorized wheelchair. Again we have the irony of the beautiful view of the distant mountains from her yard. When we arrived, we weren't sure which place was her home. There was a regular house, a former shed-type house and two mobile homes, if you count the one pictured. She did live in the regular house and I think the "home"above was abandoned or something. There were junked vehicles and the type of refuse one might typically expect when stereotyping folks in Arkansas. The work Betty needed done, was clearing brush, vines and branches that had grown along her fence line. It was hot and prickly work but she was so sweet and invited us in for Sweet Tea in the A/C! Although it didn't seem like we did much to help her situation, she was so happy with what we could do for her!

All of our groups traveled to Scott County, Arkansas, on July 4th for flood relief work. On May 30, the area received more than 6 inches of rain and quickly flooded. Among the 6 killed were the sheriff and game warden who were responding to a 911 call at a home in the Y City area near the Fourche La Fave River. The two then got out of the boat and went inside a home to help two elderly females, who died, too, when their home swept away.

A home in the area.

Another home in the area.

Our job for the day was to help a farmer clear his field of flood debris so he can eventually cut hay there. This field happened to be right across the creek from the home where the two women lived. So not only were we cleaning up, we were on the lookout for the sheriff's badge and gun and game warden's shirt, all items that hadn't been recovered yet.

It was hot, humbling work. Temps were in the mid-80s and it was sunny and we were all wearing jeans and work gloves. We quickly realized, though, that we had little to complain about.

As we picked our way through the field, we found bits and pieces of someone's life. Probably several people's lives.

There were photographs with faces washed out. Pages from a favorite book wrapped around branches on the ground. Sesame Street video tapes were filled with sand. A doll's head here, a car tire there, a piece of floral fabric from a dress underfoot.

It was personal.

When I picked up a grade-school photo of a girl, I started to cry. She wasn't a victim but I'm betting this girl just lost her grandmother or maybe even her father in that flood. So devastating!

From our one field, we filled the back of a trailer.

Here Farmer Gary hauls it away, with all of the recovered photographs on the tractor seat next to him. I found two items that I said he could have for himself. One was a wallet photo of Jesus that could remind him we are all praying for him. Second was a single dollar bill in good condition. I told him to add it to whatever fund they have going for flood relief. There are seven counties declared national disaster areas by President Obama, so I'm guessing they could use a lot more help than we gave them. But it was a start. And it had an immediate impact.

Another perk besides getting to know our own kids, was meeting the great YouthWorks staff and adult leaders from other churches.

So while Carter was making new friends, I was, too. Here are the adult leaders from the four churches there last week -- 3 from Texas and us from Wisconsin. If you are wondering, yes, that is Jesus in the middle. Just are reminder that Jesus is always among us -- and may even be dressed as a sports fan.

Forming a star!

Our church group at the end of week, before saying goodbye to all their new friends. These kids were incredible. What a privilege to get to know them!

On our last evening together, we had a spiritual foot washing -- just as Christ did at the Last Supper. The YouthWorks staff washed the feet of us adult leaders and prayed over us. We, in turn, washed the feet of our kids and prayed over them. Real personal prayers of love, gratitude, praise and hope. Trust me, Pastor Josh and I added plenty of tears to that wash water. Such a moving experience for all of us. I just can't put it into words.

Talk about an amazing group of people! You can't even see our kids in the far top rows, but they are there! Imagine in one short week each of these 50-some teenagers and adult leaders touching at least one life. AND their own.

I saw it happen.

Mission accomplished.