"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." (Galatians 5:13)
this verse was the theme verse for our week in lynn, from august 2-9. the week focused on the word "free" and what that means for us as Christians. sometimes that means not just freedom to do things, but freedom from things. through our morning devotionals, through club (time of sharing and worship and listening to a message as a whole group), but also through our church time and through our experiences of service each day, "free" developed new meaning in our lives. i can say that for myself, and i know that in observing our youth, i can say it for them too. some of us started this trip with a lot of baggage and junk in our lives. maybe for some, we came with fears and feelings of failure. and maybe others still, just came. regardless of how or why we came, God worked in us and through us and broke our hearts.
some groups worked with the kids club program right at the church we were staying at. other groups went to a local boys and girls club and built relationships with kids there. another group spent their time in more of a nursing home setting, working with elderly with alzheimers at an adult day care center. my group, the chocolate munckins, had more of a diverse week. we spent our first day, monday, at an organization called north shore arc. its a non-profit organization that strives to provide equality and opportunites to individuals with disabilities. our day was spent working in the day care playing with kids. our second day was also spent serving north shore arc. however, we did yard work at a group home that is run by the organization. we pulled lots of weeds. for me, it was a great time to see the kids work together and accomplish a task. it was tiring, we got dirty, it was hot. but, we also got to meet a massachusetts congressman, representative john tierney. he talked with us about what we were doing this week and why, what each of the kids wants to do in the future. we expected him to come work with us, but he showed up in shirt and tie. he spoke like a typical politician, but it was still interesting. our 3rd and 4th days were spent working at a local soup kitchen called 'my brothers table' (i tend to accidentally call it 'my fathers kitchen'...don't be confused). this was a challenging site. we dealt with two staff members who on the first day, really tested our patience. i kept reminding my kids to think about the people we are serving (literally, serving the food to) and not who we are working with. we all came in on the fourth day having prayed for a better experience, and kind of dreading what we thought would be another frustrating day. but it was a much more positive experience and i think we broke down whatever front graham (man in charge) puts up and we got to see his heart and why he does what he does. i was so proud of our kids, seeing their strong desire to talk with people who came to ate...to hear their stories, no matter how sad and hard it was.
my blogging about this weeks experience cannot and will not do it justice. myself and the other leaders who were there were and are so incredibly blessed by our group. these "kids" (for lack of a better word) have incredible heart and display such mature faith. each night, as our church group, we spent a couple of hours reflecting on the day. with tears in their eyes and sometimes difficulty even speaking, they shared their experiences. they worry about some of the kids they met and worked with, unsure of their futures as many of them come from broken homes and are surrounded by gangs. they wonder who is going to visit some of these elderly people once we leave. they realize how much we have - not just physical and tangible things.
on our last night in lynn, as part of club, we had a foot washing service. tony (the youth works staff who lead worship and spoke each night) began by reading john 13 and talking about jesus washing his disciples feet. it proceeded with the youth works staff washing the feet of each of us leaders, and praying over us. then as church groups, we leaders washed the feet of our youth and prayed over them. this was a powerful, unforgettable, yet humbling experience. what was so beautiful for me to hear (and see a little bit, though i was mostly busy washing and praying), was the love and support that our kids gave each other. friends hugging friends while they struggled and cried is one thing, a beautiful thing too. but to see kids who aren't even really friends, embracing one another and praying with each other, still brings a smile to my heart.
this missions trip was one of the best weeks of my life, hands down. i knew that the week had the potential to work in my life. i don't think i knew the extent of how much it would. God is good. i encourage anyone who comes in contact with any of the youth, or even the leaders, who went on this trip to ask them about their experience. and don't just settle for a "good" when you ask how the trip was.
(yes, i realize i have not even begun to speak of the weekend that followed our week of service...our 3 days on martha's vineyard...i will get to that).
van members of the "jill jalopy".
brittany with anya.
emily, schuyler, brittany, allison, jamie, jess, and myself at nahant beach.
the chocolate munchkins (woot woot!) on breakfast clean up duty.
amy and shannon getting dirty planting flowers at the group home.
emily, shannon, jamie and schulyer at quincy market in downtown boston.
my chocolate munchkins - shannon, katelyn, emily, jamie, brittany, chris, amy, garrett, jon.
views of lynn, massachusetts.
the entire group - 2 groups from michigan, and our jersey kids.
view of the water at gloucester beach.
last morning - tony (youth works staff) leading some 80's aerobics.
myself with jared, an amazing kid from the community of lynn.
