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Front row Liz, Gary, Brevin, Steven, Mary Lynn
back row Kurt and Mary |
Five youth and two adults from Garden City Presbyterian Church traveled to Louisville KY on an youth mission trip, July 2-10. We drove a little over half way and stopped at Trinity Presbyterian in Columbia, MO where Rim Massey is pastor. Surrounded by trees and with a park behind, it was a great first night stop. Pasta factory for supper! Yum!
Here we are Sunday evening as we arrive - Louisville or bust! Notice we are traveling in the Trinity Lutheran of Garden City church van - thanks Leland!
Arrived in Louisville - 900 miles from Garden City - on Sunday evening about 5:00 pm where we met the other 6 church youth groups. They were from United Methodist of Platteville, WI, Zion Lutheran of Belvediere, IL, Christ Lutheran of Valparaiso, IN; Church of the Nazarene, Webster Grove, MO; Trinity UMC, Defiance, OH; Swatara Church of God, Harrisburg PA. There were seventy-two of us, plus four staff from YouthWorks in Louisville to serve with love as Jesus hands' and feet and face.
Our home away from home was the Youth Suite of the Second Presbyterian Church of Louisville. They had a great kitchen facility, classrooms for sleeping, a gym, showers and an atrium for games and morning devotions, evening worship and free time.
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| Gary & some new friends |
We were mixed up and divided into five work crews. After 7:15 am breakfast we packed lunches, had morning devotions, and by 8:45 we were to be leaving for our work sites. Work crews were named for Louisville icons: Jockeys, Sluggers, Ale 8’s, Cardinals and Seabiscuits.
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| Packing our own sack lunches. |
Steven and Gary were assigned to the Cardinals, along with adult leader Kurt. Mary Lynn, Liz, Brevin and I were Seabiscuits. On July 4th all five YouthWorks crews reported to the Crescent Hill Arts and Music festival where we erected a tent, manned gates, carried water, picked up trash or worked in the jazz or food booth, and did whatever we were asked to do by the festival organizers.
After Monday the Seabiscuits went to a different work site each day, but it always involved painting. New Directions is a housing agency with lots of painting and fixing projects – Mary Lynn, Brevin and I worked at the home of an older woman who used to be a volunteer, but now needs help keeping her home up. We painted the foundation of her home, dug out shrubs and vines along her fence and even washed her car. Another day we re-stained a very long wheelchair ramp with lots of spindles, in 101 degree heat and high humidity.
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| Lots of 4 sided spindles to cover! |
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| Temperature was 101, shade for lunch was a blessing! |
Some of the Seabiscuits got a break from painting on Wednesday where the work site was Americana, a resource center for immigrants. We reported to the Americana community center, where two busloads of youth from a Nazarene youth conference were also coming to work. Some of the YouthWorks youth, including Mary Lynn were assigned to work in the kitchen on the chowline, where they served 400 meals to community members and workers. Liz, Brevin and I were assigned to work with different painting crews, painting the garden patios and entries of apartment buildings. My new work crew included four Nazarene youth and their youth pastor from Kansas City, KS. Several of the apartment dwellers interacted with the youth – a family from Ghana and a family from Burundi each had young children who wanted to help paint, so they were given brushes too. I met a woman from who told me that day was the 11th anniversary of her arrival in Louisville from Cuba, where her husband had been executed. It was high point for me that I could communicate with her in Spanish. After lunch there were volleyball and soccer games for those who had any energy left. Liz commented, “It was really cool to do what we did, and meet the people we met.” We all felt the same.
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| Waiting to be assigned to work crews at Americana |
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| 79 people groups are served by Americana. |
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| Mary Lynn and others on the chowline. |
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| Burundi children wanted to help paint their entryway too! |
The Cardinals worked with children at the Portland Salvation Army Day Camp playing games, including “tiger tag” on hands and knees (my knees hurt just thinking about it!) , helping them with crafts or in the computer lab, taking them to a spray park, listening to them and about their lives. We were asked not to take pictures of any of the children there, for their protection, so we can't show you their friends or activities there, but Steven, Gary and Kurt found that even in three short days, they made friends with the kids there and learned a lot about them. One young artist invited Steven to come to her studio some day.
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| Craft room at Salvation Army |
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| Chelsea, one of the Cardinals |
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| More Cardinals, Rachael and Sophie |
Most days work crews returned to the Second Presbyterian Church, for showers and free time before supper and evening activities.
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| Crews took turns preparing breakfast, or in this case spaghetti dinner. |
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| Mary Lynn & Cindy draining pasta. |
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| Nick, Brevin & Kyle on the pasta detail. |
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| Steven and Kurt washing dishes. |
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| Kathryn & Mary Catherine with the marinara & alfredo sauces. YUM |
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| Bruce from Valparaiso, great in the kitchen, and a great sense of humor. |
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| Salad bar every night. |
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| Bunny bunny toki toki... |
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| Steven, keeping up with B90 (Bible in 90 Days) during free time. |
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| Liz at table tennis |
Evening Activities:
Monday evening the 4th, called for a trip to the riverfront for the fireworks;
Tuesday was a trip to the Derby Museum before supper and free time afterwards.
Wednesday night we really celebrated and worshiped at Bates Memorial Baptist, a black gospel church.
http://www.batesmemorial.com/
The congregation warmly greeted the YouthWorks group with big smiles and hugs. The sermon, “You Need More Jars,” involved lots of Amen’s and lively responses from the congregation. Kurt especially enjoyed the full harmonies of the choir, and wished the GCPC choir could have been there!
Thursday evening, like every Thursday during the summer, the Salvation Army, together with YouthWorks, sponsored an evening meal served by the church youth. This was the evening meal for all of the YouthWorks staff, leaders and youth, and used up any leftover food from the week. I did get permission to take photos of the YouthWorks youth preparing to serve. And we all got to meet the kids the Cardinals had been serving all week.
Evening activities weren't complete until 1) evening worship and 2)church group time. The YouthWorks staff led a worship service based on the morning devotion and the theme for the week – Be Different. (Jesus was different – he hung out with different people, he had a different view of the Law, he served instead of expecting to be served.) The Thursday night closing worship was a high point for Mary Lynn. Held in the gymnasium instead of the Youth Suite, after opening songs and message, each church group was seated together in a circle. The YouthWorks staff brought a basin and towel and washed the feet of each group leader, and prayed for them. The leaders in turn washed the feet of each youth, and prayed for each one individually. It was a reminder that Jesus called us to be servants, like Him.
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