Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

This morning the team from IBC brought joy to a community through their service at the Raymond Skinner Handicap Center in Memphis. This facility is a mix of both young and old and today their morning was spent dancing, playing games, hearing stories, and doing arts and crafts. It was a reminder that when we serve those who need help most we are actually serving Christ and fulfilling his heart.

Lunch today was spent at the historic Tom Lee Park where Tom Lee is honored for his heroic, single-handed, rescue in 1925 of 30 men who were stuck on a boat in the Mississippi. During a time of continued prejudice Tom Lee, an African-American, risked his life to save the “other.” It was a reminder for the team that the work of reconciliation can involve risk and will require perseverance and hard work.

After lunch the team headed back to the Cleaborne and Foote homes to finish up their delayed ministry from the day before. It was an afternoon of fellowship as members of the team spent their time playing with the local children and donating some of their own clothes to the pile that community received.

Eventually in the evening, thanks to a Tornado Warning, the team made it to the More Than a Meal homeless feeding at the Idlewood Presbyterian church on Union Ave. This historic congregation has been providing free meals and fellowship to the community for generations.

Today the team from IBC got to sleep in and recover from their two previous early mornings until they set off for a day of service with our partners at in Memphis, Shine in the Dark Ministry. This organization, lead by Jay Beene, works directly in the Cleaborne and Foote Homes through community outreach, clothing drives, and support.

The goal for the day was to organize and conduct a free clothing drive and clothing give away. The team spent the morning collecting clothes and distributing flyers in the community letting them know of the event. When the time came to actually do the distribution it ended up raining and we rescheduled for tomorrow, but the night was still full of questions, prayer, and refection on the Gospel and its fundamental purpose of reconciliation.

Bright and early the team from IBC headed to the downtown courthouse of Memphis in order to spend the morning ministering to the incoming defendants. It was a morning of challenge filled with prayer and exploration, and that same attitude was carried on throughout the afternoon of ministry.

For lunch the team was challenged to take some extra sack lunches with them as they take the time to sit down with a local homeless person, sharing a meal, stories, and listening to the experiences of others. It was an eye-opening experience.

Later in the evening the team served another meal to the homeless at the Memphis Union homeless shelter. This site has been a source of hope for the homeless men in the community since 1945 and it was a blessing to serve alongside them.

After that the first Stone Soup team prepared their homemade chili and the group shared in a wonderful meal filled with conversation about their experiences that day and how their own presumptions about the homeless and the notorious “other” can effect their work of reconciliation.

Today was really cool. We were doing the one thing I was looking forward to most- zip-lining. We drove for about an hour to a place called Callas. The zip-lining was so much fun! There were eleven lines and each one was a different length, running through the tops of the trees. We saw some iguanas and a lot of monkeys. There was one wire called the monkey line- you were supposed to go upside down like the monkeys in the trees. It was so much fun! Almost everyone went upside down. Most of us (at least the kids) went upside down multiple times. There was even a ¨Tarzan¨ swing that took us from one platform to the next. 

After the ziplining we went to a high school in Nicoya, near where we´re staying. There we talked to some kids about where we were from and the food and culture in the United States.  It was really cool. The class we talked to was a class where the kids were learning English, so we could talk to each other and they could teach us Spanish. The whole day was awesome!

Today we painted a house for Ivan and his mother. Ivan has a sickness that makes his head really big and his body small and mangled. His mom is a single mom and has no money. We painted their house and Ivan´s room and gave them a fan so that they can have a better quality of life. While some of us painted, others played Bingo and other games with Ivan. 

Tonight, we (Kenzie, Margaret, Trevor and I) made dinner for sixteen people without any help. It was amazing. We made lemon chicken with beans, rice, fruit salad and fried plantains. Did I mention that we had to buy all of our ingredients at the market? With about Ç1700 ($30)? Our group was under budget, so we bought some ice cream. All in all it was a very rewarding day.

Today God blessed us with the opportunity to immerse ourselves further within the culture of Belize and its people.  We visited the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich and explored the temples and plazas with a Mayan descendant as our guide. As we climbed to the top of the 134 ft high temple, my only thoughts were keeping my teammates from falling.  But when I reached the top and looked out over God’s wondrous creation and felt the much-needed breeze on my face, I realized just how great He really is.  The rolling hills, the dense forests, ad the high mountains…who could have created this but God?

Along with the Maya, we visited the Mennonite community at Spanish Lookout.  The Mennonites moved here hoping to find an easier way to live their simple lifestyle.  We walked into the first air-conditioned room since we arrived in Belize, and got some delicious ice cream. When we rode the bus back to our home base, the interactions between all of us showed how close and how comfortable e have all become around one another.  God really blessed us in innumerable ways today.

Imagine a world lost in the throws of protest and drug addiction. Such was the world surrounding Father’s Heart ministries until the early 90’s In that world until today pastors Chuck and Carol Vendral have been the hands and feet of Jesus revealing the heart of God to Alphabet City Through feeding programs, outreach to children, classes and more FM has been a stalwort of the gospel message here.

Tuesday we had the opportunity to hear their story as well as serve them through the reorganization of several closets. Yesterday we were allowed to partner with them by helping restock their food pantry.

We continued the day with a trip to Coney Island and a delectable visit to famous Nathan’s Hot Dog We finished the evening with a moving encounter time. It has been a filling couple of days discussing ministry and asking what spiritual destiny God may be calling us to. Our verse has been Galatians 2:20.

Today was one of the best experiences of the week (maybe my life). I had so much fun with a group of elderly people. I really liked chatting with a nice lady named Mrs. Cobb. She had so many stories to tell. There is one that really stood out to me. She had fallen and broken her hip so everyone was watching out for her, but she is also watching out for them. That just warmed my heart,, how they all care for each other.

It can be said that, Life is a pilgrimage, a journey.  But we don’t embark on this journey as tourists.  We go as seekers, pilgrims, filled with longing for all that is true.  A pilgrim is wide eyed and prepared to discover what God has placed on the path before them.

These past two days have taken us out of New Orleans across the causeway to Fair Haven Orphanage. Working with the staff these pilgrims from Fellowship Bible Church served tirelessly. They worked cleaning fixing and tending to every need brought to them. Each day afforded them the opportunity to play with the children and get to know each child’s story better. As an approach to try and climb into the shoes of another, the pilgrims have spent time listening and asking good questions to better understand how to love and befriend the children and to not simply feel sorry for them.

Today they where challenged to choose well at the cross roads of choices, this is the place where we are given a choice on the path we travel, to go in several directions. Like the good Samaritan each pilgrim was challenged to choose well and take care to not step over the one set before them. We are trying to learn what it truly means to love your neighbor.  Words are cheap and actions can be contrived but what we do for another is true and authentic.Jesus was always “other focused” and we have been learning to be the one who looks after the others in our world. These pilgrims are nearing the finish line for home yet there is a great desire to learn how to return home without falling back into the everyday life they lived prior to this New Orleans trip.

Today we had an early start for our final full day in Wales. First we visited St. Brynach’s” church, a relatively new building on a extremely old churchyard. It contained some grave stones that were so old that they had markings only.

We then travelled to St. Govan’s, a chapel just a couple of hundred feet away from the ocean. This place is also known as where Sir Gwain hid in the King Arthur stories. After sitting on the rocks watching the tide come in, we left for the Pembroke Castle.

The castle was first built by the Normans in 1093 as a timber castle and then rebuilt using stone, and was held by King Henry I throughout his reign. It became the Tudor mansion in 1454 and was the birthplace of Henry VII in 1457. It remained the Tudor mansion until the break of the English civil war in 1642. In 1648, the castle was the site of a key battle toward the end of the war. It laid in ruin until the early 19th century, when restoration began and was completed by World War II.

After lunch, we went to a beach to at least touch the Atlantic Ocean and eat some ice cream. The last place we stopped was the ruins of St. Non’s Chapel, next to some cliffs around the ocean.

We walked around the chapel seven times and tradition of Celtic Christianity, and then moved to near the cliffs for some quiet and meditation. Before returning to the van, many of us went to the nearby holy well.

I believe the most spiritual part of the day involved stones. At St. Govan’s, we each grabbed a stone. Over the last few days, we have been talking about letting go of our burdens and let God help us with them. When we walked out towards the cliffs at St. Non’s, we walked out to spot to be alone and quiet. We used the rocks to represent the burdens in our lives, and we tossed the rocks in the ocean, to represent God taking these burdens from us.

Today was an important part for our pilgrimage as we got to visit many places that have historical significance. Most of the places we went were about one thousand years old. It was a very relaxing day and great for the last day in Wales.