Leading worship

Sunday, July 1

4:15 p.m.

This morning, 25 of us mission trippers led the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. worship services at our church. That means our van drivers drove straight through, arriving after 3 a.m. Sunday morning. What troopers!

It was so fulfilling to hear the youth and adults share about their time in New Orleans. Everyone did a great job, and I believe the congregation was truly appreciative of the time we spent together this morning. The mission trippers painted a very clear and vivid picture of the experience we had at Westside Christian Church.

You can see some pictures of our Sunday morning here, as well as a few pictures of our packing up on Saturday.

Next Sunday we’ll have our Stockholders Dinner for all those who contributed to our trip (actually, everyone is invited!). We’ll share some pictures and more stories about our time together.

I feel so blessed by our week in New Orleans. Each mission trip has its own personality, and each offers unique gifts and blessings. This trip was one of the best, and I praise God for each person who went with us. We can’t wait to go again next year!

We made it!

I’m happy to report that those flying home from the mission trip have all arrived safely! For a group of 21 people, it was about the smoothest travel experience we could have. It sure is good to be home again! Our drivers are currently in Mississippi, and we look forward to their arrival later tonight. The whole gang will be leading the worship services tomorrow and sharing their experiences. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. This was a truly amazing experience!

There’s no place like home

The title of this post resonates in so many ways as we pack to return to Lincolnshire. We are all certainly saying it as we get ready to come back home after a week away. Vance Moore is saying it as he enjoys living in a newly-built parsonage and worshipping in a continually-improving sanctuary. And I know Dee Jones is saying it as she looks over her house that is a week closer to being home again.

Last night was an eventful one! After dinner we did a bit of packing  (and a few more balloon animals!), then headed off to Zach’s Frozen Yogurt (or as I said, Frogen Yozurt) for a Friday treat. I don’t know if the workers were thrilled or terrified to see 26 people coming in! We all enjoyed our yogurt treats and the time we spent together.

After returning to Westside, we divided into three crews and cleaned the mission center as thoroughly as possible. With a big group working, it didn’t take very long, and the place looks pretty good. Don’t let your youth tell you they’ve never worked a broom or a mop!

We were up again this morning at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast, packing, and the last touches of cleaning. Right now we are finishing those tasks and getting ready to load up and head to the airport. We are ready to get home!

Last night for our reflections, we talked about all the sounds, smell, colors and tastes we’ll remember from this week. It was a neat way to think back on on all that we have experienced this past week. I ended up with over 5 pages of reflections! That’s a testimony to the meaningfulness of our time here in New Orleans.

We also talked about the scripture where Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” On the surface, this verse can sound harsh and very difficult to follow. We’re glad to follow Jesus, but do we have to bear a cross on our backs to do it? What’s rewarding about that aspect of Christianity?

I told the group last night that every one of them bore a cross this week. For some, it was giving up a week of their summer to be here; for some, it was dealing with the heat and exhaustion; for some, it was doing work they had never done before. For someone on the outside looking in on our trip, this week would most definitely look like a sacrifice and a burden.

But not to us. This week has not been a burden; it’s been a blessing. To a person, we are each leaving here having received so much more than we gave. I wish you could have heard the youth during our reflection time last night as they talked about what they’re taking away from this week. While Ms. Jones and Westside Christian have been the beneficiaries of our work down here, we are the ones who have received the greatest gift. What we have given has been returned to us ten-fold.

Carrying your cross and following Jesus is not about giving things up and making life hard in order to be faithful. It’s about putting yourself in a place to experience God’s blessing. Does that mean giving some things up? Yes, if they stand in the way of our ability to see God. This week there were no TVs, iPods and video games were barely touched, and only a few computers were turned on. And yet, I didn’t hear one person say they missed those things.

This week, we have each carried our cross. Although our shoulders are sore and our backs ache, our crosses weren’t heavy. And I believe that each of the 26 of us which pick it up again in a second.

And now we bring our crosses back to Illinois. New Orleans isn’t the only place were people are in need; there are Ms. Joneses in Mundelein and Waukegan and North Chicago. We come back to pick up our crosses and continue the work that’s been started here, trusting that whatever we give of ourselves will be returned to us ten-fold by God. Praise be to God for the blessings of this week. See you soon! 

A few more pictures have been added. Be sure to check them out!

It must be Friday night

Just a quick note to say be sure and check out the pictures that were taken on the van ride home from the worksite. I promise they were not staged! They give you a sense of how hard this group worked!

The last big push

Friday, June 29th

4:07 p.m.

Today was our last day of work, and we gave it all we had left in the tank (which wasn’t much, considering how hard we worked!). We again had two teams today. The first team (16 people) went back to Ms. Jones’ house to do everything they could before we left, which involved a lot of mudding and smoothing the drywall. While we didn’t get as much done as we’d hoped at the beginning of the week, her house looks a whole lot better now than it did then. We have every reason to be proud of what we accomplished.

The rest of the group helped distributed flyers for Westside Christian Church. We estimate that about 1700 flyers were passed out in the surrounding community. After lunch, that group joined the other group at Ms. Jones’ house to help clean up. We had a group picture taken with Ms. Jones, Destiny, and Cedric (to be posted soon!). Their presence this week was a highlight of the trip.

One sight today really drove this trip home for me. Sean Bracken has been working like a dog to get as much done as possible at Ms. Jones’ house. He’s been very patient with the kids, while keeping them working and productive. Today, being the last day, he was especially motivated to work hard.

At some point during the day, a few girls in our group got the idea of making a cross out of scrap wood and having all of us sign it to leave at the house for the Joneses. It was a great idea, but who had time to help them cut the wood and put it together? When I went out on the porch for a drink, I heard the circular saw in action. I looked down in the front yard and there was Sean fitting together the pieces of wood for the cross. While Sean was driven to work on the house today, he also realized the importance of taking the time to help the girls make the cross. That spirit of collaboration and attentiveness to the movement of God’s spirit has been with us all the way through this trip.

Tonight we’ll have dinner (it’s Leftover Night!), go out for ice cream, and clean up the Mission Center ( 46 people sharing two bathrooms? No small job). We’ll then have our closing night sharing and reflection, which is usually one of the most moving experiences of the whole trip. Then - hopefully! - we’ll get a good night’s sleep in preparation for returning home tomorrow.

We can’t wait to share with you all that we have learned and experienced on this trip. Thank you so much for supporting us in every way. We couldn’t have done it with you. I’ll post a few more pictures tonight. See you then!

From individuals to a team

Thursday, June 28th

10:32 p.m.

What a great day! Today, although we were very tired, was probably our most productive day. In the sanctuary, we finished most of our major projects and moved all the furniture back in for worship on Sunday. It’s amazing to see the transformation that has taken place in there this week.

 At Ms. Jones’ house, Sean Bracken (the designated foreman) said he was amazed at how kids who didn’t know how to do mudding and sanding on Monday were working like pros today. He said today was the day everyone “got it,” and he was so impressed with the hard work and positive attitudes. We’ll have one more day there tomorrow to get everything we can accomplished. We’ll also let everyone who hasn’t seen the house take a trip over there.

The murals are continuing to look amazing and have made a significant difference in the kitchen. In addition to our normal work, we also helped fold 5000 flyers to be distributed in local neighborhoods to help the church get new members (they currently have 12). Some of us will help pass those out tomorrow.

Each night at the end of dinner, Brother Vance asks the group, “Where did you see God today?” Tonight, several of our girls answered by demonstrating a dance they learned from Destiny (the 7-year-old grandaughter of Dee Jones). IIt was a highlight of the trip! t’s been so amazing to listen to everyone share where they saw God. Lives are being changed in our group, and it’s awesome to watch God at work.

For our sharing time tonight, we planned our worship for Sunday, shared our highs and lows, and then did one of my favorite mission trip things. We each put our name on a sheet of paper, and then everyone wrote something about the trip on everyone else’s paper. So when we finished, we each had 25 affirmations about us written by other mission trippers. It’s so much fun to watch the youth and adults read the great things that have been written about them.

The realization that we only have one more day here is starting to hit everyone. The relationships that we made with the other group will end tomorrow, we’ll put away the tools and leave behind what we’ve done, and we’ll trust that those who follow will pick up the nail gun and the drywall sander and the circular saw. More importantly, we hope they carry on the spirit of enthusiasm, cooperation, and hard work that we have tried our best to live out this week.

Be sure to check out the pictures to follow our progress. We’ll see you all soon!

Continuing our mission

Thursday, June 28th

12:35 p.m.

Hi everyone! It’s hard to believe we’ve already been here four days. In some ways it feels like weeks, but in other ways we feel like we’ve just started working. We hope these last two days are productive.

Our two groups went to the same places today. Our hope is that the sanctuary and Dee Jones’ house will be much further along when we leave on Friday. I haven’t seen it yet, but it sounds like the group at Ms. Jones’ house is doing great work. She’s getting closer to actually being back in her own house. That’s an answer to prayer!

Every night during worship we share Highs and Lows, which are our high point and low point of the day. Last night as a group, we experienced our own high and low. The high was when Brian Wismer (a professionally trained clown) broke out his balloons and taught a group of us how to make balloon animals. That’s almost as valuable a skill as learning to hang drywall!

The low was our first injury. Megan Lockwood (Tim’s neice) was running through our sleeping area in her flip-flops when her feet went out from under her. She hit her tailbone very hard. The decision was made to call an ambulance just to be safe, but they didn’t even decide to transport her to the hospital. After a good night’s sleep she is still very sore, but felt good enough to return to the worksite. What a trooper!

Lunch today was grilled hotdogs and hamburgers (yummy!). The kind folks here even took some over to the crew at Ms. Jones’ house. We have eaten very, very well!

While our work continues to be imperfect, it also continues to get done. We are hoping that we can finish with a flourish and leave with a good feeling that we have accomplished what God has called us to do. We truly believe we are doing great work, and we are not coming down until we’re finished. Talk to you tonight!

Don’t forget about the pictures!

More than halfway there

Wednesday, June 27th

7:15 p.m.

Boy, did we enjoy the time off today! The group headed down to spend some time in the world-famous French Quarter. Our first stop was Cafe DuMonde, where we all enjoyed a beignet and drink. If you’re not familiar with a beignet, Brian Wismer described it as “a greasy puff of sugar.” It’s similar to a turnover covered with powdered sugar (which in turn gets all over your hands, mouth, clothes, etc.).

After that, we spent some time checking out the Mississippi River and Jackson Square, then visited an open-air market on N. Peters Street along the river. After walking around the streets a bit and visiting some of the shops, we headed home for a delicious chicken stir fry dinner.

Right now, the kids are writing postcards to all the Stockholders (those folks who supported us by buying stock in the mission trip) and winding down with some card games. Tomorrow will be another full day of work, which will include more work in the sanctuary and Dee Jones’ house, as well as some roofing (adults only!) and some folding and distributing of flyers.

The weather has been kind to us compared to last year, but it is still quite warm and very humid. The youth are being very diligent about drinking water and taking breaks. We haven’t had anyone feel sick or wear down too much.

Brother Vance complimented us on the quality of youth we have on our trip. He said most groups have at least one or two who fall behind or aren’t as productive, but to a person our group are hard workers who never complain and are always willing to help.  You all should be very proud of them!

In worship tonight, I’m going to share the story of Nehemiah. He was in a foreign country when he heard about some architectural issues in his hometown of Jerusalem. Specifically, the walls around the city had fallen into disrepair, leaving the city vulnerable to attack. So Nehemiah returned home and undertook the project to rebuild the walls of his city.

The surrounding nations heard about this and started to sweat. If the walls were rebuilt, Jerusalem would return to prominence and threaten their prosperity and existence. So the leaders of those nations tried to dissuade Nehemiah from his task.

First they threatened him, but he didn’t back down. So they tried to bribe him. No luck. Finally, they attempted to set up a meeting with him to distract him from his work and kill him. Here’s what it says in Nehemiah 6: When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab (the foreign leaders) and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates- Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

Today is Wednesday, and a lot of us are experiencing what I call Mission Trip Fatigue. We’ve made it through the confusion of Monday and the novelty of Tuesday, and we now realize that what we’re doing is actually work, and there’s two more full days of it.

We are tired. We are homesick. We are more prone to giving up easily. But we are carrying on a great project, and we cannot go down. Our fatigue will try to bring us down. The heat will try to bring us down. Frustration and impatience will try to bring us down. But we are carrying on a great project in God’s name, and we cannot go down.

God is at work here at Westside Christian Church, and it’s humbling to be witness to it. To quote Brother Vance, “It’s a God thang!”

There’s plenty more pictures to check out. Hope you’re enjoying them!

A reward for hard work

Wednesday, June 27th

2:20 p.m.

Why is it that 6:30 a.m. seems to be earlier every morning? We have definitely moved a little slower today, but that hasn’t impacted our productivity. Our group again worked at two sites: the church sanctuary and Dee Jones’ house (and Rachel continued her mural painting). The amount of work we are getting done is simply inspiring. We may not finish our business, but it will be much further along than when we started!

We knocked off work early today for a free afternoon. We ate lunch at 1:30 p.m. (spaghetti and meatballs), and are getting ready to head down to the French Quarter for some leisure time and a beignet or two from Cafe DuMonde. It will be very nice to kick back, relax, and enjoy some down time. We will probably point out Bourbon Street as we drive past, but we learned last year the street sign should have a parental advisory sticker on it, so we’ll steer clear of it.

Our gang is being very respectful as we share such a close space. Showers are being kept short, clothes are (mostly) being kept off the floor, and there’s a spirit of community and grace running through this building. The three groups have melded together very well and are co-existing harmoniously in less than perfect conditions.

We’ll be back from the French Quarter in time for dinner tonight at 6 p.m., then some down time. Tomorrow, we’ll get back at it! I’ll check in later on tonight.

We love you!

Don’t forget to check out the pictures here.

Winding down after a great day…

Tuesday, June 26th

9:55 p.m.

Hi everyone! Sorry to get to you so late. We had a full evening that I’ll tell you about in a second. I wanted to let you know that a lot of people are following our mission trip. Yesterday we had 125 hits on our blog! We joked that 123 of those were from nervnus parents. We think it’s great that so many of you are “with us” as we do God’s work.

Today was an awesome day of work! The two groups got a lot of work done at their respective sites. At Dee Jones’ house, the group continues to make progress with the drywall. They even started painting today! You’ll see in the pictures that Ms. Jones was working right alongside of them. That has been the most meaningful part of the experience.

The other group is doing great things in the sanctuary. In the pictures you’ll see some of the accomplishments. I think even Brother Vance is surprised at how much we’re getting done!

In addition, Rachel Sylvan was tapped to help paint murals in the kitchen area of the mission center. What a talent! They are looking great so far, and Rachel had the additional bonus of overcoming her fear of heights by spending time on a ladder.

 I’m happy to report that we still remain injury-free. A few scrapes, a few splinters, but nothing more serious than that.

Tomorrow we’re working for a half day, then knocking off early to enjoy the French Quarter. We’ll see some of the sights (the PG ones only!) and then head to Cafe DuMonde for world-famous bignets (a delicious fried donut covered in powdered sugar). We’ll then go into a group-wide sugar coma.

Tonight after dinner, the group headed over to the houses on which we worked last year. It was a sobering experience. Both houses were still not inhabitated, and the house on Majestic Oaks hadn’t been touched since last year. In fact, the little red wagon we used as a wheelbarrow was right where we left it! It was disappointing to see that nothing had been done. It reminded us that this recovery will take decades.

In our worship tonight, we talked about what it meant to have unfinished business. We have realized that we’re not going to get done all that we want to get done this week, and the lack of progress on last year’s houses just intensified that feeling of frustration. We read the Bible passage in Exodus about Moses dying right before he entered the Promised Land. He died with unfinished business.

We’re going to leave this place with unfinished business this week. Walls will be unpainted, trim won’t be in place, and there will be thousands of houses still untouched. But we trust that it’s God’s business, not our business. What we don’t finish, we pray God will finish through others. Maybe it is not our job to finish the work; maybe we are the people who do the legwork that allows the next group to finish. We pray that when we come back next year, we’ll get to see some finished business of which we were a part.

It’s lights-out in a few minutes, so I better sign off or lose power! We miss you all and can’t wait to get home. We’ve been well-fed, well-cared for, and worked hard. We’re doing our best to make you proud and to glorify God.