We traveled there because Jonathan, our youth minister, had been on mission work through Youth Works before. They serve in several cities across the U.S. and their model is to support existing ministries in the area. So the first night we were there, Jonathan met with the staff of Youth Works and decided where each of us would go and who would be on each team.
I was on a team with Jonathan and five boys. One was my son, Alex, and two (Mack and Chad) were students I knew from the school where I teach. We were assigned to the Boys and Girls Club at a Salvation Army Church in St. Albans.
Monday
On Monday morning we received our orientation and learned that we'd be working with about 35 children, ages about six to twelve. The director told us it was the best group of kids she's had in twenty years of service there. We would be helping staff as they led activities or lunch. We'd also just play with the children.
So for Monday and Tuesday that's what we did. It wasn't terribly spiritual, at least from anything I saw. On Monday I showed a couple younger boys how I draw cartoon faces. When I was in third grade, a guy came to our school and showed how he drew by lightly shaping the image with pencil, then drawing the dark lines with a pen. I picked up on that and used the technique for years when I used to do artwork. I was glad to have the chance to share it with the boys.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I brought my iPad and that made me very popular. As I always do in school, I made sure the children weren't just using it for mindless entertainment. I encouraged them to practice with the drawing apps. If they insisted on playing a game, I chose an educational one.
Two groups of girls wanted to make a video consisting of narrated images they drew or that they posed for. They were very excited, but free time was limited and we didn't finish either video. I was looking forward to meeting them Wednesday to finish it, but unfortunately it didn't happen.
Wednesday
There was a storm on Tuesday night and the basement of their church flooded. When we arrived on Wednesday, the director informed us that the students wouldn't be there that day. We spent the morning cleaning out the basement. We also did a few other odd jobs around the church since it was a good day to catch up on cleaning and moving. I'm sure this helped them a lot and they were grateful we were there, but I was disappointed that we didn't have more of a chance to work with the children.
Thursday
Thursday was the Fourth of July, so the Boys and Girls Club was closed. We were assigned to serve for about three hours in that same city at a nursing home. I was paired up with Chad and we were told to visit the elderly residents in their rooms or in the dining area.
First we talked to some of them in their rooms. Making conversation with strangers, especially when I was very unsure of their mental state or how willing they'd be to talk, was a stretch for me. I was initially very objective about it since I knew I'd never see the people again. But having Chad there made me more aware of how clumsy I was with the exchanges.
There were some awkward moments. One woman told me Chad was much better looking than I was. He got a kick out of that. She shared a story about some family member, not sure which it was, who actually died right on her lap last year when they came to see her for her 95th birthday. She was obviously still feeling the pain of that. What do you say to that? I don't remember what I told her, but the conversation continued for a few more minutes. Before we left she told Chad to be good. I could tell he was really listening to her.
We then spent most of the time in the dining room. I talked to a guy in his early 60's named James. He told me a lot of stories about his family and the people he went to school with.
And I met another man, probably mid-60's, who had worked as a computer programmer. He used PASCAL, which was a language I worked with a lot about 25 years ago. That gave me lots to talk about and by the time this guy was done listening to me I think he considered that his service project for the day.
We left about noon. The rest of the day was dedicated to Fourth of July activities and some meetings back at the Youth Works site.
Our experience with the elderly and some children was very similar to most of the other groups. One team, the one my wife was on, did a lot of physical labor too. Jonathan thought they'd be at a nursing home all week, but it ended up being a ton of work.
All things considered, the work was helpful and the teens learned a lot by doing it. It was good for all involved. The only problem many of the leaders felt, though, was that it didn't have much spiritual impact. No one was really preaching Jesus to anyone.
Yes, we could say we planted some seeds and the teams that visit for the remainder of the summer can build on what we've done. Still, it was less than what I hoped to see in that regard.
As with any mission trip I've ever heard of, we all left with some spiritual lessons for ourselves. I know I won't be the same. I can see the changes in my own two kids. The church group time at the end of each day was very encouraging to me as I listened to how our teens were growing as Christians.
But the real measure of the value will be how it impacts us from here out. Some of the leaders and the teens have plans to continue the work locally. I am looking forward to seeing what we come up with.
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