Heading north

After a great week at Beth-El, the team packed up Thursday morning and began the trip north. Months ago when the team was planning for the trip, there were two options for the special activity we could do in the Tampa area - a trip to Busch Gardens or a day at the beach. The majority of the team voted to go to Busch Gardens, knowing that the cost would come out of their pockets. And so that is what we did after departing Beth-El early on Thursday.

(Photo: The theme of Busch Gardens Tampa is "Africa," so there were plenty of cool animals to see throughout the day) We were there when the gates opened, so the youth and adults had 6.5 hours to explore and experience the park! The typical daily storm blew through the area, causing a two hour break on most rides, but that didn't damped the fun. The youth and adults still had a fun day of rides, food, and the occasional indoor show.

(Photo: The adult leaders enjoy an indoor 4-D show while the rides were closed due to weather) Once back in our vehicles at 4:30pm, the team headed northeast for a night in Green Cove Springs. First Presbyterian Church would be hosting us for the night and we were warmly welcomed by Elizabeth Smith's friends from seminary, Rev. Mark Hults and his wife Lynn and their girls Hayden and Emerson.

(Photo: Highlights from our stop in Green Cove Springs, FL) I mean, come on...who doesn't love adorable posters and homemade snacks to munch on before bedtime? The Hults family joined us for dinner at Mellow Mushroom and we all rolled back to the church happy and full. Staying at FPC Green Cove Springs was a true treat! We enjoyed one more night sleeping on the floor, true church lock-in style! Friday morning brought another early departure, this time with Roanoke as our destination! Before departing the team enjoyed a great breakfast provided by the church and read the last day of their prayer cards from elders or staff members of Second Pres.

(Photo: Each morning the prayer envelopes were laid out for the youth and adults to read during breakfast) The rest of the day was full of travel, with stops here and there for bathroom and food breaks. By mid-afternoon Friday the whole team was prepared to push on through, which we did. A quick stop close to Boones Mill allowed us to clean out the vehicles while also filling the vehicles with gas and our bodies with one last sugar rush, compliments of Dairy Queen.

(Photo: Packing up on the final morning) About an hour before our scheduled arrival team, the energetic, yet tired bunch pulled into the church parking lots and said their good-byes before parting ways. What an incredible week it was!! Reflections from each of the youth will be posted in the next week or two! Please check back so you can hear more about the week from the youth! We are blessed to be so supported by the congregation. Thank you for all your love and support while we traveled!

Watermelons and empanadas

Hola! It’s Jane Ward and Ali Sharpe! Today we woke up early, some of us even earlier to go for a morning run. All of us were very hungry and enjoyed the breakfast of mini pancakes. After the morning devotionals, we began to split into groups for different projects. Some went to finish painting one of the classrooms, and others helped John to clean the vehicles and prepare them for the journey back to Roanoke. We helped to bring old computer parts down from the storage in the attic, and then we went on to finish up making the toiletry kits, making over 200 just today. We all learned to work together as we made a big assembly line, filling the bags with assorted items including; shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, bug spray, laundry detergents, and many more items. We prepared the kits for the migrant workers, and we later got to hand them out to them at the fields where they work.

(Photo: Unloading the bus at the farm)

(Photo: Organizing the bags for the men to get)

Necesitas ayuda?

We woke up to a breakfast of grilled cheese sandwiches. It was the first American meal we’d had all week sans the spontaneous Pizza Hut run (if that counts as American), and I can say on behalf of the sensitive stomachs in the group, that we were thankful for it. Post grilled cheese consumption, we assumed positions outside in the food pantry. I was in charge of distributing hygiene bags containing shampoo, bug spray, tooth paste, etc. After 4 hot hours under the Florida sun we ran out of these bags and I was transferred to the sugar station.

(Photo: Setting up the distribution stations)

(Photo: Meg carries a woman's food) Along with holding distributing positions, myself and fellow youth delivered groceries to clients’ cars. “El Carro” was a common phrase we (well the Spanish speakers-so not “we” but “my friends”) uttered as they tried to communicate with the cliental. However, words were not the sole means of communication as mutual smiles, nods, and hand gestures were exchanged clearly conveying intentions.

(Photo: Madison and Gwyn entertain a baby while her mother is busy) After handing food to hundreds of clients, we ate lunch in shifts. Biting into our “cheeseburgers” slathered with mayonaise and ketchup we realized we were eating a sausage patty underneath cheese and white bread. It was the same meat we had distributed 10 minutes before. The omni present side of rice with each meal was also the rice we distributed to the community members. We were very happy and grateful to consume the foods we had just given hundreds of people to be eaten as their daily bread. We sat in their church eating their food. We’ve tried to assimilate into this community’s lifestyle and understand their struggles for the very short time we live in their area. Random odd jobs came up, and being the go-with-the-flow, flexible group of youth we are, we adapted quickly to sweeping, can sorting, and unloading trucks only to reload them after finding out our muscular exertions were not necessary. We enjoyed every minute.

(Photo: The food bank at the beginning of the morning)

(Photo: The painting crew after they finished their work) We finally got our much awaited shower and rest time before going to Don Julio’s for dinner. Imagine the scene in the movie Brides Maids, in which Kristin Wigg brings the bridal party to a 20 x 30 foot Brazilian restaurant and everyone gets food poisoning. This was the aesthetic equivalent of Don Julio’s. Thankfully we did not experience the food poisoning. We enjoyed excellent food there in portions “grande,” and then loaded up the bus and mini vans to return to Beth-El for youth group.

(Photo: Dinner at Don Julio's) All apprehensions before experiencing a combined youth group with teens from Beth-El went away as we were welcomed by their vibrant and passionate youth leader, Keisha. After singing praise songs we found out we happened to pick the night of the “sex talk” to show up. After a few raised eyebrows from adult leaders, all was well as it was a very powerful service reminding us that God created sex as a gift within marriage and that our bodies are His temple.

(Photo: 2PC Youth joined the Beth-El youth group for their weekly time together. Keisha led the groups in song to start the night off right!) We wound down the day with a reflection circle led by Cathy and Marybeth as has become routine. During this, we wrote psalms to God and read each other’s aloud anonymously. It was amazing to hear the honesty within anonymous letters to God. I think all of us have grown closer to God and I can’t wait for our families and church family to see how God has changed our hearts as we share our trip in person. -Sidney Murray More photos from the day...

(Loading beans in the van)

(Sister Sara has a station outside of Beth-El for those who want their blood pressured checked)

(Anna and Sidney ready to pass out bags of sugar)

(Gwyn and Olivia organize the donated food, checking that they are still good and organizing them)

Smack a Skeeter!

Yesterday was our first full work day here at Beth-El. The entire group was very eager to start interacting with the community and learn about a different lifestyle. We started the day by listening to Dave Moore, the director at Beth-El who has also been on two Dominican Republic trips with Second Pres. (Photo: Dave Moore showing us the approximate size of a farm worker's bucket for picking)

He shared information about how migrant workers are paid (they must pick 150 small trash-can sized containers of fruit a day in order to make $45), their housing situations, and the importance of mission trips such as this one. Then Javier, our work leader, split us into two groups. One group worked to organize a sort of community closet which our group nicknamed “The Second Hands Store.” The store has well-stocked clothing sections for men, women and children. (Photo: Part of The Second Hands team)

(Photo: Kirby and her beautiful display of stuff animals) It is also filled with anything from children’s toys to holiday decorations to home improvement tools. All goods in the store are donations from people in the area. The other group worked outside, assembling boxes of rice and toiletry kits. By the end of the day we had packaged hundreds of bags including necessities such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. (Photo: Sidney and Alex packing kits for farm workers)

(Photo: Katie tying bags at the end of the assembly line) After a few hours, we took a lunch break and listened to Sister Sarah, who spends a great deal of time providing free health care for migrant workers. She talked about the workers’ traveling patterns, the long hours they work, and explained the many health risks of their jobs. Field workers are exposed to potentially harmful pesticides and herbicides, intense heat, and dangerous weather conditions. This combination of factors means that “no one grows old working in the fields.” Following Sister Sarah’s talk we returned to the kit assembly line and “The Second Hands Store.”

(Photo: Sister Sara shares her knowledge with our group and another group)

(Photo: Our group assembled all of these kits!) After the work day was over, we took a trip down the road to the La Tienda Mexicana, a convenience store that was stocked with many Hispanic treats as well as good old American sweets and cold ice cream for the extremely hot day. When we finished our snacks our adult leaders surprised us with a trip to the beach! Although the “real beach” was closed, we found a little cove, where we had fun splashing around and found a father-son fishing pair from Roanoke.

(Photo: Splashing around in Cockroach Bay - seriously, that is the name...though we saw no cockroaches)

(Photo: Sidney played her guitar for us during evening devotions) Then we conducted our evening devotions on the beach. Though this called for the invention of a new game, “Smack a Skeeter” the scenery was beautiful and we all returned home feeling energized and excited to work again tomorrow! We ended the night with a celebration for Anna and Cathy’s birthday that included delicious ice cream cake. -Anne Johnson, Caroline King, Ema Simpson

(Photo: We are so grateful that these two lovely ladies chose to spend their birthdays with us!) A few more photos from the day...

(Anne working away in the Second Hands Store)

(Susan diligently organizes items for the store)

(Looking down the assembly line)

(Our adult leaders!)

(Alex and Ema on the "beach")

(Legs devoured! The reason why "Smack a Skeeter" was invented...)

Father's Day at Beth-El

Hey, this is Alex Nordt and Olivia Smith! We’re just two of the large group of youth that have traveled here to Beth-El, and we would like to share our day’s experience with you! We woke up bright and early this morning, quickly throwing on our clothes and grabbing breakfast before packing up our belongings and stowing them to the side, making room for the crowd that would soon gather to join in for Beth-El’s Sunday Worship service. While most of us are familiar with the traditional pews, hymns, and George’s sermon told from a towering pulpit, Beth-El’s service was just the opposite. First of all, it was entirely spoken in Spanish, thus presenting a bit of a challenge for those of us who have either only used the language in a classroom setting, or aren’t familiar with it at all. However, with the help of Elizabeth and Ramiro Ros, we were able to piece together the message that Ramiro and others were preaching that morning. The service was incredibly different from our own; everyone joined in to sing loudly and sway to the music, clapping hands and tossing in the occasional ‘Gracias a Dios’ or ‘Amen’ when they felt moved. The energy of the people worshiping here is incredible, and, it’s always amazing to see people praising the Lord and expressing their faith in their own way.

(Photo: The Blessing of the Dads during the worship service) While some youth were experiencing the worship service, several youth went outside with the Sunday school class to meet some of the children that attend the church. While outside with the kids, the youth got to connect with some of the younger members of the community and learn about their lifestyle. The youth interacted with the children by teaching them new games and playing some of the kids favorite games.

(Photo: the youth taught their new friends one of their favorite games) Following the church service and the Sunday school class with the local kids, we all joined in with the community’s Father’s Day Fiesta. It was a celebration filled good food and good friends. As we sat down to eat, we were able to interact with many members of the community, sharing in a moment of their lives and taking the time to interact with a culture that was previously unfamiliar to us. We laughed and exchanged stories, and at the end of the fiesta, a pinata was brought out for the father’s to take a whack at! It was quiet entertaining, seeing the locals having fun and inviting our leader and father himself Phillip to join in!

(Photo: Phillip/Felipe taking a whack at the pinata)

(Photo: Our group enjoys watching the dads taking turns hitting the pinata)

(Photo: Our team dads!) After learning about the community from Romiro Ros, we traveled to Cedarkirk camp where some of the community’s kids would later be visiting to play, work, and have fun with other kids there age outside the community. When we returned to the church we had an in-depth discussion about the community and its members and how the church has helped so many of the people living in the community.

(Photo: Pastor Romiro Ros talks to the group about the Beth-El community) We wrapped up our day with a slight change of agenda, eating dinner at a Pizza Hut instead of our original plan. Dinner went well all the same, and when we returned, we had time to spend showering in the incredibly refreshing plywood-and-hose shower that the people here have so graciously built for us! We closed our evening in a special moment lead by Cathy Shoulders and Mary Beth Robinson, helping us connect to God and Jesus through a careful prayer of thought and meditation.

(Photo: Running in the afternoon rain!)

(Photo: Happy faces after a dash through the rain!) We’re looking forward to an exciting rest of the week! See you when we get back!
 ~Alex and Olivia

Welcome to Wimauma!

Last night our team of 19 youth and 7 adults arrived in Wimauma, Florida! Our arrival brought cheers from the group and we were immediately greeted by Pastor Romiro Ros, who was equally excited to see us. A quick tour of the facilities was all we needed before dragging in our things and plopping them down in the sanctuary, our new home for the week. Earlier in the week, Elizabeth Smith learned that the shower situation at Beth-El was going to be a little interesting. The shower facilities down the road typically used by visiting groups would not be available to us, so the nervous question, "What will our showers be like?" was on all of our minds as we drove from Virginia to Florida. There was talk of sink showers, bathing with baby wipes, etc. for miles and miles...but none of these creative ideas were necessary in the end! When we arrived we were greeted by a newly built (just for us!) outdoor shower, complete with two shower heads, one "inside" and one outside. (see picture below) Though not terribly dirty from our trip down, everyone eagerly put on their bathing suits and took turns in the "Shampoo Salon." It was a happy way to end a happy day.

Before bed we reflected on the day, commenting on the beautiful things we saw on the trip from Savannah, GA, where we slept Friday night. "The Spanish Moss," several people said. "The hospitality we received at Henry's!" "The cute shower they built just for us!" "The river and sights in Savannah!" It was clear beauty was all around us and that everyone was paying attention. : ) Oh, and did I mention the free, DELICIOUS fresh squeezed OJ that the state of Florida hands out at the Welcome Center?! What a treat.

(Picture: Outside of FPC Savannah, ready for another day!) Now that we have regular wi-fi, we will be blogging each evening about our day. Stay tuned for a post later on tonight as Alex and Olivia reflect on our first full day with the Beth-El community. Here are a few more pics from our trip down to Florida...