New Around the Mission
Blessings of VWAP
August 16, 2010
"I could just kiss each one of you!" Rosa Thomson's full face— framed by her wispy gray hair and gleaming with beads of perspiration in the 94 degree heat—was beaming as she climbed the steps of her new front porch. She continued: "I am just so tickled! I am so pleased. What can I do? All I can do is say, thank you, thank you, thank you."
Rosa is but one individual in West Virginia who was profoundly touched by the “Radical Goers” who participated in “Vacation with a Purpose (VWAP),” an annual church family mission trip sponsored by Church of the Good Shepherd in Davidson, North Carolina. The congregation partnered with the Philippi, West Virginia branch of World Vision, a Christian-based global poverty relief organization, to work on home repairs in the area and help organize and execute a Vacation Bible School at a local church over the course of five days. They joined with over one hundred other church groups and families from across the US, tackling projects at a variety of sites.
Sara Kay Mooney, Member of Good Shepherd, wrote a blog entry describing her experience. She references various church team members by first name as she describes their activities:
Rosa's life sings of redemption. Though estranged from her daughter, she has taken in her seventeen year-old granddaughter and two-week-old great-granddaughter under her wing, providing and caring for them both. Her gift of hospitality blessed our group throughout the week. She handed out numerous popsicles, made sure that our water cooler was filled and chilled, and served up a huge spread for lunch on Friday. With the help of another church group, eight of our team members hammered, sawed, nailed, screwed and bolted throughout the week to build a porch for Rosa and her family to enjoy for years to come.
A mile down the road from the Thomson household, Cynthia led the crafts portion of the Summer Adventure Vacation Bible School at Kynette United Methodist Church in Coalton. The VBS teachings and activities centered on the story of Joseph. Thus, we transformed an old pavilion into an ancient Egyptian marketplace. Melanie ran the toy shop, where kids made and played the timeless Egyptian board game Senet. Next to her was the bricklayer's booth, led by Abby and Conor. They mixed soil, hay, and water to form bricks for Joseph's construction of the new granaries. Sara Kay's Scribe Shop taught the art of hieroglyphics. Next door was the Linen Shop, where Karyn helped children make blankets to send to kids in Africa and pray for them as well. Cynthia ran the Weaver's Shop where kids used yarn and popsicle sticks to create ornaments. Down from her was Emily's Barber Shop, where kids could make headbands and receive eyeliner that would have made Cleopatra proud.
VBS was also punctuated with games like "catch the hippo," active (and loud!) singing and teaching on Joseph. "The music was even addictive to adults," Conor said. Cynthia was struck by the quality of e music as well. "They found real ways of helping the kids connect with the teachings. The kids were walking around singing scripture to toe-tapping songs," she commented.
Asking some Good Shepherd kids their opinion of VBS, I am greeted with a loud chorus of "Great!" Eight year-old Stacy Plumb shared that she learned about talents from God. "God gives us special abilities," she said. "He has gifted me to be a clown, and to be nice to animals.”
Throughout the week, we enjoyed a rich time of family-led devotions, with teachings on St. Francis, our role as heirs of Christ, discussion about the tension between giving and receiving, a children-centered lesson on the parable of the Good Shepherd, Scripture-based thoughts on our purpose in being called to missions and a personal testimony about the need to abandon our dependence on material goods.
The natural beauty of the green rolling mountains, clear streams, majestic trees, and bright wildflowers of Philippi serves as a gorgeous backdrop for a harsher scene: according to statistics from city-data.com, nearly one-third of residents earned income that fell below the poverty line. Many of the homes we saw were in shockingly poor condition, and health problems caused largely by a lack of adequate nutrition plague the community. Information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that 30% of the adult population in West Virginia is obese, with 17% of youth falling into that same category.
These numbers, and the suffering that we saw, was overwhelming, but in our study of Genesis throughout the week, we were reminded of the hope that comes in serving a God who, as Joseph said, transforms harm into good. This trip placed us gently in the complex folds of God’s kairos time—that grace-soaked opportune moment. Not only did we witness transformation take place at Rosa’s trailer and in the minds and hearts of young children at Kynette United Methodist, we experienced it deep within ourselves.
Posted By: Sara Kay Mooney
Categories: Faith in Action
