Wednesday through Friday, 10 Through 12 August 2011
The big question on everyones mind (especially the Welsh ladies of Capel Seion) was how much could the construction team get done before the funeral service Thursday morning? Would there be wood fragments scattered here and there? Would there be a half finished wall with the guts exposed? Would there be room for the coffin to make it down the aisles?
The team worked at a fast pace, but somehow the spirit was unhurried. Everyone seemed to know what to do without a lot of frenzied communication. All was well ordered and harmonious. The platform area proved to be a never ending quest to find un rotted wood capable of standing upon. Wider and wider the hole grew as wood like peanut brittle shattered away. Unfortunate Welsh teen (and newly born again) Sophie steped upon what looked like a safe bit and crunched through the wood to the dirt below. Oops, more cutting please. But when would the girders ever be stabilized enough to make the platform standable (especially by the larger than life Shreklike) Derek Rees?
Then Thursday morning arrived. The first cluster of ladies arrived for the funeral service. They wandered around looking at all the changes with curiosity. The Baptistry was tiled with glossy white squares instead of porous red bricks. The new youth room was already constructed. The leprous yellow walls were freshly painted with not a blister to be seen. The platform not only stood firm but it was freshly carpets and had a newly painted end cap on the front face. The organ no longer blocked everyones view of the platform, but now resided to the left of th e stage, resting upon a reinforced floor. Not a wood chip or a dust fleck could be found. Admittedly some of the newly constructed or freshly platters walls had not been painted, but anyone could see that there had been a transformation here. The cramped cluttered worship area now seemed somehow larger despite the space dedicated to the Youth Room in the back it had seemed more open, airy, warm, and intimate as well.
One of the Welsh ladies, Margaret, seemed to speak for them all. "We are all like Cheshire cats," she beamed, "we can't stop
Smiling!"
And that's how the team met the deadline with flying colors.
Derek performed the ceremony (his first at Seion) and since the family had requested for us to do so, a little delegation from the team attended the funeral, comprised of Nancy, Donna, and Allen. After the funeral the same delegation was invited by the family to a pub for sandwiches and tea. Somehow they seemed to include the American strangers as part of their family on a formal grieving day. We heard stories of the ladys life, of how much the town had changed in the last six decades, and we snared stories about America. It could not have been sweeter and more tender.
The rest of the week polished what the first part had achieved. We painted and carpeted the Youth Room put in elegant track lighting, similar to that at Capel Gomer, and even bought black and pink (and one brown) padded folding chairs for the youths to sit on in their new room. While the funeral service took place, the rest of the team freshened up Capel Gomer by putting new lights in the dungeon like mens bathroom, and we even stained the greeting center in the entryway (no longer turned so as to obstruct passage through the room). The plant boxes outside were weeded and a new light was put in the entryway.
On Friday, we culminated the week by putting up giant new canvas signs (again designed by the Rice Flocks very own Becky Anderson) at both Seion and Gomer. We wandered around taking photos of all that God had wrought and then we stood and clapped for what everyone had acheived. Eating pizza at Gomer, we recounted the impact of our meager efforts upon the lives of our Welsh friends. We especially thought of sweet Emma and Sophie, new Christian sisters, and leaders of the new community of youth here, and how they embody the fresh work of the Holy Spirit in Wales. We were tired after a hard working week, but it was a happy tired. We had seen God work through us, and we had sensed we were a small part of something much larger He is doing and will be doing in this country of gray stone and grayer clouds for some time to come.
Tomorrow, we are off to Cardiff for sightseeing and an early bed at the hotel ending our adventure. But most of us mentioned tonight at dinner that we are already planning when we can come back again.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Curveballs
Monday and Tuesday, 8 & 9 August 2011
A good mission trip has curveballs. The more curveballs, the greater the chance for the team to find opportunities to work together and to rely on God rather than themselves. The last two days have given us opportunities to find a way to win.
First, the team learned that one of the few members of the church they were going to work on, Capel Seion, had passed away suddenly at the age of 91. This was sad in itself. But it's impact upon the team was that they had to get all their work done in three days rather than five, so the funeral service would be unpolluted with construction debris. Curveball! Then, the team learned that because they were late in picking up the rental van, the car company rented it to someone else and the only van they had left could barely hold six passengers, let alone room for hauling lumber and other construction supplies. Curveball! Then the team moving the organ discovered the platform was rotten and had to rip out and rebuild it. Curveball! And illness struck: Franklin Wheeler got sick and stayed in the hotel for part of a day. Then Allen got sick and went to the hotel early one day. Then worst of all: Lonnie's daugter, still in Oklahoma, grew sick, perhaps as a result of a her recent mission trip to Africa. Triple Curveball!
And yet what everyone seems to be experiencing is a pleasant, spiritual vacation rich in budding new friendships and sweet experiences.
The pews came out within an hour. A wall sprang up in their place. Fresh paint healed the creeping leprosy of the walls which took decades to spread. The organ was moved. The ribs of the platform were laid bare and reconstructed. Mold was stopped in its tentative first steps. Brush from the Stone Age was hacked away from the outer church wall of stone. The Porous brick of the Baptistry was meticulously replaced with glossy white tile. Square holes in the floor where the old pews had been were patched with makeshift metal strips which did the job admirably. It was a frenzy of construction.
But strangely, it didn't feel frenzied. The yoke was easy and the burden was light. The strain seemed fun. Patrick artistically tiled in the dungeon of the Baptistry(complete with wooden cell bars) like Michaelangelo on the Sistine Chapel. Outside, Larry painted the entrance gate with equal calm that was almost prophetic. Donna Nancy ken and Alllen danced a strangely graceful version of Swan Lake, but this version involved long roller brushes and magnolia colored masonry paint on a neverending wall with gothic arched windows. This is hard work that felt like a Sunday School share time. Men got to know what each other does for a living. Women shared their salvation experiences. And the team genuinely loved one another, even without quite knowing one another.
We all prayed for Lonnie's daughter, some of the team laying hands upon him. We all knew he wanted to teleport home to be by her side as she suffered. Yet he maintained his Jedai calm. By the afternoon we received good news: her fever had gone and she was resting comfortably. It looked like she was in the clear. God answers prayer. He is a great God. He throws curveballs but He also makes the bats to help us knock the curveballs out of the park.
Long days. Hard working days. Fun and fulfilling days. Days deep with spiritual significance.
A good mission trip has curveballs. The more curveballs, the greater the chance for the team to find opportunities to work together and to rely on God rather than themselves. The last two days have given us opportunities to find a way to win.
First, the team learned that one of the few members of the church they were going to work on, Capel Seion, had passed away suddenly at the age of 91. This was sad in itself. But it's impact upon the team was that they had to get all their work done in three days rather than five, so the funeral service would be unpolluted with construction debris. Curveball! Then, the team learned that because they were late in picking up the rental van, the car company rented it to someone else and the only van they had left could barely hold six passengers, let alone room for hauling lumber and other construction supplies. Curveball! Then the team moving the organ discovered the platform was rotten and had to rip out and rebuild it. Curveball! And illness struck: Franklin Wheeler got sick and stayed in the hotel for part of a day. Then Allen got sick and went to the hotel early one day. Then worst of all: Lonnie's daugter, still in Oklahoma, grew sick, perhaps as a result of a her recent mission trip to Africa. Triple Curveball!
And yet what everyone seems to be experiencing is a pleasant, spiritual vacation rich in budding new friendships and sweet experiences.
The pews came out within an hour. A wall sprang up in their place. Fresh paint healed the creeping leprosy of the walls which took decades to spread. The organ was moved. The ribs of the platform were laid bare and reconstructed. Mold was stopped in its tentative first steps. Brush from the Stone Age was hacked away from the outer church wall of stone. The Porous brick of the Baptistry was meticulously replaced with glossy white tile. Square holes in the floor where the old pews had been were patched with makeshift metal strips which did the job admirably. It was a frenzy of construction.
But strangely, it didn't feel frenzied. The yoke was easy and the burden was light. The strain seemed fun. Patrick artistically tiled in the dungeon of the Baptistry(complete with wooden cell bars) like Michaelangelo on the Sistine Chapel. Outside, Larry painted the entrance gate with equal calm that was almost prophetic. Donna Nancy ken and Alllen danced a strangely graceful version of Swan Lake, but this version involved long roller brushes and magnolia colored masonry paint on a neverending wall with gothic arched windows. This is hard work that felt like a Sunday School share time. Men got to know what each other does for a living. Women shared their salvation experiences. And the team genuinely loved one another, even without quite knowing one another.
We all prayed for Lonnie's daughter, some of the team laying hands upon him. We all knew he wanted to teleport home to be by her side as she suffered. Yet he maintained his Jedai calm. By the afternoon we received good news: her fever had gone and she was resting comfortably. It looked like she was in the clear. God answers prayer. He is a great God. He throws curveballs but He also makes the bats to help us knock the curveballs out of the park.
Long days. Hard working days. Fun and fulfilling days. Days deep with spiritual significance.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Well Begun Is Half Done
Saturday and Sunday, 6 & 7 August 2011
The second team arrived Saturday morning on time, bolted past immigration at a gallop, and casually boarded the bus. What a miracle for two teams comprised of twenty people to have no trouble at all getting into Britain. Nothing short of a miracle. Thank you, God!
The team is comprised of team leader Lonnie Hamman, veterans Danny Tengram, Ken Roth, Tom and Donna King, and Frank Wheeler. That's a lot of veterans! Rookies include Franks wife and son, Nancy and Franklin, Larry Lewis, Chris Jones, Patrick McBride, and last but not least, our own beloved elder, Joe Williams. And that other guy who stayed over from the first team, Allen Rice.
We visited the museum of Welsh Life in St Fagans where giant amounts of acreage contains virtually every type of Welsh building from Prehistory to the Present, from an Iron Age Celtic village, a corn mill, a blacksmith, an Eighteenth Century Unitarian chapel, to a Renaissance castle, complete with elaborate gardens and lazy lilly pad covered ponds, one flowing serenely into the next. Next we visited Llandaff cathedral, established by a Celtic saint who was a younger contemporary of Kingg Arthur. It is a hazy. Mystical place lying at the bottom of a steep spiraling walkway, appearing as if by surprise. The stone on the outside is a combination of light grey, sulphur yellow, and dark lavender. Inside, there is a dreamy melancholy infusing the thirteenth century sanctuary. All in all, a soft sweet experience.
Outside, Patrick came up with the idea of a group picture in front of a large stone cross. Spiritual guy, that Patrick. He often was the guy who reminded us that we should eventually get around to praying. Good call. Then we had a quick lunch and off to the Dragon Hotel we went. We were at the hotel by 6 pm and some were asleep by then.
On Sunday, we took a taxi bus to Capel Seion where we were blessed by Dereks sermon on Jonah and by a proper Welsh tea hosted by the ladies of the chapel. Allen briefly met with the ladies of the church offering to take out all their pews in exchange for new pews from Capel Gomer. They declined, but agreed to let the team take out all the pews to the left and the right of the worship platform (and they had previously agreed to let us take out about one fourth of the back pews so we could construct a youth room there). All in all the ladies were very gracious to us as usual.
We then took the taxi bus to Swansea where we grabbed a quick lunch and trotted to Capel Gomer where we heard another great Derek Rees sermon on Jonah and were offered more tea by our beloved Gomerites. After a planning meeting where Lonnie recorded the teams brainstorming over all the possible tasks we could undertake, we left it in Lonnies hands to prioritize the tasks and assign us our roles the next day. Then off we went to the Varsity, a bright, open, vaguely American style restaurant. Then home to bed at the Dragon for an early start tomorrow.
All in all, this team seems very sweet and unusually spiritual. They seem to be thoroughly enjoying their experiences so far and are adept at rolling with the rogue waves that so often accompany good mission trips. We seem almost eager for the taxing work ahead.
The second team arrived Saturday morning on time, bolted past immigration at a gallop, and casually boarded the bus. What a miracle for two teams comprised of twenty people to have no trouble at all getting into Britain. Nothing short of a miracle. Thank you, God!
The team is comprised of team leader Lonnie Hamman, veterans Danny Tengram, Ken Roth, Tom and Donna King, and Frank Wheeler. That's a lot of veterans! Rookies include Franks wife and son, Nancy and Franklin, Larry Lewis, Chris Jones, Patrick McBride, and last but not least, our own beloved elder, Joe Williams. And that other guy who stayed over from the first team, Allen Rice.
We visited the museum of Welsh Life in St Fagans where giant amounts of acreage contains virtually every type of Welsh building from Prehistory to the Present, from an Iron Age Celtic village, a corn mill, a blacksmith, an Eighteenth Century Unitarian chapel, to a Renaissance castle, complete with elaborate gardens and lazy lilly pad covered ponds, one flowing serenely into the next. Next we visited Llandaff cathedral, established by a Celtic saint who was a younger contemporary of Kingg Arthur. It is a hazy. Mystical place lying at the bottom of a steep spiraling walkway, appearing as if by surprise. The stone on the outside is a combination of light grey, sulphur yellow, and dark lavender. Inside, there is a dreamy melancholy infusing the thirteenth century sanctuary. All in all, a soft sweet experience.
Outside, Patrick came up with the idea of a group picture in front of a large stone cross. Spiritual guy, that Patrick. He often was the guy who reminded us that we should eventually get around to praying. Good call. Then we had a quick lunch and off to the Dragon Hotel we went. We were at the hotel by 6 pm and some were asleep by then.
On Sunday, we took a taxi bus to Capel Seion where we were blessed by Dereks sermon on Jonah and by a proper Welsh tea hosted by the ladies of the chapel. Allen briefly met with the ladies of the church offering to take out all their pews in exchange for new pews from Capel Gomer. They declined, but agreed to let the team take out all the pews to the left and the right of the worship platform (and they had previously agreed to let us take out about one fourth of the back pews so we could construct a youth room there). All in all the ladies were very gracious to us as usual.
We then took the taxi bus to Swansea where we grabbed a quick lunch and trotted to Capel Gomer where we heard another great Derek Rees sermon on Jonah and were offered more tea by our beloved Gomerites. After a planning meeting where Lonnie recorded the teams brainstorming over all the possible tasks we could undertake, we left it in Lonnies hands to prioritize the tasks and assign us our roles the next day. Then off we went to the Varsity, a bright, open, vaguely American style restaurant. Then home to bed at the Dragon for an early start tomorrow.
All in all, this team seems very sweet and unusually spiritual. They seem to be thoroughly enjoying their experiences so far and are adept at rolling with the rogue waves that so often accompany good mission trips. We seem almost eager for the taxing work ahead.
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Fruit of the Harvest
28-29 July 2011 Thursday & Friday
Trying to Give God Room to Work-- The last thing we did Wednesday night in our leader's meeting was to imagine a world where the students at the camp were already prepared to make a decision to believe in Jesus as Savior and to repent to Jesus as Lord of their lives. We didn't want to limit God so we rearranged the camp schedule to leave a ten minute time for the students to go the the worship area if they wanted to make that eternal decision. Who knows? The Holy Spirit might want to break out into he hearts of the children in a dramatic way.
Watching God Shine -- On Thursday morning, Allen went off to write the morning blog, and by the time he came out of the office, three students had made a decision to accept an eternal relationship with Jesus. Two of the students were sweet twin teenage girls, Emma and Sophie, who were among the camp leaders. Allen told them that this was indeed a historic moment: he had never heard of two sisters being born on the same day, and then both being born again on the same day. He calls that double twinning. A young boy who is a special pal of Allen's also made a committment. On Friday, a young girl joined them as new creatures. Four out of eighteen children saved in a four day period is a pretty good day even for Billy Graham. It is absolutely monumental for the drier, rockier spiritual climate of Wales. When Allen received his call to become a missionary to Great Britan three summers ago, it was at an outdoor worship service for school children. It is so gratifying now for him to be present to see Welsh school children transformed for spiritual death to spiritual right before his eyes. It is easily worth the price of admission.
Sharing the Word -- Doug Dees continued his tradition of light-hearted and engaging, though paradoxically deep and profound theological lessons for the Leaders' morning devotions. Thursday was on the Great Commission and Friday was on how each Christian is God's individual and artfully crafted Poem. Owain Ap Howell, part of the great triumvirate of legendary Ap Howell lads (Iestyn and Euros have been mentioned numerous times in previous blog entries), gave his testimony in the Thursday morning worship and Doug Mikes gave a powerful testimony (props and all) of his rise from a dark past to a bright eternal future. Thursday night, Jennifer Nath gave a mini-sermon comparing eating and drinking to Bible Study and Prayer, encouraging the children not to be discouraged when they return to the drier spiritual climate of their own homes, compared to the spiritual feast they have enjoyed at Camp Bala. Derek showed a clip from "Finding Nemo" on Thursday morning about how the Father doesn't give up pursuing his son, even though the son caused his own peril through rebellion of sin. On Friday morning , he showed the clip where the Father rescues his child so they can have a new, sweet, deep relationship together. How true for us all. It was in small groups after worship over those two days that the four children made their decisions.
Fun & Games -- Thursday morning Hannah led the group in some American games (Red Rover and Frisbee Football), Arawn led the children on a scavenher hunt in the afternoon, and Derek led the men in Featherball (now a longstanding Welsh tradition one year old). Tracy led them in the evening party in "I love you but I cannot smile" (the less said about this, the better), and in a series of "A Minute to Win It" competitions. After the games, there was music that was appropriately painfully loud and wild, histrionic dancing, that was more like full body contact roller derby.
On the Mountaintop -- After the children went to bed on Thursday night, the adults had their last Leaders Meeting. The consensus was: 1) We didn't want to leave, 2) We wanted to live together forever, and 3) We were going to do this next year, even if none of the kids decided to join us. We lingered long after the meeting's close because we didn't want this time to end. Friday, the children seemed to feel the same way. We are all literally and figuratively on the mountain. I can be a sad thing to descend to the arid plains.
Sharing the Harvest -- Henderson Hills Baptist Church has sponsored twelve missions to Wales in the last two and a half years. Mission number Thirteen arrives in a little over a week. Is Camp Bala the best one ever? Yes! But to be fair, all of the missions have been the best ever. One must plow superbly before one can plant, or sow, or weed. The Harvest Time gets all the glory but is possible only becasue of the other selfless endeavors. But there is no doubt Harvest Time is especially sweet. Thank you to all those who have labored in the field till now. Thank you to all those who continue to labor. Thank you for our Welsh brothers and sisters, heros whose hands never leave the plow just because the Americans pull out for a season. Thank you to God for making Wales the deep focus of His Eyes and for glorifying His Name through individual (and little by little) national revival. And thanks be to Him for letting the Americans be there to see it!
Trying to Give God Room to Work-- The last thing we did Wednesday night in our leader's meeting was to imagine a world where the students at the camp were already prepared to make a decision to believe in Jesus as Savior and to repent to Jesus as Lord of their lives. We didn't want to limit God so we rearranged the camp schedule to leave a ten minute time for the students to go the the worship area if they wanted to make that eternal decision. Who knows? The Holy Spirit might want to break out into he hearts of the children in a dramatic way.
Watching God Shine -- On Thursday morning, Allen went off to write the morning blog, and by the time he came out of the office, three students had made a decision to accept an eternal relationship with Jesus. Two of the students were sweet twin teenage girls, Emma and Sophie, who were among the camp leaders. Allen told them that this was indeed a historic moment: he had never heard of two sisters being born on the same day, and then both being born again on the same day. He calls that double twinning. A young boy who is a special pal of Allen's also made a committment. On Friday, a young girl joined them as new creatures. Four out of eighteen children saved in a four day period is a pretty good day even for Billy Graham. It is absolutely monumental for the drier, rockier spiritual climate of Wales. When Allen received his call to become a missionary to Great Britan three summers ago, it was at an outdoor worship service for school children. It is so gratifying now for him to be present to see Welsh school children transformed for spiritual death to spiritual right before his eyes. It is easily worth the price of admission.
Sharing the Word -- Doug Dees continued his tradition of light-hearted and engaging, though paradoxically deep and profound theological lessons for the Leaders' morning devotions. Thursday was on the Great Commission and Friday was on how each Christian is God's individual and artfully crafted Poem. Owain Ap Howell, part of the great triumvirate of legendary Ap Howell lads (Iestyn and Euros have been mentioned numerous times in previous blog entries), gave his testimony in the Thursday morning worship and Doug Mikes gave a powerful testimony (props and all) of his rise from a dark past to a bright eternal future. Thursday night, Jennifer Nath gave a mini-sermon comparing eating and drinking to Bible Study and Prayer, encouraging the children not to be discouraged when they return to the drier spiritual climate of their own homes, compared to the spiritual feast they have enjoyed at Camp Bala. Derek showed a clip from "Finding Nemo" on Thursday morning about how the Father doesn't give up pursuing his son, even though the son caused his own peril through rebellion of sin. On Friday morning , he showed the clip where the Father rescues his child so they can have a new, sweet, deep relationship together. How true for us all. It was in small groups after worship over those two days that the four children made their decisions.
Fun & Games -- Thursday morning Hannah led the group in some American games (Red Rover and Frisbee Football), Arawn led the children on a scavenher hunt in the afternoon, and Derek led the men in Featherball (now a longstanding Welsh tradition one year old). Tracy led them in the evening party in "I love you but I cannot smile" (the less said about this, the better), and in a series of "A Minute to Win It" competitions. After the games, there was music that was appropriately painfully loud and wild, histrionic dancing, that was more like full body contact roller derby.
On the Mountaintop -- After the children went to bed on Thursday night, the adults had their last Leaders Meeting. The consensus was: 1) We didn't want to leave, 2) We wanted to live together forever, and 3) We were going to do this next year, even if none of the kids decided to join us. We lingered long after the meeting's close because we didn't want this time to end. Friday, the children seemed to feel the same way. We are all literally and figuratively on the mountain. I can be a sad thing to descend to the arid plains.
Sharing the Harvest -- Henderson Hills Baptist Church has sponsored twelve missions to Wales in the last two and a half years. Mission number Thirteen arrives in a little over a week. Is Camp Bala the best one ever? Yes! But to be fair, all of the missions have been the best ever. One must plow superbly before one can plant, or sow, or weed. The Harvest Time gets all the glory but is possible only becasue of the other selfless endeavors. But there is no doubt Harvest Time is especially sweet. Thank you to all those who have labored in the field till now. Thank you to all those who continue to labor. Thank you for our Welsh brothers and sisters, heros whose hands never leave the plow just because the Americans pull out for a season. Thank you to God for making Wales the deep focus of His Eyes and for glorifying His Name through individual (and little by little) national revival. And thanks be to Him for letting the Americans be there to see it!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Old Friends Already
27 July 2011 Wednesday
New Old Friends -- At the end of a thousand-year long day, Luke the lanky, witty Welshman noted that most of us had not met before yesterday, and we were working together like a well-oiled machine. What he said was true, but most of us just marvelled that we had only arrived in Bala yesterday. What is true for the leaders is also true for the children. We know them all, their individual personalities and foibles, the rowdy and the shy, the ones who need encouragement to speak and the ones who need a shot of Nyquil to calm them down. And we can honestly say we love them all. Where have these Welsh adults (and one Kiwi) been all our lives? And how can we live without them when we leave on Sunday? Where have these little Welsh children come from and why is it we have not adopted them as our own long ago?
Sweet Spirit -- The Holy Spirit seems to be thickly permeating the sweet mountain air. There is a warmth, an openness, an intimacy here that is not strictly natural. When we part company, I suspect some of the children will weep. But so will all of the adults.
Bearing Fruit -- Doug Dees led the 7:00 a.m. Leader's meeting with a brilliant devotional about how the water cycle mentioned in Isaiah 55 is exactly like the Word of God and (all of His other attributes) -- how it goes forth like the rain producing fruit (Christians) that bears seed (Discipleship) that bears fruit sending all the praise back to Heaven. Then we went forward into a fruitful day.
Losing Nemo -- Welshman Luscious Luke, Glesni (the twenty something Welsh matron of Abertawe Christianity) and Rhys Lloyd (who looks vaguely like the bespectacled member of "The Flight of the Conchords" and who is the brother of the beloved Elain mentioned so prominently in the December 2009 Construction mission) led the music in morning worship that was every bit as athletic as a fat-burning calisthenic workout, complete with wild bodily gesticulations for every line of every song. Tracy gave a sweet, accessible, powerful testimony about how she became a Christian as a direct of the guilt she felt as a little girl when she talked her younger sister Katy into eating "candy" which was really bird poop. Derek has planned out a three part gospel message based upon three separate clips of "Finding Nemo" and today he showed the first clip and preached in Welsh about how we, like Nemo, have separated ourselves from the Father by our own rebelliousness.
Finding Their Voice -- After worship, the children broke up into the same small groups they will connect with every day. There, the leaders asked them questions that "unpacked" the meaning of the sermon, motivating them to apply the message to their personal lives. The children have begun to become much more open and transparent than we expected at this point in the week. One completely silent, introverted young girl was seemingly miraculously smitten with the spiritual gift of Leadership and appealed to her friends to take the gospel message to heart, following up by leading the group in a long and powerful prayer. The American leaders of that group, Tracy and Stormie, wisely let the young girl do their speaking for them, letting the teaching moment play out in an organic, unscripted manner. Other children began to bloom in less dramatic but no less real ways. One vivacious boy, the youngest of the camp, overcame an immense nervous anxiety about the camp (so much so that he vomited many times the night before departure, decided not to come along, only reversing his decision at the last minute) and began to let his spunky, fun-loving personality shine through.
Hyper-Active Activities -- Allen spent the day making new ministry connection with pastors Meirion (Church Life Secretary of the Presbyterians in Wales), Rhun (a dynamic pastor of three churches in Wrexham) and Watcyn and Lowry (Representatives of the Bible Society of Bible of Wales and leaders in Derek's Capel Gomer church). Back at the Youth Camp, Aled (a wiry, Rugby-loving young Welshman who had taken Allen for a brief visit to his Swansea home last summer) and Thomas (an even younger fresh-faced young Welshman whom we picked up at his hometown of Aberystwyth along the way) led everyone to an open field across the street where they taught the group American kickball (which is basically baseball played with a large, rubbery soccer-type ball). Derek (being as he is, Derek) argued to change the rules on the spot as the game went along in an attempt to make the traditional game "better." Later, back inside the children split up into two rotating groups, one which painted their own T-shirts with team and camp designs, and the other making their own "movie" aided by the multi-talented Rhys. After the children separated by gender into an hour of "Girls' Time" and "Boys' time," (where delightfully goofy Euros, of last summer's construction mission team fame demonstrated his surprisingly profound and in-depth knowledge of American football), they reformed into their regular large groups (Whales VS Sharks) as they practiced for the evening's big event -- the Talent Show, led by Doug Dees and Jennifer. Then we all walked through the charming town of Bala (picking up ice cream and candy along the way) arriving to skip stones across Bala's Lake Tegid. Later at the Colleg, the Talent show was a time for both adults and children to be silly and to shine (sometimes both at the same time). It was a bonding time for the group -- a kind of counter-intuitive sequel to the Name Game that had initiated the deeper level of fellowship.
Epilogue -- Luke Mansfield, an elongated version of Monty Python's Eric Idle, led the evening epilogue wherein he showed picture slides of stars of exponentially ever-increasing gigantic size and a means to examine the vastness and grandeur of the God who somehow cares about the most minute details of our day to day lives. Allen and Matthew led the late night debriefing, which focused upon finding comfortable ways for the children to have an avenue to make a commitment to Christ without them feeling the slightest human pressure or compulsion to do so. After praying in small, impromptu clusters, everyone went off to bed exhausted for an overly brief sleep. Everyone was awakened at 1:30 p.m. to a blaring fire alarm that forced us into the cold comfort of a nearby tarmacked basketball court while we waited for the fire department to arrive and give us the all clear. It turned out to be a rather common glitch in the alarm system. Lucky us! It apparently doesn't take very long to sleep in Bala. Just one more reason to rely upon the Holy Spirit to get us through tomorrow. And presumably, gallons and gallons of hot tea!
New Old Friends -- At the end of a thousand-year long day, Luke the lanky, witty Welshman noted that most of us had not met before yesterday, and we were working together like a well-oiled machine. What he said was true, but most of us just marvelled that we had only arrived in Bala yesterday. What is true for the leaders is also true for the children. We know them all, their individual personalities and foibles, the rowdy and the shy, the ones who need encouragement to speak and the ones who need a shot of Nyquil to calm them down. And we can honestly say we love them all. Where have these Welsh adults (and one Kiwi) been all our lives? And how can we live without them when we leave on Sunday? Where have these little Welsh children come from and why is it we have not adopted them as our own long ago?
Sweet Spirit -- The Holy Spirit seems to be thickly permeating the sweet mountain air. There is a warmth, an openness, an intimacy here that is not strictly natural. When we part company, I suspect some of the children will weep. But so will all of the adults.
Bearing Fruit -- Doug Dees led the 7:00 a.m. Leader's meeting with a brilliant devotional about how the water cycle mentioned in Isaiah 55 is exactly like the Word of God and (all of His other attributes) -- how it goes forth like the rain producing fruit (Christians) that bears seed (Discipleship) that bears fruit sending all the praise back to Heaven. Then we went forward into a fruitful day.
Losing Nemo -- Welshman Luscious Luke, Glesni (the twenty something Welsh matron of Abertawe Christianity) and Rhys Lloyd (who looks vaguely like the bespectacled member of "The Flight of the Conchords" and who is the brother of the beloved Elain mentioned so prominently in the December 2009 Construction mission) led the music in morning worship that was every bit as athletic as a fat-burning calisthenic workout, complete with wild bodily gesticulations for every line of every song. Tracy gave a sweet, accessible, powerful testimony about how she became a Christian as a direct of the guilt she felt as a little girl when she talked her younger sister Katy into eating "candy" which was really bird poop. Derek has planned out a three part gospel message based upon three separate clips of "Finding Nemo" and today he showed the first clip and preached in Welsh about how we, like Nemo, have separated ourselves from the Father by our own rebelliousness.
Finding Their Voice -- After worship, the children broke up into the same small groups they will connect with every day. There, the leaders asked them questions that "unpacked" the meaning of the sermon, motivating them to apply the message to their personal lives. The children have begun to become much more open and transparent than we expected at this point in the week. One completely silent, introverted young girl was seemingly miraculously smitten with the spiritual gift of Leadership and appealed to her friends to take the gospel message to heart, following up by leading the group in a long and powerful prayer. The American leaders of that group, Tracy and Stormie, wisely let the young girl do their speaking for them, letting the teaching moment play out in an organic, unscripted manner. Other children began to bloom in less dramatic but no less real ways. One vivacious boy, the youngest of the camp, overcame an immense nervous anxiety about the camp (so much so that he vomited many times the night before departure, decided not to come along, only reversing his decision at the last minute) and began to let his spunky, fun-loving personality shine through.
Hyper-Active Activities -- Allen spent the day making new ministry connection with pastors Meirion (Church Life Secretary of the Presbyterians in Wales), Rhun (a dynamic pastor of three churches in Wrexham) and Watcyn and Lowry (Representatives of the Bible Society of Bible of Wales and leaders in Derek's Capel Gomer church). Back at the Youth Camp, Aled (a wiry, Rugby-loving young Welshman who had taken Allen for a brief visit to his Swansea home last summer) and Thomas (an even younger fresh-faced young Welshman whom we picked up at his hometown of Aberystwyth along the way) led everyone to an open field across the street where they taught the group American kickball (which is basically baseball played with a large, rubbery soccer-type ball). Derek (being as he is, Derek) argued to change the rules on the spot as the game went along in an attempt to make the traditional game "better." Later, back inside the children split up into two rotating groups, one which painted their own T-shirts with team and camp designs, and the other making their own "movie" aided by the multi-talented Rhys. After the children separated by gender into an hour of "Girls' Time" and "Boys' time," (where delightfully goofy Euros, of last summer's construction mission team fame demonstrated his surprisingly profound and in-depth knowledge of American football), they reformed into their regular large groups (Whales VS Sharks) as they practiced for the evening's big event -- the Talent Show, led by Doug Dees and Jennifer. Then we all walked through the charming town of Bala (picking up ice cream and candy along the way) arriving to skip stones across Bala's Lake Tegid. Later at the Colleg, the Talent show was a time for both adults and children to be silly and to shine (sometimes both at the same time). It was a bonding time for the group -- a kind of counter-intuitive sequel to the Name Game that had initiated the deeper level of fellowship.
Epilogue -- Luke Mansfield, an elongated version of Monty Python's Eric Idle, led the evening epilogue wherein he showed picture slides of stars of exponentially ever-increasing gigantic size and a means to examine the vastness and grandeur of the God who somehow cares about the most minute details of our day to day lives. Allen and Matthew led the late night debriefing, which focused upon finding comfortable ways for the children to have an avenue to make a commitment to Christ without them feeling the slightest human pressure or compulsion to do so. After praying in small, impromptu clusters, everyone went off to bed exhausted for an overly brief sleep. Everyone was awakened at 1:30 p.m. to a blaring fire alarm that forced us into the cold comfort of a nearby tarmacked basketball court while we waited for the fire department to arrive and give us the all clear. It turned out to be a rather common glitch in the alarm system. Lucky us! It apparently doesn't take very long to sleep in Bala. Just one more reason to rely upon the Holy Spirit to get us through tomorrow. And presumably, gallons and gallons of hot tea!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Getting to Know You
26 July 2011 - Tuesday at Camp Bala
We got off the bus at Colleg Y Bala which is a tiny college turned into a full-time camp for Christian youths. It is situated in the valley on the edge of a small, picturesque town which itself borders a silver lake surrounded by green highland hills. We piled our mountain of luggage along the narrow entryway and went immediately into a chapel where Jennifer, Hannah, and Stormie had all the adults and children play three "Getting to Know You" games: 1) Ninja War (don't ask!) 2) Knot (a standing "Twister" type team-building activity) and best of all, 3) The Name Game, where everyone learned each other's names.
We stowed our luggage in the dorm-like rooms of a gray stone building that looked like a 60's television version of Bruce Wayne's manor, then we had free time and ate dinner. The children gave Laura their money and she issued to them the camp currency of "Balas" (each Bala being equivalent to a British penny) so the students could buy snacks and supplies. After dinner (pizza and french fries, really?), we went down a steep hill to a grass soccer field and had a free-for-all water balloon slug fest. Americans' note to self: bring fast-drying clothes next time. During the battle, Sophie, a sweet teenage Welsh leader, asked Luke (a bright-spirited, witty young Welsh leader) to put her necklace in his pocket. He did so, but didn't know he had a hole in said pocket. After the water balloon madness had passed, a group of about eight people began scouring every square inch of the now turf-torn fields for the missing jewelry. After awhile, we remembered to pray. Then, in the fading light, just as we were about to give up, Luke prayed in silent desperation for God to direct his eyes to the spot of ground that held the missing jewel. On a section of ground that the rest of us must have passed over a dozen times, he saw it. Luke was so relieved and Sophie was so filled with thankfulness to God. We all agreed finding the diamond needle in a hundred yards of proverbial haystack was indeed a miracle.
Matthew and Allen had stayed up until 1:30 pm the previous night preparing quiz questions for a team trivia game (and of course, talking about politics, like they do), so everyone went to the worship area to give it a go. Derek comically emceed the trivia competition which featured both Welsh and American trivia. Of the five teams, the big winner was the one captained by Jennifer Nath.
At about 11:15 p.m. Allen led a brief devotional which emphasized that Salvation is about 1)Believing in Jesus as Savior and 2) Repenting toward Jesus as Lord of our lives (and not relying on Good Works to save us). The children went off to their bedrooms while Matthew and Allen led a brief time where the leaders could decompress, process, debrief, and pray together. Most people got to sleep at 1:00 a.m. or later and we knew that our Leader's Devotional Session was going to begin at 7:00 a.m. sharp. We were going to need God to intervene to infuse us with lots of supernatural energy. And we were going to need lots of hot tea!
We got off the bus at Colleg Y Bala which is a tiny college turned into a full-time camp for Christian youths. It is situated in the valley on the edge of a small, picturesque town which itself borders a silver lake surrounded by green highland hills. We piled our mountain of luggage along the narrow entryway and went immediately into a chapel where Jennifer, Hannah, and Stormie had all the adults and children play three "Getting to Know You" games: 1) Ninja War (don't ask!) 2) Knot (a standing "Twister" type team-building activity) and best of all, 3) The Name Game, where everyone learned each other's names.
We stowed our luggage in the dorm-like rooms of a gray stone building that looked like a 60's television version of Bruce Wayne's manor, then we had free time and ate dinner. The children gave Laura their money and she issued to them the camp currency of "Balas" (each Bala being equivalent to a British penny) so the students could buy snacks and supplies. After dinner (pizza and french fries, really?), we went down a steep hill to a grass soccer field and had a free-for-all water balloon slug fest. Americans' note to self: bring fast-drying clothes next time. During the battle, Sophie, a sweet teenage Welsh leader, asked Luke (a bright-spirited, witty young Welsh leader) to put her necklace in his pocket. He did so, but didn't know he had a hole in said pocket. After the water balloon madness had passed, a group of about eight people began scouring every square inch of the now turf-torn fields for the missing jewelry. After awhile, we remembered to pray. Then, in the fading light, just as we were about to give up, Luke prayed in silent desperation for God to direct his eyes to the spot of ground that held the missing jewel. On a section of ground that the rest of us must have passed over a dozen times, he saw it. Luke was so relieved and Sophie was so filled with thankfulness to God. We all agreed finding the diamond needle in a hundred yards of proverbial haystack was indeed a miracle.
Matthew and Allen had stayed up until 1:30 pm the previous night preparing quiz questions for a team trivia game (and of course, talking about politics, like they do), so everyone went to the worship area to give it a go. Derek comically emceed the trivia competition which featured both Welsh and American trivia. Of the five teams, the big winner was the one captained by Jennifer Nath.
At about 11:15 p.m. Allen led a brief devotional which emphasized that Salvation is about 1)Believing in Jesus as Savior and 2) Repenting toward Jesus as Lord of our lives (and not relying on Good Works to save us). The children went off to their bedrooms while Matthew and Allen led a brief time where the leaders could decompress, process, debrief, and pray together. Most people got to sleep at 1:00 a.m. or later and we knew that our Leader's Devotional Session was going to begin at 7:00 a.m. sharp. We were going to need God to intervene to infuse us with lots of supernatural energy. And we were going to need lots of hot tea!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
All's Well that Begins Well
Friday Through Tuesday, 22-26 July 2011
The group is off and they don't have an internet connection yet so I will give a quick update:
They are on a bus on the way to camp. So the journey begins! We have 9 American adults, 10 Welsh adults, and 18 youth (4 bhoys and 14 girls) bonding together as they travel north to the beautiful mountain country. Please be in prayer for all of them as they make these new friendships and bonds around the things that are eternal.
At last, an internet connection!
The team of seven Americans (Allen Rice, Doug Dees, Doug Mikes, Tracy Hunt, Laura Turner, Hannah McMillan, and Stormie Lee) left Oklahoma City and things were uneventful until we landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands and discovered that according to a glitch in teh computer system of KLM Airlines, Doug Mikes and Hannah did not in fact exist, and the airline had no tickets for them on a full airplane so the best they could do was to be placed on standby to travel to Bristol, England. Allen lobbied every airline official he could find, stewed inwardly, and imagined the worst. Doug Mikes and Hannah were surprisingly unperturbed and Tracy was a veritable font of faithfulness and encouragement. The whole team sat quietly on the floor and bonded for about 80 minutes while the whole debacle played itself out. Ultimately, the airline relented, issued Doug M and Hannah tickets and they didn't even have to wait for on standby. Doug Dees pointed out the spiritual truth: prayer worked and God intervened. This truth gave Allen great comfort and it lowered his blood pressure.
Three delights at the Bristol Airport:
1) We all passed through immigration with less friction than ever before. Tracy was the first one up. She simply stated that she was with a group touring castles. Then the whole group was called up, and after a question or two each, all seven were rubber stamped through. Miracles do indeed still happen!
2) We were greeted by our friend and bus driver, Chris Reid.
3) Even more delightful: we were greeted by our eighth team member: Lauren West. She has been serving in Wales as our church's intern for the last two months, serving pastor Derek Rees and helping to prepare for the youth camp. She has grown to consider the welsh her family, especially Pat, a sweet mother figure who Lauren has been staying with. And the Welsh have found her irreplaceable. Monday Night they through a going away party for Lauren and to thank Pat for her hospitality. Around thirty people showed up to express their love and respect for Lauren and for her godly service.
We all toured mystical, meditative Tintern Abbey with its impossibly tall walls pointing to heaven and we toured grand, powerful Caerphilly Castle with its dark stones and deep double moat.
Sunday we all went to Capel Gomer where Derek preached. We went to the beach at the mumbles and had Joe's ice cream. Monday we met with the Welsh team, brainstormed over how best and who best to cover every minute of the camp itinerary, and we bought supplies and lunch materials for the next day. Our ninth team member, Jennifer Nath, arrived after a seven hour delay because of a mechanical problem on the airplane going from Oklahoma City to Detroit.
Tuesday, we got on the bus, got the children and headed for Bala College in scenic mountainous north Wales. We stopped at sunny Aberystwyth Castle for a sun-filled lunch on the lawn, punctuated by attacks by bread-grabbing seagulls. Then on to Bala. It was a rough ride. One child got sick, and another child nearly so. Tracy and Doug Mikes very nearly lost their lunches as well. But we finally arrived to a peaceful yet fun-filled environment.
The group is off and they don't have an internet connection yet so I will give a quick update:
They are on a bus on the way to camp. So the journey begins! We have 9 American adults, 10 Welsh adults, and 18 youth (4 bhoys and 14 girls) bonding together as they travel north to the beautiful mountain country. Please be in prayer for all of them as they make these new friendships and bonds around the things that are eternal.
At last, an internet connection!
The team of seven Americans (Allen Rice, Doug Dees, Doug Mikes, Tracy Hunt, Laura Turner, Hannah McMillan, and Stormie Lee) left Oklahoma City and things were uneventful until we landed in Amsterdam, Netherlands and discovered that according to a glitch in teh computer system of KLM Airlines, Doug Mikes and Hannah did not in fact exist, and the airline had no tickets for them on a full airplane so the best they could do was to be placed on standby to travel to Bristol, England. Allen lobbied every airline official he could find, stewed inwardly, and imagined the worst. Doug Mikes and Hannah were surprisingly unperturbed and Tracy was a veritable font of faithfulness and encouragement. The whole team sat quietly on the floor and bonded for about 80 minutes while the whole debacle played itself out. Ultimately, the airline relented, issued Doug M and Hannah tickets and they didn't even have to wait for on standby. Doug Dees pointed out the spiritual truth: prayer worked and God intervened. This truth gave Allen great comfort and it lowered his blood pressure.
Three delights at the Bristol Airport:
1) We all passed through immigration with less friction than ever before. Tracy was the first one up. She simply stated that she was with a group touring castles. Then the whole group was called up, and after a question or two each, all seven were rubber stamped through. Miracles do indeed still happen!
2) We were greeted by our friend and bus driver, Chris Reid.
3) Even more delightful: we were greeted by our eighth team member: Lauren West. She has been serving in Wales as our church's intern for the last two months, serving pastor Derek Rees and helping to prepare for the youth camp. She has grown to consider the welsh her family, especially Pat, a sweet mother figure who Lauren has been staying with. And the Welsh have found her irreplaceable. Monday Night they through a going away party for Lauren and to thank Pat for her hospitality. Around thirty people showed up to express their love and respect for Lauren and for her godly service.
We all toured mystical, meditative Tintern Abbey with its impossibly tall walls pointing to heaven and we toured grand, powerful Caerphilly Castle with its dark stones and deep double moat.
Sunday we all went to Capel Gomer where Derek preached. We went to the beach at the mumbles and had Joe's ice cream. Monday we met with the Welsh team, brainstormed over how best and who best to cover every minute of the camp itinerary, and we bought supplies and lunch materials for the next day. Our ninth team member, Jennifer Nath, arrived after a seven hour delay because of a mechanical problem on the airplane going from Oklahoma City to Detroit.
Tuesday, we got on the bus, got the children and headed for Bala College in scenic mountainous north Wales. We stopped at sunny Aberystwyth Castle for a sun-filled lunch on the lawn, punctuated by attacks by bread-grabbing seagulls. Then on to Bala. It was a rough ride. One child got sick, and another child nearly so. Tracy and Doug Mikes very nearly lost their lunches as well. But we finally arrived to a peaceful yet fun-filled environment.
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