Follow the Road, chapter 5

Yesterday was our final day at Passport and my final day with the dozen-and-a-half youth assigned to the Salvation Army Family Store.  We have been in there all week sorting a huge pile of donated clothes.  I have learned some things about donations.  Don't bother donating torn, well-used, or stained clothing.  So much clothing is received in excellent condition, the lesser quality items are discarded and sold to rag makers by bulk weight.  We whittled that huge pile down to, well,  a very large pile and I was a little sorry we didn't have more time.  The manager of the facility, a 60ish woman named Flo, had asked to speak to us at the end of this final day.  I remember her on our first day here and how skeptically she regarded us.  As the week went on she became more amenable to our help and more confident assigning us tasks.  Now we gathered in the back of the store and she said some amazing, wonderful things.

I cannot thank you enough for your hard work this week.  We have been understaffed for so long I wasn't sure we would ever make the pile of donations manageable or get the store room clean.  I prayed for help for weeks before your group showed up here.  My usual experience with young people here is the ones forced to work here by court order.  But working with you and watching you work has been a pleasure.  You have been the answer to my prayers.  I know you are leaving us now, but please come back to us next year.

Flo went on to say that the store has flexibility in helping those in dire need.  If a family's house burns down, for instance, they can go to the Salvation Army Family Store and take whatever they need to get through the crisis for free.

How frequently are we the answer to someone's prayer?  I don't know, but when someone looks you in the eye and says that it is pretty humbling.

A couple of stories from the mission group.  I was working with a camper named Katie from western North Carolina.  She told me that she lived on a farm and had 26 dogs.  I said that was a lot, and she replied that they were her brother's and that he was training them to hunt.  "'coon dogs like that won't ever shut up."  It occurred to me that this might be my first conversation ever regarding 'coon dogs.

At lunch some of the campers and I were talking about how their youth groups operate at home.  Someone said that their Youth Sunday was a couple of weeks ago and a young man named Bridger preached.  I asked on what topic.  Bridger said, "The satisfaction theory of forgiveness."  A camper named Cody considered this a second and then slowly drawled, "Whuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?"  I'm glad he asked that, because I was about to.

Soon we'll follow the road home.  I have heard somewhere that there's no place like it.

Follow the Road, chapter 4

The original plan was to jump in a lake.  Thursday afternoon there is a large block of scheduled free time for the church youth groups to go off and do their own thing.  Problem is, this is Danville.  In Pittsylvania County it is known as Dan Vegas for the wide variety of nightlife options.  Uh, ok.  There are a couple of restaurants and a little live music, but what is there for us?  A movie?  Bowling?

Big Mama proposed checking out a lake recreation area over the North Carolina border, about 20 miles away.  Looking at the forecast, she found an indoor bowling/skating alternative in the same area.  Game time decision. Fueled-up with food from Cook Out Restaurant (Combo Meal $4.34, not bad) we found ourselves in a patch of sun and hit the lake.  Big lake!  Motor boats in the navigable part.  Swimming piers, picnic tables, camping areas.  And the water was warm, bathtub warm.  The bottom was squishy like chocolate mousse.  Ten minutes later the rain started.  And intensified.  No thunder, but conditions seemed iffy so we bailed out.  A bust?  Not really.  Lots of laughter and hysteria over the chocolate mousse, and now we can say we've swum Lake Hyco!

Have I mentioned that Averett dining hall food is superior?  A couple of items have turned me on.  Sweet potato cinnamon tater tots.  Gluten free brownies, superior to the gluten brownies on the next serving tray.  Pepperoni & mushroom pizza, pizza parlor quality.  Locally sourced honeydew melon, from Jackson Farms.  Sweet!

So one more day of camp ahead.  Morning Devotions, Celebration, Bible Study, Mission Sites, Volleyball Tournament, sheesh.  I'm feeling a nap!

Follow the Road chapter 3

As I mentioned before Passport bills itself as summer camp with a mission.  The City of Danville, home of Passport host Averett University, has a lot of opportunity for volunteer service.  As recently as the 80s Danville was booming as the home of the Dan River Companies, one of the foremost textile manufacturers in the United States.  Efficiency and productivity awards were won during those years.  These were the best-run plants of their kind.  Up to 50% of the local workforce was employed by Dan River, supporting industries, or in the local service economy directly attributable to the mills.  Foreign competition appeared in the late 80s and very soon the mills were no longer competitive.  Dan River closed up shop completely around 1994, twenty years ago.  The workers who could find greener pastures did so leaving behind the old money people, the now underemployed and the working poor.  The population dwindled to 40,000 and the city's future was bleak.  In the three years we have been coming here, only recently have there been signs of life.  The blighted Main Street still has a long way to go, but down by the river there is a new fountain.  Some mill buildings are being repurposed as housing and restaurants.  Averett University has opened its new Nursing school in this area.  And although there are some vacant shopping centers, the north side of the Dan River away from Danville proper seems to be doing well.  There are the big boxes, Target, Walmant, Sam's, Home Depot and Lowes, Danville Mall with Sears and JCPenney, and a couple dozen national and regional chain restaurants.  Here are a few of the mission sites where Passport volunteers serve. There are eight sites in all, each served by 2 COK campers and a mix of campers from the other attending church youth groups.

God's Pit Crew assembles emergency supply kits for immediate shipment to families devastated by natural disaster. 

A local organization is reclaiming and renovating abandoned properties to house women recently released from incarceration.

The Boys and Girls Club provides a safe, structured place for elementary school youth to spend summer days.

Several houses in downtown Danville occupied by elderly or disabled residents TLC

Cardinal Village is a public housing project.  A grandmotherly figure there, Miss Constance, started reading library books to small children under a tree.  Now years later this effort has grown to include activities, neighborhood chores, homework help and meals.

The Salvation Army provides prepares meals for clients and acts as a prepared meal collection and distribution center for other organizations, including Cardinal Village..  Salvation Army also receives and sells donated clothing in their thrift store.  Assigned with a group of a dozen campers to this site, our tasks included disposing of non-salable items, sorting incoming donations, merchandising, and other duties as assigned.  The army personnel were grateful for the help, and the store customers were complementary about seeing young people volunteering in this way.  I was particularly impressed with the high quality of donated items.  Some trash, yes, but also a lot of new items with tags, dozens of stylish ties, like-new pants nicer than I usually wear.

This is the other magic component of Passport.  The youth group we send not only strengthens ties internally, but we discover that we are working side-by-side with Christian brothers and sisters who are different from us only by geography and dialect.

Averett University is situated away from the river in the old money, grand-old-home part of town.  Averett seems to be doing pretty well as evidenced by the new lobby atrium added to its theater and the new lighted turf football field being installed on the north campus.  I asked Kendall Ratliffe, admissions counselor, why students come to Averett.  The answer is 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, along with specialties in Nursing, Sports Training, Equestrian Studies and Aviation.

Hold on to your hats.  There's still a little more Passport left.  Thanks Hannah, for lending me your laptop.

Follow the Road, chapter 2

I was Jesus Christ today.  Let me explain.  In this morning's Adult Bible Study (which, incidentally, is identical to the youth Bible Study), we performed a Readers' Theatre based on Mark chapter 5.  There were six speaking parts and I expressed a preference to not be the bleeding woman.  It looked as though I would be the Commentator, but Connie asked if she could pass off the role of Jesus.  So, I portrayed Our Lord and Savior.

 

And this is really strange.  I was all ready to be the Commentator.  It is what I normally do here, observing and telling the story.  No problem.  But suddenly, as Jesus, my whole comfort zone evaporated.  I had Jairus asking for help with his sick daughter, a woman touching my robe to be healed of a hemorrhage, and the crowds wanting to see me and hear me and hindering me from these tasks needing my attention.  I healed those needing healing, and conjured as much grace, mercy and love as I could.  At the end I was exhausted.  My portrayal lasted about 3 minutes.

 

One of the follow-up questions asked if we had ever been in a situation where we had to be Jesus.  One answer I suppose is never.  Another is whenever we have an opportunity to interact with another person.  My answer is that I know I was supposed to behave as Jesus after the interaction, whenever I wish that I had loved more.

 

The youth in their Bible Study groups all had these portrayals and questions to wrestle with.  I can't wait to hear what they have to say.  And that leads me to one of the favorite parts of the Passport experience.  Our COK youth break up into 6-person groups and talk about their day with each other and an adult chaperon.  I ask about impressions of the various work sites, highs and lows, prayer concerns, and anything else that comes to mind.  The group is small enough to be intimate but not so small as to be awkward.  Everyone has something to say, which is wonderfully gratifying.  It is a good ending to the day. 

 

There is a Wizard of Oz tie-in to the theme Follow the Road.  Get it?  Tonight there is an Emerald Ball.  Miss Kristi is lamenting having not brought along her pointy black hat.  I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!

Follow the Road, chapter 1

HI, this is Passport chaperon Chris Barsam reporting Tuesday morning from Averett University in Danville, Virginia, the host of this Summer Camp with a Mission. These posts will be brief and concise. Why? No laptop charger - Fail! The trip down yesterday was uneventful and our campers are enthusiatic and upbeat. Good thing, because we have a tightly scheduled full day ahead. Breakfast, Morning Celebration, Bible study, mission sites in Danville, and activities, activities, activities.

What do I mean by Morning Celebration? You know how at Camden Yards the scoreboard is over-produced and the music is too loud? And how young people sing and dance to songs on the radio that are barely recognizable as music? This is what Morning Celebration is like. All the campers from all the churches gather in an auditorium to be pepped up and energy stabilized in preparation for the next thing - Bible Study, mission sites, life. The staff moves Celebration along with corny comedy bits and gags. Sort of like Saturday Night Live, but less professional. I mentioned this to Bryan Smith, and he responded "You haven't seen SNL lately."

Jesus said, "I am the way ( or the road), the truth and the life". Passport wants to explore this verse with their theme for the week "Follow the Road". All of the programming, messages and activities will be geared toward this theme. What comes to mind? What is my road? A super highway - fast, efficient, and hearless? A road washed out by flood and impassable? A road full of potholes, twists and turns, but also with terrific sights and quirky restaurants?

I'll let you know. Lord willing, and the battery stay charged.