Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
~ 2 Corinthians 9:6

Look For the Abundance — It Is Always There

On August 3, nine members of our high school youth, Shelley Walters, Marc Airhart, and I departed for our Youth Mission Trip. We were destined for Norfolk, Virginia, where we would drive to Camp Occohannock on the Bay in nearby Belle Haven and work with Harvest of Hope, an organization that is part of the Society of Saint Andrew. Our work was to glean potatoes and corn at nearby farms that would then be given to those who do not have access to healthy food. What follows is a travelogue of sorts, including things we learned along the way.

Saturday, August 3 - Sunday August 4: The Importance of Backup Plans 
Travel delays, missed connections, cancellations, desperately trying to find a hotel in Baltimore that wasn’t sold out, no luggage, and 12 tired and hungry people meant that we didn't arrive at the campsite until 28 hours after we left Austin. We did fit in an aquarium visit on the way to camp, and when we finally arrived, we were greeted immediately with a warm welcome, delicious dinner, a scary hayride, and – finally! – lovely showers and beds.

Monday, August 5 - Tuesday, August 6: Hard Work
On Monday, we caravanned with our Harvest of Hope leaders to meet the farmer, and then continued on to his farm to glean potatoes. Gleaning is the practice of going into a recently harvested field and gathering whatever remains that would otherwise go to waste. We gathered and bagged 1,500 pounds of potatoes and delivered the bags to hard-working people at a migrant camp. We were dirty, hot, sweaty, and tired, but also extremely satisfied and grateful. On Tuesday, we went back to the farm to glean corn, and also worked in a thrift shop that is 100% volunteer-run and offers donated clothing and supplies to the workers. Each evening, we were back at camp for dinner, showers, worship, games, and rest. 

Wednesday, August 7 - Thursday, August 8: Time for Fun!
On Wednesday, we drove to Chincoteague Island for some adventure. We had a picnic in the rain, flew kites, buried Shelley and Mary in the sand, enjoyed ice cream, and explored a NASA facility. We continued on to the Great Machipongo Clam Shack to enjoy a meal together, and two brave souls on our team even performed in the open mic night at the restaurant! After dinner, we headed back to camp to play games and have a good sleep. On Thursday, it was time to drive to Virginia Beach for our return home, but not without misplacing a wallet (with picture I.D. inside that was needed to fly home!). Happily, the wallet was found, and we made it to the airport where we passed the time before our flight doing scavenger hunts and dreaming of returning to our own homes, showers, beds, and people. And we did! Praise God. 

After having a few days to reflect on the trip as a whole, here are some of the lessons we learned along the way:

Things usually work out just fine in the end. Travel delays, missing luggage, and a misplaced wallet are just some of the small issues we encountered on our trip. But with God (and Shelley!) on our side, and the amazingly resilient, helpful, and patient youth, we knew that we'd get through these hiccups. 

People are kind. From the hotel van driver who drove us through the Wendy's drive-through at 12:30 a.m., to the front desk worker at the hotel who gave us all toothbrushes and toothpaste, to the very patient woman working at the car rental counter, we discovered that the kindness of strangers makes a huge difference!

Working hard and working together yields results. On this trip, we worked together doing hard work to help people! It was amazing, energizing, and extremely gratifying. Each of us has gifts and we need them all to succeed as a team. 

Abundance is in the eye of the beholder. We learned that one can see scarcity or abundance in almost every situation. A plowed, "empty" field can have 6,000 servings of food in it. Similarly, our own lives are truly blessed and filled with abundance. We have more than enough. 

We know how to have a good time. We all learned that Disney movie songs are good, and that, when you are with Shelley, you can fit a lot into a day. The chaperones learned that it is possible to successfully keep track of nine teenagers in chaos.

What a beautiful and exhausting time we had! We are blessed that our Youth had this formative experience helping others, the memory and lessons of which will surely stay with them for a long time. As the purple t-shirts that they were given say, "Love God, Love Others, Serve Both."

Youth Back to School Night
Parents AND Youth Join Us Sunday, August 18, 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Join us this upcoming Sunday evening in the Great Hall to help welcome our incoming sixth graders, get all those beginning-of-the-year forms filled out, and see what's on the whole semester's calendar. We'll also have time for youth to get to know one another and for parents to connect together, and more!

We hope that all youth (6th grade through high school) and parents can make it. It will be a great way to start out the year! 

Tags: mission, youth, gleaning, harvest of hope