Wesley Mission Update: Appalachia Week 3
Friends and family,
Hey everyone! The Lord has brought us through 3 weeks of our Appalachia & Homebase Summer Mission. Last week our team left Princeton, Kentucky for Johnson City, TN. After taking a trip to Lake Junaluska on Sunday to see the ministry ordination of our director, Ryan Ford, and another to Roan Mountain the following day for a short, but scenic hike, we spent the rest of the week volunteering at Coalition For Kids. This is a non-profit organization that seeks to care for children in need. In our time there, we assisted them in their Summer Bridge Program, or summer school, which took us down a quite different, but just as crucial avenue of mission work from our previous weeks of mostly physical labor. While we were able to experience some of the fun of caring for children during our VBS at Eddyville Second Baptist Church the previous week, this week of 8am to 4pm childcare was a much larger undertaking. However, we counted it a blessing and a vital learning experience for our mission team members. As Jesus says in Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is the faithful attitude we aimed to embody and wanted our mission team to learn.
Our team was broken into groups and dispersed among different grades. The first two days we were with Kindergarten through 4th grade classes, aiding the teachers in directing the kids in whatever activities they had for the day. This included math and English work, playing with STEM toys, reading, lining up for lunch in an orderly manner, etc. Despite it being the first time for some of us in caring for that many young children, we were all able to make connections with certain kids in our classes. Even in the midst of the tantrums and the general chaos of caring for them, their purity and preciousness was evident in the way that they loved us so eagerly, welcoming us with hugs, insisting we sit with them at the lunch table, and telling us about their families. This, as well as their self-forgetful joy and playfulness, was a wonderful reminder and example for all of us to follow.
We spent the next two days with the "Bigs", or older kids, which included grades 5-9. We weren't expecting the switch to a new group of kids, so many of us were disappointed to leave the children we had come to know, unsure of how we would be received by the older group. But the Lord showed His faithfulness to us once again, not just in the rest that came from being with a less rambunctious group of kids, but in the deep and genuine relationships many of us were able to form with them in such a short time span. Since the older children were much calmer than the younger ones, our interactions with them involved less correction and guidance and more friendly conversation. On those days, their activities included practicing interpersonal skills, learning about other countries, completing math and English assignments, and going through rotations -- afternoon activities such as PE, art, games, and cooking. In PE, particularly, our mission team was able to fully experience that passionate and unfettered joy of childhood that surrounded us, using all of our energy to compete with and cheer on the children in whatever game we happened to be playing. It is clear that those moments were a gift from the Lord, reminding us of the little child in each of us that belongs to the kingdom of heaven.
Throughout the week we were also given the opportunity to teach VBS lessons to both age groups. Through the stories of Jonah and the Whale, the Good Samaritan, and the Friend at Midnight, it was a joy to see the children engaged in our lessons, and, of course, bouncing with excitement to play whatever games we had planned (kids always love the big, colorful playground parachute!). Even if they did not fully understand the lessons we wanted them to learn, we hope that those VBS sessions planted a seed in their hearts that will eventually grow into a desire to know God.
In addition to the delight that came from being with the children, we were also encouraged by the Coalition 4 Kids staff. Esance, Chris, Dee, Wren, and Raena are just a few of the dedicated tutors and staff that work tirelessly to serve and educate the children there. They conveyed a level of patience, understanding, and commitment to the kids that was an important lesson on how we should all receive children: with open arms. Even in correction they were willing to meet each child where they were, doing what they could to care for that specific child in whatever ways they needed.
It was heartbreaking to leave Coalition for the last time on Friday. To say goodbye to the children that had not only become attached to us, but that we had come to love so dearly in such a short time. Even in the sadness of our farewell, there was gratitude that God had given us this week to be surrounded by and reminded of the beauty of children and how good it is for all of our souls to be in their presence.
We have returned safely to Ruston and have one week of our mission to go! This week we will be continuing the task of caring for our homebase by finishing the fence and barn in our backyard, as well as tending to other grounds needs. Please continue to be in prayer for us, and thank you for your support!
(Find out more about Coalition For Kids here: https://www.coalitionforkids.org/)
