And how to sum up a day.... everyone will have a different impression, a different set of memories, a different recollection. I'll do my level best to be a faithful scribe and we may have some guest writers to record their emotions and thoughts. My name is Danielle deVries and i'm part of our team of young peoples that have travelled to Shamokin, Pennsylvania for our March break to partake in a service trip. Our intrepid travelling companions are Sid, Michael and Chrystal Bosma, Gerald, Cameron and Alex Brouwer, Leah Koning, Alex VanVeen, Andrew, Angela and Peter VanOlst and Timothy and Danielle deVries.
In the fall of 2013, thoughts of going on a service trip began to arise and various ideas were tossed about. After much discussion and prayer, we felt led to participate on a trip organized through World Renew, through the CRC. They have many work sites in North America and accept volunteers as young as 14 - an important criteria for our youth group. Shortly after Christmas, we were told we would be working in a town called Shamokin. Immediately, our fingers flew to google and we found that Shamokin was a small town of approx 7,000 people located in the heart of coal country in Pennsylvania. It is a very economically depressed area with many residents subsisting on welfare and very low incomes, with little industry. There were some areas hit hard by Hurricane Irene in 2011 and there are still many homes with damage. We would be working on two homes in the town that experienced damage from flooding and be doing demolition, drywalling, wiring and painting. With a group of mostly young peoples, we weren't too sure about our skills list. But we were thankful that we had two dads along who are quite handy!
After a poinsettia fundraiser sale and a successful boerenkool dinner, we were nearly ready to go. Departure date arrived early this morning, Saturday March 8th and we all met at Rehoboth URC with our "one" bag. Pastor VanOlst sent us off with a reading from Matthew 5 about being salt and light in the world around us and the importance of shining that light wherever we are. After a word of prayer and encouragement, we were off. Last minute hugs from parents and spouses and at 8:20 we were on the road. First hurdle, BORDER CROSSING! I say that in big letters since it was a pretty intimidating thing - crossing with 12 people (twelve and a half including little 10 month old Peter) and all our luggage might not make for the smoothest crossing. We had all our paperwork in order and lined up with all the other Canadians making an exit for our southern neighbour. Fortunately, since we had all our permission papers, introduction letters and passports in order and with our honest faces and obedient answers, we soon flew through and we breathing sighs of relief! Praise the Lord! He answered our prayers for guidance through that process.
Then it would be 4 hours south-east driving through New York and Pennsylvania. With an average rest-stop/washroom break/gas break every hour, it was surprising that we made it to Shamokin by the early time of 3:30. Among the more interesting things that happened along the way were our GPS telling us we were "off the road" in the middle of the mountains and "please make a right turn" when we would have ended up on a cliff or in a valley. Good thing we had maps to read instead of blindly trusting modern technology. We were all pretty awed by the moutains we saw along the way - Cameron giving wild claims that he would climb one of those mountains in 20 minutes - just watch me! We'll see if we can put him to the test in Shamokin! We also saw military practice drills, crazy pick up trucks, beautiful nature and the inside of our eyelids for a few of us!
As we neared Shamokin, we were admiring the beautiful farms and valleys, thinking perhaps we had taken a wrong turn. These areas looked prosperous and little in need of help. Then we rounded another corner, and we saw mountains of coal and industrial equipment every which way. The river had turned yellow/orange from leavings from the coal industry. And then we hit the town - I think were all taken aback by the homes we saw - very poorly maintained, with shingles and paint peeling, porches that nestled right on the main streets, and everything looking gray and run-down. It was incredible the contrast in five minutes. We had been told we would be staying in a church - and i think we were all envisioning a very musty church basement. Imagine our surprise and amazement when we pulled up to the St Johns United Church of Christ and it was huge! The pastor's wife Karen came hurrying out to greet us and make us feel very welcomed. She led us around to the back of the building where we met her husband Bob and two other fellows we would be working with - Andy
and Ron. They were all very friendly and made us feel at home! The weather was warm (nearly 10 degrees!) and we were happy to be out of the cars. We would be getting our exercise since the church has four floors and we went up and down, having a tour of the chapel, the sanctuary (which was amazing in the afternoon sunlight with sun streaming through stained glass windows) and the many classrooms and kitchens (there are 3). We would be staying in a big largely unused room on the top floor of the church where we have a bird's eye view of the town. There is a large divider that we pull across the room to separate the girls and guys and we were supplied with army cots to sleep on. We would see how comfy they were!
We spent some time settling in, chatting with Bob and Karen and learning about Shamokin and the poverty in the area - learning about houses that could cost as low as $8,000 with incomes in the $20,000 range. Many people living off welfare and disability and having difficult times breaking the poverty cycles. I think we were all a little overwhelmed by those stats and the realities we were seeing around us. Especially after the guys had a quick look at our job site and discovered no electricity on the ground floor and no working bathroom - how can someone live like that for over 2 years - here in North America... we were hit with how much we have been blessed, how much we take for granted and how much we have to share with what the Lord has given us. We pray that God may lead and guide us to be His hands and feet here in Shamokin.
|And so we come full circle, devotions included a text from Ephesians 1:15-23 and a meditation on finding the wisdom of Christ and a time for sharing our highs and lows of the day - a great way to end the day, in the Word and in fellowship. Lights out at 11!!!!
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| Lunch break near the Pennsylvania border |
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| GPS sending us off the road... trust the Map! |
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| Coal strip mining in Shamokin |
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| The stained glass windows of our home away from home |
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| Settling in our new home |
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| One of the houses we will be working on |
Thank you for your report, it is a little as if we are on this trip with you. Yes, it is amazing how one turn of the road can give a totally different picture of the situation at hand. We hope you can all sleep comfortably and rest up for the work ahead. Once used to the night noises, snoring, talking,in sleep, tossing etc, it all becomes a white noise against which backdrop you fall asleep. We prayed for you all this morning and continue to do so on our own. We pray for a worship service in which God is glorified and you all enriched and empowered by His Word, seek to carry that Word with you as you work there this week. One little comment, you are 13 people, albeit Peter might be called a conscripted volunteer?. arlene
ReplyDeleteNice to see that you have access to the Internet and can keep us all updated! It's good to hear that you arrived safely, have good people looking after you and there is lots of work for you to put your hands to this coming week. We'll be keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers over the week.
ReplyDeleteGreat to read the update and about where you are and some reflections! We keep you all in our prayers. ps Andrew peter in the carseat? lol
ReplyDeletelol I thought that was supposed to be Peter Andrew :)
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