SATURDAY
Yesterday we enjoyed God, the city, and each other as we explored becoming the answer to our prayers and the city of St. Louis. It started off like any other day in St. Louis- a little sun, a lot of heat, and your very own ACEFC youth diligently pouring over old copies of the Torah when a question was raised: What would it look like if we fastforwarded to the New Testament and took Jesus at his word? So we cracked open a copy of the the book you previously read about and hashed out some thoughts. We talked about doing small things with great love and really living in community with those around us. Our goal is to see those thoughts become reality acted out.
And to that end we left the couches behind, grabbed an extended lunch at Che Wendy's and then headed out to the City Museum. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the City Museum it is less museum and more giant playground for the young and old alike. The idea is that the architecture at the museum is interactive and should be explored and we didn't hesitate to fulfill their dream.
After the City Museum we headed over to the Arch. Yes, that Arch. Mike, Julie, and Lori couldn't find their inner Lewis and Clark to give them the courage to ride to the top, but the daunting height of 630 feet was not enough to keep the rest of the group from trekking up. After much picture taking we descended in our futuristic and cramped pods to the ground level.
We rounded out the night hearing about Tom and Kelly. There isn't enough space or time to truly capture the full experience of the Tom and Kelly story, so I won't even attempt it. But you should know that it happened. Because it did. And because it was a large part of our experience on Saturday.
On a flashback note: it was nice for the group to have Jake Zeihr mix in with us again to hang out whenever we can steal him away from his internship responsibilities with New City. And there was morning and there was evening on the second day of the work trip- and it was good.
**This was written quickly and wryly and is all Mike's fault if it's bad. But if you appreciate the small embellishments and like it in general then tell Mike and he'll pass along the warm wishes.
SUNDAY
It was a new dawn and a new day that greeted us today. After a small orientation type meeting in which we learned the names and faces of the other groups that are living and working with us this week, a New City worker shared his testimony with us. His story started in an easy life where he had everything he wanted. He grew up in a Christian home but found himself drowning in drug culture and finally waking up one morning after seven years in college and no degree to ask himself what the point of life was.
He ended up getting involved in the church again and started to rediscover God's plan of redemption and love. But after more than a decade of church involvement and ministry he and his wife became stumped by a question a twelve year old girl asked him: What makes the Gospel good news? This girl had been abused as a child and was out of work with little education and no hope. What did it matter that Jesus died for her sins? The speaker, Steve, came to the conclusion that the Good News is actually good news because it is more than just salvation from sin. It is an entrance into the family and kingdom of God- an event that should have actual earthly consequences. It tied in so well with what we had been talking about because Steve and his wife realized that they needed to be the ones to care for the orphans and widows in their neighborhood-- to be the answer to our prayers as we have been discussing.
Church was an experience that can't really be summed up for the group, but I (Andy the Intern) can at least tell you about my take on it. We walked in and the first song played was sung in at least five different languages, each time through switching to a new one. It was a beautiful picture of the body of Christ. I've been to a couple foreign countries and other places where language can be a barrier, but in those same places there is always a church that manages to overcome that barrier and actually turn it into a beautiful mosaic of praise and worship.
The service had other unique aspects like breaking into small prayer circles to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world and to praise God for His blessing, leaving our chairs and taking communion in a circle around the sanctuary, and a sermon from Numbers (yes, the one with all the numbers in it that usually gets skipped) reminding us that we are all part of a holy (set apart) priesthood.
After the service we were divided up and taken by church members to eat lunch. The type of lunch fare ranged from Egyptian to Vietnamese to hotdogs and beyond all depending on who took you. It was a really welcoming gesture from the body of New City church and was a great way to connect, hear stories, and fellowship with believers with whom we may only have our Heavenly Father in common.
After lunch we had some more orientation started gearing up for the first Kidz Klub (creative spelling not A.T.I's invention). Although this is my first year, the group has benefited from previous years experience here. We started popping the popcorn during our dinner time and packed up the trailer with all the games and supplies needed. This year we returned to do our Kidz Klub at an apartment complex with mostly refugee residents. A four member group from the St. Louis area was added to our numbers and their presence was a blessing to us as much as to the kids we shared some time with. Each member of our group was able to connect with at least one person today. I can't tell the stories everyone else shared because then they would have nothing to tell you when they get back and it would be sad because I would have robbed you of some good dinner conversation.
One of my cool experiences was being invited to sit down and drink real Iraqi Chai tea with a group of recent immigrant fathers. I really like tea and their Chai was delicious. But beyond the tea it was good to sit and talk about their kids and get as much of their background story as well. Mike was able to sit with them for longer than I did and might have more to say about them, but I appreciated making a connection with them today that can be revisited throughout the rest of the week.
As we debriefed with the group, the idea of making connections which lead to relationships and eventually to spiritual impact as the Holy Spirit moves came up from multiple people. It brought to my mind 1 John 4:18. In verses 11 through 17 John talks about how God gave us the Spirit and now God lives in us and in turn we live in God. He says the major reflection of that dependence on God is that His love is in us. Verse eighteen says “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” We were spending time and spreading the love of God that is in us with people who used to and most likely still live in fear because of the places and refugee situations from which they come. But perfect love (which is only the love of God) drives out fear! We are excited to see how perfect love (even if it comes from imperfect people) can and will drive out some of the fear that has plagued these people.
We continue to need your prayers for our safety, that the Spirit would continue to move in the work of New City and that we would have eyes and ears to hear and see what God is doing here but also at home.
On behalf of the St. Louis Work Trip Team '09,
Andy the Intern (A.T.I.)
