Mission Trip

Today I got an email from someone planning a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. My name is in the diocesan information as a resource for trip planning. We leave in 10 days on our mission trip! So much excitement, so much to do! Here's the list of questions and my answers.

Have your trips to the DR been typically for one week or longer/shorter?

We usually leave here on a Saturday (day 1), arrive in Santiago that evening, worship with our host congregation on Sunday (day 2), work M-F (days 3-7), take a field trip on Saturday (day 8), worship w/ host congregation on Sunday (day 9) and then drive to the north coast for a couple days at a hotel to rest and process the emotions our trip (days 9-11). We leave for home on a Wednesday (day 12). Don’t underestimate the value of the rest days at the end of the trip. It allows time for the group to share experiences with the people who really understand what happened. If you try to get together after returning home, it just doesn’t work as well.

What type of work did the group do? And what, if any, skills were needed?

We have helped build a church, renovated houses, painted a church, and run VBS. Skills needed: willing spirits, open hearts, receiving hospitality, team attitude. Additional skills that are helpful: ability to speak Spanish, familiarity with the culture, construction/home improvement experience, Sunday school or VBS experience.

What mission activities have worked well? Which haven't? Why?

Things that worked well: ~sending money ahead of time to hire local crew members and purchase supplies before our arrival ~acting as support to local construction crew paid with our donations ~vacation Bible school ~building relationships/returning to parish ~Saturday field trip with members of the parish ~worshiping with parish before starting “work” ~including parish members in our work
Things that haven’t worked well: ~underestimating the materials needed for VBS ~expecting to get a job done the way we’d do it here ~thinking that completion of the project was the most important goal of the trip

How have you handled/coordinated issues such as transportation, meals, lodging, medical needs, language barriers, etc...

We have several meetings before we leave. We talk about what mission means to us, cultural sensitivity, packing lists, passports, immunizations, work plans, how to live as a group. We have a travel agent for our airline tickets. Ellen Snow is invaluable in arranging transportation from airport to work site and helping with lodging and meals. We buy travel insurance. We’ve been blessed with at least one Spanish speaker on each trip, sometimes we have several; Ellen will also help with translation needs. Medical needs – we ask for people to ‘fess up to a “first-aider” about any medical issues they have that will effect the trip. We carry a first aid kit with some over-the-counter meds. People are discouraged from suffering in silence and encouraged to let someone know if they are having any problems like diarrhea, headaches, etc. DON’T DRINK THE WATER and avoid salads! Brush teeth with bottled water! Encourage the use of handcleaner like Purell. We have a mandatory evening meeting EVERY night. We share our successes and our challenges. Nothing is considered too trivial to discuss. We pray!

How much of the cost of the trip was absorbed by each missioner, and how much by the parish?

The cost per missioner is about $1200. We ask each person to pay $750; some will pay the entire $1200, others will seek donations from family and friends.

What type of fundraising was most successful?

We have an annual Mother’s Day car wash. We’ve also solicited donations from the congregation and brought back coffee as a premium for the donors. I’ll be happy to send you a sample letter we have for missioners to use.

What size group of missioners seems to work best? Are there age restrictions?

No more than 20 people for this trip, I think 15 or 16 is ideal. Any more than that and the group is unwieldy and transportation becomes a real chore! We take people who have finished 10th grade or are at least 16 years of age.

Has the mission work allowed interaction with the local community?

We have had better and better interaction with the community, mostly as a result of returning to the same site several years in a row.

What else can you share about the trip that you believe our team would find beneficial?

Keeping in mind that building a relationship is at least as important as any material gift you might leave behind will get your team through many rough moments. We have had times when we’ve had to sit around and wait for more “work.” We are always surprised at how meaningful those waiting times have been. We’ve learned to play dominoes, thrown wiffle balls with the kids, traded parenting stories with the neighbors, learned new songs, and shared family photos. We can leave money behind to finish a project, that’s never been a problem. It’s leaving pieces of our hearts behind that’s been painful. Did I mention you’ll need tissues?

A Couple Quizzes

Oh, dear. I had to try it. :-)

What will your obituary say?
at QuizGallaxy.com.








And then... What religion do you fit in with?

You fit in with: Taoism 60% spiritual. 20% reason-oriented.
	Your ideals mostly resemble those of the Taoist faith. Spirituality is the most important thing in your life. You strive to live by all of your ideals, and live a very intellectually focused life.
Take This Quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

School's Out for Summer!

Finally! It seems like the 180 days of the school year take forever to end once the calendar page flips to June. Today was the day for Fairfax County students.

It's been a tough year at the school I call home. We had several staff members who had long illnesses. We had one staff member out for several weeks through her mother's hospice care and death. People shouldered the tasks their colleagues would have done, sometimes learning new procedures.

We celebrated, too. There were new babies, new grandbabies, graduations, engagements and weddings. There were community recognitions for the school and our principal.

Through it all, we lived with more than 800 school children; children who challenged and delighted us, children who smiled and cried, children who laughed during lunch and threw up on their way to the clinic, children who gave us purpose.

Tomorrow I'll go back to my desk at the school. The bell will ring at 8:30 and there will be no children stampeding from bus to classroom. The cafeteria will be closed, the clinic will not be visited, no one will go to recess. The dismissal bell will ring at 3:10 and there will be no late daycare vans, no parents calling to say they're stuck in traffic.

You know, it won't take me long. I'll be missing them all soon. And when the calendar page turns to August, I'll be counting the days 'til school starts.

Still Singing After All These Years

Today was the big 95th Anniversary Sing Along, celebrating the 1912 founding of Girl Scouts in the United States. The Kennedy Center invited a couple of Girl Scout choruses to kick off the weekend with a Millenium Stage performance Friday evening. Click here to see the performance. If you catch a glimpse of a silver-haired woman in a light blue shirt, that's me!

Update: The article from Sunday's Washington Post is here.

Wedding, Birthday and Now - A Funeral

It was quite a weekend.

Friday
After a day in the school office, an early birthday lunch and a wedding rehearsal, I stopped at school friend's house for happy hour. They've just bought a "deck boat." Powered by an electric motor that has a top speed of about 3 mph, this floating deck cruises one of the Reston lakes. It was a pleasure to slowly cruise and chat.

Saturday
A widower neighbor, friend and fellow parishoner celebrated life by marrying a woman he met in a supper club whose members are also fellow parishoners. I knew his first wife and now I'm thrilled to know his second wife. The joyful ceremony was bracketed by a Friday rehearsal dinner, a Saturday wedding luncheon and a Sunday post-church brunch. Two families joined, clearly delighted that their parents, brother and sister have found life partners.

It was my birthday on Saturday. After the wedding, I went shopping with two of my daughters and then came home for a hamburgers-from-the-grill dinner with friends. Cap all that off with chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream shared with the younger set of neighborhood kids and you'd think the day was perfect, right? Then came phone calls from my sister-in-law, sister and oldest daughter. Even more perfect? Oops... one more call! This time from the Dominican Republic - a raucous call with lots of people in the background shouting, "¡Feliz cumpleaños!" and the voice of my Dominican priest with a blessing for the coming year. Ahhhh, perfection for sure!

Sunday.
Another good weekend day. I stayed in the service to sing ALL SEVEN verses of the hymn St. Patrick's Breastplate. I really do like the hymn, even if it becomes a bit tedious by the fifth verse. I always end up laughing by the end... it just keeps on going! Remember my confirmation class? The kids and parents brought food and lemonade then gave Rosie, Bill and me thank you gifts. In honor of our rainy field trips, we received rain gear! I got a navy blue umbrella with teal colored ruffles! And then, they presented us with a check to sponsor a child's school year in the Dominican Republic.

Next, I was off to the annual pre-mission trip planning meeting/pool party. Though the weather was misty and cool, the hot tub was warm and inviting. Good friends, good stories, good soaking; lots of good planning and lots of laughter. And, more birthday cake!

Late in the evening, I sat on the couch editing a document which I put up on Google documents. When I looked at my gmail account I noticed a news release from the Episcopal Church listserve. The release was titled, "Auto accident claims life of Northern Michigan Bishop James Kelsey." I read the article through at least three times before I started calling friends like Progressive Pragmatist. I had to make it real somehow.

Now, I've only met Jim Kelsey once, but he's my dear friend Fran's bishop. Yes, Fran-of-the-Questions, Fran of Notes from the UP Road, Fran who is on vacation and now knows that her wonderful, articulate, progressive bishop is gone. I was present at Fran's ordination to the deaconate and blown away by this casual, approachable man dressed in bishop's clothing. (The photo is Fran's ordination to the priesthood by +Jim.)

I think I remember this feeling of loss. It's like hearing that Robert Kennedy had died. Both Kennedy and +Kelsey embodied hope for change. They were both articulate men whose passion for their cause was infectious.

So, pray for this man, +Jim Kelsey. And pray for us, all of us. As his family says:

"The world became a darker place with the passing of James Arthur Kelsey. James gained love and respect from everyone he met in his professional and personal life. James spent his life giving. Giving of his time, his heart, and his soul to help anyone and everyone in need. His levels of compassion and kindness were unparalleled. A courageous man, willing to stand up for his beliefs, James Kelsey was the benchmark to which great men are judged. Not only a great man, but a great husband, and father. There was no better model for how to be a truly wonderful human being than the one he provided for his sons and daughter.

"If the world were full of more men like James Arthur Kelsey, it would be a wonderful place. Sadly, today we find ourselves with one less."

And, as Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says:

"The Episcopal Church has today lost one of its bright lights. We will be less without the easy grace of Bishop James Kelsey -- Jim to most of us -- and we shall miss his humor, insight, and passion for the ministry of all. He gave us much. We pray for the repose of his soul, and for his family. We pray also for the Diocese of Northern Michigan. All of us have lost a friend. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."

Sigh. It had been a good weekend.

Questions & Answers

Last month, after posting answers to several questions, my friend Fran put this message on her blog...

OK. Now it’s your turn! Here’s how it works: Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me” I’ll email you five hopefully provocative, entertaining questions. There’ll be different questions from the ones I’ve answered here (that’s the beauty of this!) You update your own blog with the answers to the questions I sent, and include an explanation of how this worked with an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When other people comment on your blog asking to be interviewed, you get to ask them five questions, and the process evolves. It's fun - so try it!

I decided to ask her to design 5 questions for me. Here goes!

1. Is there a place, anywhere in the world, that you have not yet seen and that you long to travel to? If so, where and why? I would very much like to spend time with aboriginal people in their own place. I’m fascinated by people who are “untouched” by this outside world that I spin around in. Now, if I were to be a tourist somewhere, Iceland is on my top ten list, as are the Galapagos and somewhere penguins live.

2. You are granted any one superhero power. Which one do you choose and why do you choose it? Invisibility. There are times I’d like to be in a setting but not have the event affected by my presence - the old “fly on the wall” thing.

3. What is your favourite musical group or musician?
John Prine would likely be my favorite musician.

What do you like about his/her/their music? There was a time when I knew most of John Prine’s songs by heart. While I can’t personally identify with some of his songs, they all say things I understand. The lyrics paint pictures I can clearly see. His voice is comfortable for me to listen to and evokes fond memories of some good times.

What is your favourite song by that person/group? Oh, gosh – Dear Abby makes me laugh, Grandpa Was a Carpenter reminds me of how much I admired my grandfathers, Hello In There challenges me to be who I want to be.

4. Describe yourself as a food or drink. For example: Might you be a crusty loaf of bread? A cup of hot chocolate? A spicy curry? Or something else entirely? In your answer, describe which food you chose and why you chose it. I would be lasagne. It’s made of many layers and different people have particular favorite layers. The tomato sauce would be a little spicy and a little sweet, there would be no meat and no veggies, the cheeses would be really nice ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan, the corners would be browned and crusty. It’s a meal for company and also good the next day as a meal for one or two.

5. If you could go back in history to witness any one event, what would it be and why? I tend to think that the “right” answer to this question (and its follow-up question) is something connected to Jesus. Letting go of “right,” I will instead say I’d like to witness Teddy Roosevelt visiting Yellowstone for the first time.

And even though this could technically be called a sixth question, I really want to know the answer. So I'm calling it a subset of this one; I'm hoping you won't notice! If you could go back in history and meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why? OK, so I guess I really will get into the Jesus story. I’d like to meet those famous sisters Mary and Martha. I’ve always taken the “Martha In the Kitchen” story personally. I’d like to sit with them for a while and absorb some of their understanding of walking with Jesus.

So, in the words of Fran... now it's your turn. :-)