Growth and Transformation through Mission

It is hard to believe that it has been eight months since Karl and I left home to embark on this year of mission in Belfast.  These past eight months have been filled with moments, happy and sad, exciting and boring, comfortable and uncomfortable, which have strengthened my faith, helped me to grow as an individual and helped me to build relationships which I will forever cherish. 

Some of these moments, the ones freshest in my memory, took place on a Whitehouse Youth mission trip.  Over Easter, I went on a mission trip with our youth group to Tremont, Illinois - a town in the states which I would never have imagined myself being in.  Never the less, the mission trip was a wonderful experience!  For ten days, I lived in community with eight youth and three youth leaders from Belfast and three young children and two youth leaders (the parents of the three children) from the United States.  By living in community, we learned how to serve one another through preparing, serving and cleaning up meals together, we gained patience as we shared two showers among the group, we learned how to go without when the hot water ran out after the first six showers, we learned to love and care for one another when we were missing home, and most importantly we used all the time we spent together to bond as brothers and sisters in Christ’s family. 

If any of you reading this have ever been part of a youth mission trip (either as a youth or a leader), you will probably agree with me in saying that the change and transformation that can happen as individuals and a youth group is amazing during a mission trip.  There is something to be said for taking a group of youth to an environment different from their home in order to allow for true growth.  Our trip was filled with awfully busy days topped off with meaningful, late night devotions.  During the course of the trip, we went Easter Caroling, prepared a Seder Meal, helped at a local food pantry, visited a women’s correctional home, cooked scones for senior citizens, took part in the local churches’ youth programs and cooked an Ulster Fry for the community…that is just the community involvement side of the trip.  We played really hard too!  We took in a baseball game, went shopping at Bass Pro Shop, had play days at the farm, visited the Abraham Lincoln Museum…the list goes on, but you get the idea.  I was extremely tired by the end of each day, but went to bed smiling about that day’s events and looking forward to tomorrow’s.  During the trip I witnessed great transformations as our eight youth grew closer to one another, served with willing hands and hearts, gained patience, explored their faith in a deeper sense than ever before and developed into young disciples. 

Not only did the youth grow and learn about themselves on the trip, I too experienced growth and learned a thing or two. A couple of days into the trip, one of the youth from Tremont loaned us his guitar for use at the cabin (our accommodation for the trip). I have been learning how to play guitar during this year, but lack the confidence to play and sing in front of people (ask Karl, I rarely play for him!). One of the other leaders on the trip is learning how to play guitar too, so he wanted to work together and try to learn some songs to play with the kids. Not long into messing around with a few songs, I found the courage to play and sing in front of the group. Another growing moment of the trip was learning how to not be in control of every situation and be OK with it. The nature of mission trips is that you have an itinerary, and the itinerary will always change – the schedule was completely out of my hands, and I had to just roll with it. Lastly, a joy of working with youth is that they are filled with contagious energy and just love to have fun. For the 10 days we were away, I had the opportunity to let my guard down and to just have fun with the group! I came home from the trip refreshed and re-energized to work with others in the church to continue nurturing our youth into disciples for the church.

Hay Ride at Farm



Clay Pigeon Shooting at Farm

Baking Scones

Lunch at Bass Pro Shop

Helping at Food Pantry

Campfire Devotion

Abraham Lincoln Museum

Mission/Nurturing Disciples

According to Google's dictionary, the word mission is defined as:

1. An important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes, typically involving travel.
2. A group of people taking part in such an assignment

But what does mission look like?  What is classified as an important assignment?  Who is meant to take part in such assignments? 

Let's look at The Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. 

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Jesus tells his disciples to to go out and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything He has commanded.  So, if Jesus wants his to disciples to go make disciples of others, then must these new disciples go out and teach as well? 

I believe that we are all called to mission of some form.  Mission can be physical work, like building homes or installing water and electrical systems for underdeveloped countries, or it can be evangelizing to groups who have not yet heard the message of Jesus Christ.  But it can also be working in your local community to make a beautiful place for others to live in.  I like the definition of mission which I read on the Diocese of Salisbury's web page, “Nurturing disciples in order to build the church and change the world.”  This is exactly what I think mission is.  It doesn't necessarily have to be building something with your hands, getting dirty, or going to a totally foreign country which doesn't have indoor plumbing.  Mission is about nurturing our mind, bodies and spirits in order to further God's kingdom on Earth! 

Tomorrow morning, I will be leaving with 8 youth and 3 other leaders from Whitehouse Presbyterian to go on a mission trip to Tremont, Illinois.  This trip isn't the typical mission trip you hear of church groups taking in which the focus of the trip is hard physical work or community service.  The focus of our trip is nurturing the youth, as well as the leaders, and growing in our faith as we engage in conversations about our beliefs with people of a different culture.  (Not quite a different culture for me, but for the mission team!)  We aren't doing mission work which produces tangible fruit or results, but just as important we are doing mission work which produces fruit of the spirit and forms us into disciples to build God's church and change the world.

Telling the Easter Story

When walking through the doors of Whitehouse Presbyterian Church during this Easter season, visitors encounter a depiction of Palm Sunday, complete with a donkey, palm branches and the words "Hopes and Dreams."  This display, which is set up in the foyer of the church, is one of six displays set up around the church which recreate the Easter story.  The stations are set up for the two weeks leading up to Easter in order to give people a chance to remember the last days of Jesus' life on Earth. 

From the Palm Sunday display, you are invited to move along to the next display which is titled "The Servant King."  It is complete with a wash basin, towels and sandals in order to remind us of the humbling and serving attitude that Christ had for his disciples and those in his presence. 

From the washing of the feet, you then proceed upstairs to the upper lounge where the Last Supper is set up.  On the table is a jug of wine, matzo bread, figs, grapes, olive oil and honey and the words "Remember Me."  At this display we are reminded of the last supper that Jesus shared with His disciples and of His instruction to eat of the bread and drink of the cup in remembrance of Him. 

After viewing the depiction of the Last Supper, you are invited to move to the display of the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here you see the word "Alone," which speaks to how Jesus felt when anticipating his arrest and crucifixion. 

From the garden, you then move into the vestibule of the church where the crucifixion is depicted.  A cross sits in the corner of the entry, decorated with a crown of thorns, a drapery of red ribbon, dice and robes, and a sponge with vinegar.

The last display of the Easter story is set up in the sanctuary, and it depicts Christ's Resurrection.  There is tomb, decorated with flowers and a butterfly, with a stone rolled away from the opening.  It is a great portrayal of the promise of new life which was given to us through Jesus Christ. 

A lot, and I mean A LOT, of work was put into setting up the portrayal of the Easter story.  Two women of the church, along with the caretaker, put hours of hard work into assembling and decorating all aspects of the displays.  This hard work is well worth it, though, because the six depictions are set up for the enjoyment of members of the church and community, but are also set up as part of an outreach to schools in the local area.  Over the course of this week, almost 150 students (aged 8-10) will visit Whitehouse Presbyterian to listen to and see the Easter story.

On Monday and Tuesday I was able to be a part of the school outreach.  Each morning, students came to the church and were split into two groups.  One group went around the six stations and heard the Easter story, while the other group stayed in the church hall to create fun Easter crafts.  The groups then came together for a cup of juice and a biscuit and switched activities.   I went around the stations with the groups and helped to tell the Easter story.  Getting to see the depictions of the parts of the story really helped to engage the students.  It was great to see the attentiveness and enthusiasm of the children.

Items handed out to the children at the stations - palm cross,
red ribbon from crucifixion & Easter eggs as a sign of new life

Easter crafts

The Simple Joys in Life

Yesterday was one of those days in which I realized just how great the simple things in life are.  I had a wonderful day, even though nothing extraordinary happened during it. 

My day started with Thursday luncheon club.  This is a lunch club for those over the age of fifty in the church and surrounding community.  The club starts at 10:30 with tea and coffee, then proceeds to some sort of entertainment or program until 12:30, when lunch is served.  The entertainment for yesterday's club was Karl Heimbuck himself.  Karl came to play the guitar and sing a number of old gospel and western tunes.  I had a blast singing along on some of the songs and having him at one of my normal weekly events.

After luncheon club, one of the other leaders for the Tremont mission trip took me on a shopping trip to some outlet stores a little ways out of Belfast.  Both he and I were in need of some new shoes, and I was having a hard time finding any in town that were reasonably priced, so he kindly took me to the outlets.  I was excited to find a pair of cute adidas trainers for only 23 pounds, but most of all was pleased to build on a friendship with this leader.  I get to spend a ton of time with people from Whitehouse in the church at the various activities and programs I help out with, but rarely have the opportunity to build on those relationships outside of the church in a social setting.

I came home from my shopping trip and made a batch of puppy chow for one of the other volunteers who is travelling to London and then started prepping Karl's and my living room for a painting job. 
          --side story here:  Karl helps out with a youth program called Urban Magnets in which he had hundreds of fliers to write "Thursday Nights" on.  As with most projects, Karl procrastinated, and the fliers sat on our coffee table for weeks!  I was getting quite annoyed with their presence in our living room, so as a practical joke Ellison, Zoe (two of the other volunteers) and I proceeded to cover an entire wall in our living room with them.  Not thinking, we used sello-tape to do so.  The next week, when the joke had run its course, I started removing the fliers, along with a lot of paint from the wall!  Needless to say Karl had the last laugh, which brings us back at yesterday and my painting job.

After getting a first coat of paint on the living room wall, it was time to go to Boys' Brigade for the evening.  I got to the church and went into the main hall where the boys kick around footballs until the start of BB.  As I walked through the doors of the hall, one of the boys ran up to me with his hand in the air, motioning for a high-five.  I gave him a high-five as he said, "Hey Kendra, last week's assembly was class!"   He was speaking of the assembly I did at Whitehouse Primary for the P5-P7 classes in which I talked about the life skills I learned from playing basketball.  During the assembly, I dribbled the ball through my legs and behind my back and spun the ball on my finger - nothing too extremely showy, but impressive for kids who mainly use their feet to control a ball.  This seemed to have impressed this boy, as he tried doing those things with his football after greeting me last night.  It felt pretty good to receive such a compliment from this boy, who up until last night I thought didn't remember my name or even paid attention to my presence at Boys' Brigade.

Spring is in the air

Spring is definitely in the air in Belfast.  The weather is warmer, and you can just feel a spring energy about the place.  With springtime comes a faster pace of activities in Whitehouse Presbyterian and Whitehouse Primary.  The Girls' and Boys' Brigades are busily working to prepare for their respective Display/Parents' Nights.  Both of the organizations are putting a lot of time and effort into planning programs to honor the work that the girls and boys have been doing this year.  Each group has a different flare that they are putting on their display:  the girls with a bit more classy and dance filled program, the boys with a comedy filled program (the more laughs the better). 

Making pizza with the Girls' Brigade

This is also an exciting time of year for SWAT (the youth group at Whitehouse).  Eight of the youth are preparing to go to Tremont, IL for a ten day mission trip around Easter.  They, and their leaders, have been working very hard to raise funds for the trip.  In the past month, I have had a great time attending various fundraisers - a disco night, pub quiz, Chinese buffet meal, and a movie premier of "We Bought a Zoo."  Of most recent activity with the group, a leader was added to the list of people going on the trip, and that leader is me!  That's right, I will be heading back to the states over Easter to take part in the mission trip.  The itinerary is filled with a number of activities which will strengthen the relationships in the group and allow the youth to see God at work in an entirely different context.  Those two aspects of the trip (building relationships and experiencing God in a different context) are at the core of my YAV year, so I am thrilled for the opportunity to share these experiences with people from Northern Ireland in the United States. 

I have also been spending an increased amount of time at Whitehouse Primary school in these past couple of weeks.  I am absolutely loving the time that I get to spend in the P4 classroom.  This week, the teacher asked me if I could prepare a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr.  This was a challenge for me, as I have never planned lessons for that age of children.  But in the end, I put together a pretty fun lesson for the kids.  I started out by sharing about slaves in the United States and the progression to the abolition of slavery.  We then talked about Jim Crow Laws and segregation in schools and public areas.  I had the kids take part in a civil rights march, in which they made their own posters and marched around the classroom chanting "Jobs for all," "Equal treatment," and "Voting rights." 

Making Civil Rights Posters

Another new happening for me in the primary school was speaking at a school assembly on Friday.  The principal approached me on Monday and asked if I would be willing to talk at the P5-P7 morning assembly.  I wasn't sure about what I should speak about, and Karl told me (as he is quite experienced in doing assemblies here) that I should just tell them about who I am and the types of changes I have experienced since moving to Northern Ireland.  I started the assembly by talking about differences between the United States and Northern Ireland - driving on the other side of the road, the currency, and jargon like pants/trousers and chips/crisps.  I then moved on to talk about popular sports in the United States like American football, baseball and basketball.  As basketball is not a very popular sport here, I thought it would be fun to talk about it in more depth, so I shared about my experiences growing up playing the sport.  Through my involvement in the sport I learned many valuable life skills such as work ethic, the value of teamwork, making commitments and learning how to succeed humbly and bounce back from failure.  I went to a sporting shop before the assembly and bought a basketball so that I could bring it into the assembly and show some of the skills I learned through hard work and practice as a kid.  I was very happy to I receive some 'oohs' and 'aws' from the kids when I spun the ball on my finger and dribbled the ball through my legs and behind my back.

Well there is an update on life in North Belfast.  As always, thank you for reading and supporting Karl and me through this year.  Please continue to keep us, our work, and the communities that we are working amongst in your prayers. 

Mountain Top Experiences

In my last post, I mentioned that I led worship and shared the message during church two Sundays ago.  I followed the lectionary, so I spoke on the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-9).  I shared about mountain top experiences and how we all have (or will have) them during our lives.  A mountain top experience is one in which we feel so utterly close to God that we can seem Him and His glory in true clarity.  When we have mountain top experiences, it is easy to want to stay in them and never go back down the mountain.  But the reality is that we have to go back down the mountain.  However, we can take that feeling and the spiritual refueling from the mountain top experience with us and use it to serve and work alongside those people at the bottom of our mountain...I don't want to go on any further because I will spoil the video below!

Whitehouse Presbyterian Church is equipped with wonderful sound and video equipment, and they capture every service on video to share with members of the congregation who have a difficult time physically getting to church on a Sunday morning.  I uploaded video from the service, but had to cut out some parts for confidentiality reasons.  The video is in two parts: the first is the beginning portion of the service (including the children's address in which I accidentally used the word pants for trousers...oops!), and the second is my address.  I hope you enjoy! 

Busy, busy, busy

It has been quite some time since I have last sat down at the computer to write a blog post, and a lot has happened in the past few weeks.  Let's start with retreat.  Two weeks ago we all, the eight Belfast YAV's and Doug, went on a four day retreat to Donegal and Londonderry/Derry (nicknamed stroke city because the name of the town is quite controversial).  Retreats are a time for us to catch up on our R's - rest, relaxation, reflection, and refueling.  I didn't have the greatest start to retreat, as I woke up from a nap on the mini-bus with my left eye feeling conjunctivitis coming on.  By evening time, my eye had turned a nice red color and was threatening to swell shut!  However, Doug drove me into town Tuesday morning to see a doctor and get an antibiotic to help clear it up.  So, moving on from my conjunctivitis, we stayed three nights in a nice house situated on a lake just outside of the town of Donegal.  There was an eleven mile path which went around the entire lake and we spent Tuesday afternoon leisurely walking the path in one another's company.  On Wednesday, we woke and set off to climb Slieve League and take in beautiful views of the sea cliffs of the west coast of Ireland. 

Conjunctivitis - yuck!

At the top of Slieve League

Sea cliffs at Slieve League

On Thursday, we set off to head home to Belfast, but stopped in Londonderry on the way. Now I mentioned above that Derry is often called 'stroke city' because the name is in dispute - Derry is the preferred name for most Nationalists, while Londonderry is preferred by many Unionists. It was originally called Derry, but in 1613 the city was granted a Royal Charter by King James I, and 'London' was added as a prefix. During the period of 1613-1619 walls were built around the city to keep English and Scottish settlers out. Apart from the 17th century history of Derry, it is the location of the sad event in history called 'Bloody Sunday.' I will not go into too much detail about Bloody Sunday and would recommend you read a bit more about it on your own, but it took place on January 30, 1972. During a peaceful civil rights march, 12 unarmed protestors and bystanders were killed by soldiers of the British Army. As a result of the event, enrollment in the IRA in Derry skyrocketed and acts of violence became a common occurrence in the city.

After retreat, work at Whitehouse Presbyterian quickly resumed.  I delivered my first sermon on Sunday, February 19.  We had a service dedicated to the youth of the church, and Liz asked me to lead the service and give the address.  I have to say, I was quite nervous and stressed about planning a church service and writing a sermon.  When attending church, I do not think about all of the work that goes on behind the scenes of putting a service together - choosing and writing prayers, liturgy and hymns that follow the message of the service.  Needless to say, I felt quite relieved once I was finished planning the order of service, preparing a children's address and writing a sermon.  Now all I had to do was stand up in front of the church and do it!  I woke up on Sunday morning and prayed that God would guide me through the service and calm my nerves.  And He was there for me.  I made it through my first preaching experience!

The stress and worry was lifted from me after Sunday morning, and I started to look forward to Tuesday (February 21).  Collette and T.J. arrived that afternoon, making them our first family visitors for this year.  It has been such a blessing to have them here and to be able to show them where we have been living and what we have been up to this year.  We have had a wonderful time with them so far, and I am looking forward to the few days that we have left with their company.  Karl and I were away this weekend to Drumalis for an Alpha weekend.  As you know, I have been helping to lead an Alpha course at Whitehouse, and an important aspect of the course is a weekend away.  We spent the weekend worshiping and talking about the Holy Spirit - what it is, what it does and how we can let it move in our lives.  It was unfortunate that we were away while Collette and T.J. were here, but the Alpha weekend was an amazing worship experience, and they were able to get away to the north coast in our absence.