Friday, May 31, 2013

It's more than a trip...


"Are you going on the mission trip?"

My first thought and quick response, "I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world!"  My second thought, which I keep to myself, "It's so much more than a trip."

I looked up the word “trip” in the thesaurus.  Under the section entitled, Choose the Right Word and it read that a trip can be long or short, rushed or leisurely, or for business or pleasure.  Trip is not the right word...
expedition, jaunt, voyage?...not right either...journey?...closer...pilgrimage?...better, at least it describes a religious journey.  Perhaps words just won’t suffice.

I've had the privilege of going on many missions "trips," all of which have touched my life in a way that is so difficult to recount.  Mere words do not seem to give justice to the depth of the spiritual journey of missions.   Even the word "trip" feels so facile in comparison to the infinite possibilities this pilgrimage holds in its potential.  Mary Sue had a quote posted in her office which caught my eye:  “Life is a pilgrimage, but sometimes you need a pilgrimage to discover life.” You take a trip; a pilgrimage takes you.

My sister visited the YMO meeting a few weeks ago.  As an S.I.T. alum, she was asked what missions meant to her, and in her attempt to describe her experiences, she was brought to tears.  Janel said that she could give them a glimpse of missions, but to fully understand, they would have to wait and experience missions for themselves.

The YMOers will be asked upon their return, “How was your trip?”  Don’t be surprised if they pause as they try to convey their pilgrimage through words. 

To understand, you might have to just be still and listen to their heart.

:) Julie

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Preparations Continue












YMO Mission: June 8-16, 2013





While our YMO youth prepare for their second semester finals, they continue their spiritual preparation with equal energy for their first mission in just 16 days!   
At last week’s services, Fr. Chris discussed the importance of “wrapping our team with prayer” for their important mission journey.  We are aiming for 24-hour prayer coverage each day.  The prayer team list will be in the parish hall again this Sunday, and we are asking you to fill in a time slot during which you will say a prayer for the mission team. You may also contact Sara Clarkson (630) 789-0727 or saraclarkson@yahoo.com to be added to the prayer team.  Please know that we welcome anyone to pray, more than one person may sign-up at the same time!  
On Sunday, June 2nd, we will commission our team for their journey at the 10:00 a.m. service.  We are honored to have as our Navajo guest that morning D’Wayne Begay.   D’Wayne is also a nationally ranked tennis player who uses his skills as a teacher to provide opportunities for American Indian students not only to have fun learning tennis, but also to improve their academic, social, and physical achievements.  
D'Wayne will speak at 9:00 a.m. in the Guild Room, explaining Navajo traditions and cultural sensitivity.  He will also share some reflections at the 10:00 a.m. service and introduce us to some traditional Navajo food after the service.  In addition, some of the music this morning will be provided by Native American flutes.
We hope you will join us for this informative and exciting morning!
 -The YMO Team




D'Wayne Begay

Monday, May 20, 2013

19 Days!



 
June may seem faraway but it is only 19 days until we leave for Navajo Nation! 
 
Big Silver Bus, the wings for our feet,
To travel the black ribbon through plains and meet
our dreams, our hopes, our hearts that beat. 
Through towns and fields planted with corn,
Through light and through dark when shadows are born,
Unfurled are our blankets to catch heaven and stars,
to bring and to share on our journey afar.
Navajo Nation, you speak to our hearts,
May our actions be helpful before we depart. 
-Anonymous
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A Typical Day



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Want to see where we will be working?  Who we will be serving?  Watch the video above. 

On Saturday, June 8, 2013, at 4am in the morning, we take the first step in our journey when we board our bus (yes, bus!) in the parking lot of Grace Episcopal Church.  We will have our hammers and nails, our sleeping bags and air mattresses, our snake bite kits and toothbrushes, our journals and our hearts.  Our first stop will be for the night in Elk City, Oklahoma. 



On Sunday the 9th, we will arrive in Crown Point, New Mexico, where we will enjoy dinner and Orientation and Worship, lights out at 11 pm. 

During the week, we will be joyfully jumping from our sleeping bags at 7:00 am sharp ... ok, I added the joyful jumping but we will see.  After breakfast, we will be further nourished by morning devotional before heading out to the work site. 

Crownpoint is in the midst of the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the United States.  Here, 56% of the people live below the poverty line, 44% are unemployed,  and 38% of the homes do not have electricity or running water. But the numbers don't explain why.  With only one grocery store, one gas station, and one Laundromat, the jobs in Crownpoint are few.  And because many families do not have cars or money to afford gas, they cannot easily commute to the towns with jobs about 50 miles away.  Also, consider that Crownpoint is located in the middle of a desert like setting far from many natural resources.  The most common type of homes on the reservation are trailers, government built single family homes, and hogans. 

On the worksite, we will first meet with the home owner and understand their story.  Then our work will begin.  It will consist of heavy home repair, remodeling, or new construction.  The intent is not to simply do cosmetic work but to do work that will make a big difference in the life of our homeowner. Often lunch is offered by the resident with a homemade local meal.   

After dinner, we will rock and roll with a Next Step Band and worship team. Though the work projects are key, worship is a critical part of our journey and is woven throughout every step. Worship will start out with some fun games, then we will sing worship songs with our band.  We will reflect on the day and on God's presence.
 

On Friday, the 14th of June, we will have a change of pace and celebrate with the community. 

Saturday, the 15th, will come too soon.  We will board our bus and begin our journey home.

Please pray for us and follow us.

-The YMO Team 

 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

How do LEGOS and Mission Preparation go together?


L E GOS ?



An update from Reed....
 
Recently, YMO Hinsdale held a “Rock-A-Thon” fundraiser. We were supposed to rock in a rocking chair for 24 hours straight. That didn’t work out super well.
 
About eight hours into the experience, Father Chris started preparing us for an experience that he said was a life-changer. He said he really felt sorry for us, to say that I was worried is an understatement. The way he described it, I truthfully thought we were going to have an exorcism. He told us we weren’t allowed to talk to any adults that will be monitoring us. He then brought us upstairs and separated us into two teams.
 
 
 
As I entered my team’s room, a bag of Legos were on the table. We immediately assumed that we had to put the pieces together, but we had no idea what the model was of. So, we sent our first team member into the observation room, who informed us it was a helicopter. After about twenty minutes of trying to assemble it, Father Chris took me and another member from my group and swapped rooms.
 
 
 
 I went into the other room and I saw that a race car was being made by the other team. After about fifteen more minutes, my original team came into the race car room. After ten more minutes in there, Father Chris brought us back into the helicopter room, and the helicopter was FINISHED. I was in awe. I had no clue they could finish it. However, I found out later that Chris just swapped the unfinished helicopter with the finished one from the observation room. Although it wasn’t anything physically extreme, like I thought it would be, it was still a learning experience for all of us, because we learned about ourselves and how we work together as a unit, which will help us greatly in New Mexico.
 
Thanks for listening....Reed


Thank you!



YMO Mission: June 8-16, 2013

 

THANK YOU!  

 

From the generosity of our parish, friends, and families we raised over $20,000 in the Rock-A-Thon for our upcoming mission trip to Crownpoint, NM.  

 

We are so grateful to all of you who supported us in our first fundraising effort.

 

You are invited to follow with us in this journey through our preparations, travels, and experiences by reading our blog.  To subscribe to it simply:

 

·        Go to www.ymomission.blogspot.com

·        Scroll to the bottom of the page

·        Enter your email address in the "Follow Us" box on the right

·        You will then receive an email asking you to authorize this

·        Simply click on the link in the email and you have completed your subscription

 

New posts will be added several times per week as we bring you with us on this exciting journey to serve God’s people.

 

If you have any questions about our mission to the Navajo Nation, please don't hesitate to ask any of us on the Missions Team or feel free to add a comment below and we would be happy to respond. 

 

The YMO Missions Team:








Youth                                       


Staff

Claudia Casas                                                    

Danielle Arthaud
Laila Drury                                             Sam Hostettler

Vivian Drury                                                                        

Cynthia Hurd

Nathan Hill                                                              

Cindy Jackson King

Henry Hostettler                                                  
Heidi Jones

Sofia Howson 

Louise Meyer
Kirsten Jones                                                     
Chris Pierce

Matt Kaczynski                                                   
Emery Pierce

Alex Kane                                                           

Julie Pierce

Claire Meyer                                                                      
James Powell

Nick Naimo                                                      

Merribeth Rhoads

Ansley Pierce                                                        

Linda Robinson

Ellen Pierce    

Mike Robinson
Amanda Powell
Kelley Summers
Emily Powell                                                           Loretta Summers

Alden Pritchard

Olivia Pritchard

Maggie Schwartz

Ellie Sprague

Bennett White

Reed Willman

 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

We have a lot to learn...




"...As one's knowledge of Navajo life increases,
one learns that the Navajos have created
out of their human material a house of wonder.
Their intangible culture matches
the splendor of their land.
In terms of life—not of goods—
it is we who are poor, not the Navajos."
John Collier, Commissioner, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1933-1936.
 

"This land that may seem arid and forlorn to the newcomer is full of stories which hold the spirits of the people, those who live here today and those who lived centuries and other worlds ago".
 
There is so much to learn about the Navajo People and, in preparation for Mission, it is now time to learn.  The Navajo history is rooted in travelling. Navajo tradition tells of the movement from three previous worlds before the present fourth world was established and populated by the Earth Surface People. It was only because of the knowledge and wisdom gained by going through earlier worlds that the present world could be established. In more recent history, the Navajo people were forced on the Long Walk in 1864 when more than 8000 Navajo walked to Fort Sumner in southern New Mexico, three hundred miles south of their familiar four sacred mountains. For the Navajo people, the march to Bosque Redondo remains one of the darkest periods of their history; over 2500 died during this period of four years of government captivity.

The Navajo "Night Chant"
 
Happily may I walk.
Happily with abundant dark clouds may I walk.
Happily with abundant showers may I walk.
Happily with abundant plants may I walk.
Happily on a trail of pollen may I walk.
Happily may I walk.
Being as it used to be long ago, may I walk.


So, I just downloaded a few books to my Kindle so as to learn and to have for the long travel by bus to Navajo Nation. 

  • Blue Horses Rush In by Luci Tapahonso (recently named First Poet Laureate for the Navajo Nation)
  • All is Beautiful All Around Me by Gerald Hausman
  • Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story by Oliver La Farge
  • Navaho Legends by Washington Matthews
  • Ceremonial of Hasjelti Daijis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo Indians by James Stevenson
  • Native American Tribes: The History and Culture of the Navajo

 

In "A Prayer", Luci Tapahonso she writes of driving between
Santa Fe and Albuquerque:

I can easily sing
for that time is mine
and these ragged red cliffs
flowing hills and wind echoes
are only extensions
of a never-ending prayer.
 
Happy Travels - Louise Meyer

 

Monday, May 6, 2013

33 Days!


3 3   D A Y S


In almost one month, we’ll be departing from the Grace at 4 AM (yes, that’s right, the morning) on our less-than-glamorous journey to examine the metaphorical poverty in our own lives.

At our weekly meeting last night, Father Chris gave us a glimpse of some of the cultural aspects in Navajo Nation that would be starkly different from here in the Chicago suburbs. To make sure that both everyone going on the trip and our devoted blog-followers are on the same page, I decided to compile a list of cultural sensitivity rules we’ll have to pay attention to as we begin our expedition to Crownpoint.

1. Lack of eye contact is a sign of respect, and never approach an elder unless they initiate it.

2. Gift giving is a sign of great affection and respect, and all gifts should be graciously accepted.

3. Family is a sacred and important part of Native American culture, so many people refer to others as “cousin”.

4. Taking pictures may be considered as insensitive while on the work site, so make sure that you have full permission before taking any.

5. Bandanas are not to be worn. They’re how Navajo youth identify gangs.

6. Anything with a lizard or other reptiles on it should not be brought, as it offends the Navajo creation story.

7. Clothes should be appropriate and respectful, meaning no tank tops, short shorts, or two-piece bathing suits.

I hope this helps everyone while they’re packing, and gives you a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of Native American culture.

- (a still fever-stricken) Laila Drury

Sunday, May 5, 2013




We're Spud Buddies!!!
      Today at the weekly meeting we were given a tuber-tastic visit from the one, the only, creator of Mr. Potato Head: Bonnie Zacherle. Other accomplishments of hers include the creation of My Little Pony as well as lesser known (but just as cute) Zerfuls. Equipped with all of our spud and pony gear, we graciously received signatures from this astonishing woman. Now excuse me as I go to McDonalds, for I am craving some fries.
Talk to you tater,
Claire Meyer, YMO core member and soon to be missioner

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Saturday Navajo Nation News!

H E L L O   I L L I N O I S  !     It is 55 degrees in Chicago-land right now and, hold onto your hat, only 32 degrees in Crownpoint, New Mexico!  Only 35 days until the wheels are rolling to Navajo Nation! 





And, topping the news in Navajo Nation, Kansas Begaye was crowned Miss Indian World 2013-2014.  Begaye is Tl'aashchi'i (The Red Bottom People Clan) born for Hooghanlani (Many Hogans Clan). Her maternal grandparents are Hask'aa hadzohi(Yucca Fruit Strung Out in a Line Clan), her paternal grandparents are Tachii'nii (Red Running into the Water People Clan).
 
Shouldn't the YMO group have a Clan name?  Suggestions? 

Friday, May 3, 2013

Preparation for Navajo Nation Mission Trip

 
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The Navajo Nation Mission Trip is not just an adventure, not just an experience, not a trip to simply go on.  Responsibility for the trip has been squarely placed on the shoulders of the YMO.  They have raised their funding, they have built awareness, they have attended leadership training, and they have met practically every Sunday evening since last fall.  For, one cannot just decide they want to go.  They must be prepared. 

Now they are busy collecting their pledges and packing for the trip.  Sleeping bags and air mattresses are being aired out, hammers and work gloves packed, boots (yes, there are rattlesnake!) dusted off. 

Once in Crownpoint, New Mexico, the group will work with many families to provide much needed repairs on roofs, framing, sheetrock, floors, and ramps for the elderly.  Some of these homes have been vacant for some time because of the lack of materials and labor, forcing the residents to move out and live with relatives, neighbors, and friends. 
  
The video above shows one of the events the YMO of Grace participated in to prepare for Navajo Nation Mission in June.  This video is from Verdun in Virginia where the group spent a weekend  participating in many leadership and self assessment activities. 

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Ah-hah-lah'nih!

Ah-hah-lah'nih! 


That is an affectionate greeting to all of you in Navajo!

The Navajo language is really quite fascinating.   

During World War II, the military was in search of a code that could withstand all attempts to decipher it.   Due to its complexity, the Navajo language was unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure.  Thus, a small band of young Navajo men were recruited to transmit secret communications on the battlefield.  Some called them Code Talkers, some called them Windtalkers.   They took part in every assault the US Marines conducted in the Pacific Theatre from 1942  to 1945, saving countless lives.  Their code was never broken.   
 And, in only 37 days the YMO group departs on the bus at 0400 bound for this land of the Navajo.  The word Navajo actually signifies, “Great planted fields”.  Our YMO will be working in these fertile fields indeed, planting God’s seeds of love and growing their own spirits and hearts.  Their voices will be heard on the wind for generations to come, both generations of the Navajo and generations of our YMO participants. 
 And, fun fact, on Friday, May 3rd, there is a casting call for Navajo’s to tryout for a Navajo-dubbed version of Star Wars!  Wonder how you say, “May the Force be with you” in Navajo? 
 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

YMO was rockin' the church this past weekend!

 
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This past weekend, the YMO group started their engines, er, rocking chairs at 730am on Saturday and didn't stop until the finish line at 730am Sunday.  Why this craziness, you ask?  They were rocking to raise money for their upcoming Mission trip to Navajo Nation in June.  The group raised $20,000 and only has $10,000 more to go.  Hat’s off to all of them.  During this time, while they did rock, they also worked around the church dusting pews and getting ready for Sunday and they did various different self-exploratory exercises.  On Sunday morning, they attended the 730am service and then, weary-eyed, they headed home and caught up on a bit of well deserved sleep.  This Mission Trip will be a life changing event for our young adults of Grace Episcopal.