Summer '06 in Retrospect

My apologies...it's been a long time (again) since I posted last. To those of you who rely on this blog to keep track of my life I offer this advice: email me! The following are some thoughts on recent events in my life and the world. Enjoy, and don't forget to post comments or email me.

The summer of 2006 was the best one I've lived through yet. And praise God I lived through it! The months of May, June and July were filled to overflowing with both joyful and stressful events. May saw the kids released from the prisons of academia, and ready to spend their days and nights in fellowship with our G-d's people. Praise Him! The teenagers I work with here at Cokesbury UMC in Pensacola brought me so much joy as we traveled this beautiful coastline, giving all we had to help our neighbors begin the long road to recovery from last year's hurricanes. I was blessed to accompany our high schoolers on two flabbergasting trips to Chalmette, Louisiana, in June. Words cannot describe the awe I feel when I think back on the experiences of that first trip and the love, power and sacrifice shown by the 22 young people and adults who made up that team. So great was the work the Spirit began in their hearts they insisted we return to the torturous work two weeks later! Return we did, only to receive another overwhelming shower of G-d's unbelievable goodness. We will never forget the love and commitment of Dr. Hugh Craft of Covenant UMC nor that of Charity Taylor and Dave Monts of the Clemson University Wesley Foundation. Two guys from our group--one adult and one teenager--felt the call to return to Chalmette for extended stays and work. They are now home with us in Pensacola, and both their stories and transformations are remarkable.
One of our team members stands in the midst of what used to be a home...approximately 20 yards from a breach in the levee that keeps the water of the 40 Arpent Canal out of people's homes.

July brought stifling heat and more youth activities. Three adults and I led a work trip to Gulfport, Mississippi, just after Independence Day. Working with the UMCOR office at Gateway UMC, ten middle schoolers did all they could to aid the recovery effort along the coastline of Gulfport and Long Beach. The work in that area is much further along than that in the Chalmette area, just 75 miles to the west. This gap in progress in due in part to the fact that many of the homes along the Mississippi coast were completely demolished. In contrast, almost all the homes and businesses in Chalmette were left with all walls standing...but nothing salvageable in the interior. This shows the difference between the effects of coastal storm surge and flooding from barrier breaches. Anyway, our younger teens on the Mississippi team found there was very little manual labor they could do because Gulfport and Long Beach are already rebuilding. Regardless, they found ways they could be helpful and enjoyed distributing ice cold beverages to those adults who were busy with construction. This work brought so many blessings and enlightening moments to both teen and adult alike.

Just a side note: Had I known the actual requirements of the demolition work to be done in Chalmette, I probably would never have taken teenagers there. However, the other adults and I who experienced it along with the teens were astounded by what the young people are capable of and the passion with which they labored. Many begged to give up their free time on both trips in order to stay and work longer on homes to which they had grown attached. Hopeful does not capture the deep conviction I now have that this generation will impact our world in unbelievably positive ways.

July also brought the joy of experiencing New York City for the first time with my "baby" sister.
We both found it to be a most enjoyable and pleasant place. I cannot really describe the feeling that wells up within me as I recall our subway rides, journeys into different boroughs and explorations of various museums and galleries. It was our mission to experience the city as "locals," and we certainly left feeling as though we were leaving home. I speak for both of us when I say it was one of the most thrilling weeks of our lives so far. We cannot wait to return!

My favorite part of New York is the subway, and I must digress to describe the rush it gave me. Although some people notice only the filth, congestion and confusion of the underground network, my memory of her is quite sentimental. There is just something about the hot wind that greets the traveler upon her descent into the tunnel...something about the endless rumbling and squealing of the giant trains as they thunder along...something about the miscellaneous collection of wanderers one finds herself among as she waits...something about the music that wafts from station to station in the stagnant air...and something about the urgency of the masses as they crowd and squeeze on and off the cars. There is something about the Metro that leaves me longing to return and travel with her again!

The 72nd Street Station platform, waiting for the A train.

Needless to say (but I will), my sister and I had many first experiences and the impressions the city and the trip left on our hearts and minds will definitely be with us forever. My sister, by the way, is an EXCELLENT traveling companion!

The summer also had its routine duties and events. There were weekly trips to the beach with the youth and, in turn, the weekly anxiety of finding drivers and chaperones to facilitate the trips. The eighth grade boys attempted unsuccessfully to convince out-of-town girls they were much older, while our girls ignored or taunted them. Tuesdays with MC were highlights of many weeks. Just hanging out with the groups who attended was such a gift. We learned that the girls in our group are content to sit for hours asking "have you ever...?" while the boys found the same experience intolerable and absurd! Go figure! We built a boat out of two of the world's most comfortable couches and marveled as boys ran with eyes closed under the legs of girls as they swung like wrecking balls on the playground's swings. Our adult leader group grew both in numbers and in inspiration, and we begin the fall with a group that is 400% larger than it was last spring. Praise G-d!

Speaking of praises, this summer I was blessed with new friendships with both adults and teenagers. Watching as previously unknown hearts opened before me has been overwhelming to say the least. I have tried to tiptoe cautiously into these new fields of wonder, and have been amazed to find kindred spirits in unlikely vessels. I praise G-d, too, for the revival of relationships I had neglected. And, as always, I thank Him for the continued growth and evolution of old loves of family members. These networks, like my beloved Metro, link us to wonderful places in the past and will carry us to invigorating places in the future.

I find myself now in August, bewildered and wondering where this year has gone. The kids here went back to school yesterday, and I have not yet begun to utilize some awesome Christmas gifts! 2006 has been, I believe, the best (and fullest) year of my life so far. I only hope those around feel as blessed as I do as they look back on our interactions this year.

I will try to write more as the fall progresses. Be patient with me as you always are. Blessings and peace to you all.
-MC