We certainly are a traveling congregation!
Father Jim as begun blogging about the General Convention in Anaheim!
And, if you haven't already done so, join the St. Anne's Episcopal Church - Reston group on Facebook!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Dom Rep 2009 Team Is Home!
Today, for the first time in more than a week, I will be making my own coffee and not drinking it with the 10 other members of my team! But, I will use the coffee I bought in the Dominican Republic and I will savor the memories of a wonderful mission trip as I go about a beautiful summer day here in Reston.
Spending the last couple days of our trip on the beach gives us time to unpack the experiences we have had while living in Santiago and being part of the community at Cristo Salvador in Llaguita del Pastor. We are able to laugh at how each of us had difficulty sharing our paint brushes with the kids who wanted to help us. We marvel at how quickly the 150+ kids at VBS became individuals to us, even if we couldn't remember all 
their names. We point fingers at each other for emphasis in conversation, just like Father Hipólito. We teach Gabriel to swim, play shark with Rosana, applaud Lilian Maria's karaoke performance and float in the pool with Poly and Lilian. We are grateful for the opportunity to rest as a group, knowing we will miss each other when we get back home.Father Jim as long told us that all our mission trips are more about the relationship than the job. I hope that from the stories you've read over the last eleven days, you have felt the strength of the bond between Cristo Salvador and St. Anne's.
We couldn't make this trip without the support of the entire St. Anne's congregation. The 2009 Dominican Republic team will be sharing some stories during Rev. Denise's sermon on July 19. Come on by!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Transitions
Saturday was a grand day! We split into two groups... las chicas went for pedicures and the guys trooped up to the Monument. We picked up flowers and then headed up to Padre Hipolito's house to celebrate Independence Day in true Dominican form. We ate well, sang some songs and enjoyed cake and ice cream in honor of our country's birth and Yonny's 15th birthday! (Pictures were added on Monday.) The day ended with our meeting and a surprise gift - a burst of fireworks! 
Today is Sunday and the Dominican Republic mission team is in the midst of transitioning from Santiago and our Cristo Salvador/Hotel Colonial families to being tourists on the north coast.
For me, Martha, this is one of the most difficult parts of the trip. I spend post-goody-bag time dreading the good byes. Church this morning will be great.
We are more comfortable, we know what we're doing, we will be hugged on our way in, and we will be embraced on our way out.I have tissues at the ready, I know I'll need them.
But, think of us floating in the pool this afternoon! We'll be trying to catalog of all we've done this week so that we can remember it forever. Now, that's a big job!
More soon,
Martha
Saturday, July 4, 2009
We go where we are called….(an intermission from the DR trip)
St. Anne’s short-term missions build on its commitment to serving God in the community and the world. Our church family is providing spiritual and financial support for more than 70 people to participate in missions in 2009. With some trips, we see the results of our handiwork right away (a finished renovation or repaired wall) but usually the work continues after we’re gone. Sometimes it’s not clear what we’re accomplishing. So, we remember that each of us has been called, specifically, by God to participate in the mission. We may not know why but He does – and that’s enough!
I thought it would be useful to provide some background and a summary of St. Anne’s 2009 mission trips so that you can see where God called us to be this year.
Dominican Republic
When Father Jim became rector at St. Anne’s in September, 1999, he came with the dream of taking a team of St. Anne’s parishioners to the Dominican Republic. That dream was realized in the summer of 2000 and has continued as an annual trip. Including the Mission Team of 2009, more than 65 people (youth and adults) have participated in this trip, many of them have gone more than once.
The teams have built fences, hauled and laid concrete block, painted many walls, mixed concrete by hand, pulled nails from forming wood, sewn mattress covers for camp, shoveled piles of sand and gravel, taught Vacation Bible School lessons to 150 children at a time, learned Spanish songs, taped up hundreds of coloring pages, and strung thousands of beads. They have helped build a church, rebuilt a house, constructed a bathroom and built a roof.
Most importantly, the teams have also given and received “la paz de Cristo,” the peace of Christ, in four Dominican Episcopal Churches. The opportunity to serve our sisters and brothers in Christ is certainly a grace-filled experience. Far more grace-filled is the feeling of receiving more than was given. The relationship forged between St. Anne’s and the people of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic is a gift from God.
From June 28 to July 7, 11 adults and teens are working with the church in Santiago to refurbish the church and conduct VBS.
New Orleans
In 2006, St. Anne’s sent a men’s ministry team to work on the cleanup process in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They spent a week “mucking out” mud, pulling down ceilings and doing other demolition work. We decided to follow this up in 2008 and 2009 with a construction team made up of skilled craftsmen and less skilled workers. We worked on homes to complete “finish work” including trimming out doors and windows, painting, and removing and installing floors. We developed a great relationship with the local homeowners and the teams permanently working for the Diocese of Louisiana and have even provided a permanent member of the diocesan recovery team! More than anything else we do, the people we help treasure the knowledge that someone else cares and that they are remembered.
In February 2009 (right AFTER Mardi Gras!), 10 adults worked on finishing two homes.
Philadelphia
The Philadelphia mission trip takes St. Anne's teens and adults to work and play with inner-city kids as part of a summer program. This is a continuation of our Atlanta trip, started in 2004. Our teens learn to think about what they have to offer others in terms of their time and talents while the children in the summer program benefit from energetic and enthusiastic teenagers who provide them with new activities and new perspectives for the week. We have been told that the children we play with will remember us for the rest of our lives - that someone cared enough to spend time making crafts and playing sports just with them.
In June 2009, 10 adults and teens work with preschool and elementary age children to get their summer started. We taught them some new games and crafts and helped them make Independence Day cards for veterans at the local VA Hospital (because everyone can help someone else).
Dungannon
For more than 15 years, St. Anne’s teens have gone with teens of other Region V churches to Dungannon, VA, in the southwest corner of the state. There, we build or repair homes for elderly, handicapped, or other needy people in surrounding Scott County. The poverty in the Appalachian region remains great, with continuing loss of jobs. In addition to making and keeping friends in Dungannon, we learn to live under one roof with a large group (typically more than 50). With both new and returning teens, as well as college-age adults, and chaperones, we have multiple levels of jobs for team members. Older teens show younger teens “the ropes”, assistant chaperones (college-age) take charge of different tasks on a site – teaching and guiding the teens working with them, and adults fill in where needed. The people we help with are rich with their own stories, music, and families and they share them freely with us. We know that many of the repairs we make are temporary, but they keep our new friends in their homes through another winter. We trust that God will provide what they need when they need it and we are glad to be His instruments.
In August 2009, we expect to send 20 adults and teens along with 30 others from St. Timothy, Herndon, St. Thomas, McLean, and St. Francis, Great Falls.
Mission Possible
In 2008, St. Anne’s started Mission Possible to provide day mission opportunities for middle school-aged youth. Mission Possible is a week-long experience in July in the local area. Starting with some team-building activities, the adults and youth then serve in a variety of ways – helping with food pantries, making and distributing food, working with elderly, and helping other local ministries that need engaged hearts and hands.
In July 2009, more than 20 youth are expected to participate in the second Mission Possible camp.
St. Anne’s short-term missions build on its commitment to serving God in the community and the world. Our church family is providing spiritual and financial support for more than 70 people to participate in missions in 2009. With some trips, we see the results of our handiwork right away (a finished renovation or repaired wall) but usually the work continues after we’re gone. Sometimes it’s not clear what we’re accomplishing. So, we remember that each of us has been called, specifically, by God to participate in the mission. We may not know why but He does – and that’s enough!
I thought it would be useful to provide some background and a summary of St. Anne’s 2009 mission trips so that you can see where God called us to be this year.
Dominican Republic
When Father Jim became rector at St. Anne’s in September, 1999, he came with the dream of taking a team of St. Anne’s parishioners to the Dominican Republic. That dream was realized in the summer of 2000 and has continued as an annual trip. Including the Mission Team of 2009, more than 65 people (youth and adults) have participated in this trip, many of them have gone more than once.
The teams have built fences, hauled and laid concrete block, painted many walls, mixed concrete by hand, pulled nails from forming wood, sewn mattress covers for camp, shoveled piles of sand and gravel, taught Vacation Bible School lessons to 150 children at a time, learned Spanish songs, taped up hundreds of coloring pages, and strung thousands of beads. They have helped build a church, rebuilt a house, constructed a bathroom and built a roof.
Most importantly, the teams have also given and received “la paz de Cristo,” the peace of Christ, in four Dominican Episcopal Churches. The opportunity to serve our sisters and brothers in Christ is certainly a grace-filled experience. Far more grace-filled is the feeling of receiving more than was given. The relationship forged between St. Anne’s and the people of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic is a gift from God.
From June 28 to July 7, 11 adults and teens are working with the church in Santiago to refurbish the church and conduct VBS.
New Orleans
In 2006, St. Anne’s sent a men’s ministry team to work on the cleanup process in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. They spent a week “mucking out” mud, pulling down ceilings and doing other demolition work. We decided to follow this up in 2008 and 2009 with a construction team made up of skilled craftsmen and less skilled workers. We worked on homes to complete “finish work” including trimming out doors and windows, painting, and removing and installing floors. We developed a great relationship with the local homeowners and the teams permanently working for the Diocese of Louisiana and have even provided a permanent member of the diocesan recovery team! More than anything else we do, the people we help treasure the knowledge that someone else cares and that they are remembered.
In February 2009 (right AFTER Mardi Gras!), 10 adults worked on finishing two homes.
Philadelphia
The Philadelphia mission trip takes St. Anne's teens and adults to work and play with inner-city kids as part of a summer program. This is a continuation of our Atlanta trip, started in 2004. Our teens learn to think about what they have to offer others in terms of their time and talents while the children in the summer program benefit from energetic and enthusiastic teenagers who provide them with new activities and new perspectives for the week. We have been told that the children we play with will remember us for the rest of our lives - that someone cared enough to spend time making crafts and playing sports just with them.In June 2009, 10 adults and teens work with preschool and elementary age children to get their summer started. We taught them some new games and crafts and helped them make Independence Day cards for veterans at the local VA Hospital (because everyone can help someone else).
Dungannon
For more than 15 years, St. Anne’s teens have gone with teens of other Region V churches to Dungannon, VA, in the southwest corner of the state. There, we build or repair homes for elderly, handicapped, or other needy people in surrounding Scott County. The poverty in the Appalachian region remains great, with continuing loss of jobs. In addition to making and keeping friends in Dungannon, we learn to live under one roof with a large group (typically more than 50). With both new and returning teens, as well as college-age adults, and chaperones, we have multiple levels of jobs for team members. Older teens show younger teens “the ropes”, assistant chaperones (college-age) take charge of different tasks on a site – teaching and guiding the teens working with them, and adults fill in where needed. The people we help with are rich with their own stories, music, and families and they share them freely with us. We know that many of the repairs we make are temporary, but they keep our new friends in their homes through another winter. We trust that God will provide what they need when they need it and we are glad to be His instruments.
In August 2009, we expect to send 20 adults and teens along with 30 others from St. Timothy, Herndon, St. Thomas, McLean, and St. Francis, Great Falls.
Mission Possible
In 2008, St. Anne’s started Mission Possible to provide day mission opportunities for middle school-aged youth. Mission Possible is a week-long experience in July in the local area. Starting with some team-building activities, the adults and youth then serve in a variety of ways – helping with food pantries, making and distributing food, working with elderly, and helping other local ministries that need engaged hearts and hands.
In July 2009, more than 20 youth are expected to participate in the second Mission Possible camp.
Thank you to St. Anne's for supporting all of these missions - it is you that send us out and make it possible to be God's hands and feet.
- Susan F.
- Susan F.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Friday - Bag Day!
Hey gang,When we last met we were about to begin decorating the goodie bags to be delivered to the children today, our last day of VBS. The group stuck a sticker on each of the 250+ brown bags and called it a night.
This morning we stuffed the bags with a variety of “goodies” including pencils, band-aids, candy, bubbles, stickers, small toys, and a kazoo. Many of these items were donated by St. Anne's members!
We had a little extra time before lunch so we traveled to the house the 2008 mission team helped build. It was a new experience for many of us. We were faced with a new level of poverty that shook the conscience.
The resident was extremely hospitable. He not only welcomed us into his home
with a smile, he also brought out chairs for us to sit in. After talking with him for a while and finding six puppies to take pictures with, we hiked back up the hill to our church for another amazing lunch of beans, rice, chicken, and mango prepared by the best cooks on the island. The lunch was especially important today because today was Bag Day and we needed all the energy they had to offer.At VBS, after singing a few of our favorite songs, we organized into the “baddest” bunch of
security guards that church has ever seen in order to shuttle the kids out while handing them their goodie bags. After they were all out, we sat in the pews and gave each other high fives. We pulled it off-what an amazing week!We rode back to our hotel and treated ourselves to more Helados Bon—the best ice cream around. After making a run to the Market for some “tourist” things, we all enjoyed hot showers and using the Internet café a few doors down. Dinner was again FANTASTIC - steak, chicken, rice, pasta, tons of vegetables and, of course, passion fruit juice. The day ended with worship time and our “highs and lows” of the day. We are all excited for tomorrow-we are going to a 15th birthday party where we THINK we’re going to learn to Meringue and if we do, we’re SURE we’re going to make fools out of ourselves. :)
Until next time…
Matt
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Thursday... According to Anne and Sarah
This morning we went on a neat tour of Santiago. Our first stop was the cathedral. We didn’t get to go inside because it was under renovation. A friendly man offered to give us his tour of the city. We went to a really cool museum with modern photography, and another photography museum with a water theme.Our next stop was a folk art museum that focused on Dominican carnival masks. These wild masks were huge and showy and made of everything from buttons to cigarettes to glitter and jewels. Most found them very interesting, especially since the owner of the museum led us on a personal tour of the museum (which was actually an old house in the middle of the city). Our trek back through the streets of Santiago to the gua-gua (van) seemed to be especially hot, but we were all excited to take in the sights and sounds of the city. We returned to the cathedral to find a group of boys playing baseball on the steps. The photo-op was priceless.
Next we arrived at a Spanish Fort where Sara, Matt, Skylar, Sarah, and I took several pictures with the tanks and one of the guards on the site. We were about to get back in the gua-gua when we spotted see-saws and all took a turn before we ran back to the gua-gua and made our way to the Centro Leon.
When we arrived at the Centro Leon, we were all overjoyed to be welcomed by a blast of air conditioning. We were super sweaty and although the outdoor tour had been fun, the indoor museum was a nice change. We wandered through an exhibit about the Dominican Republic and as we looked at typical wildlife, historical artifacts, and read information about cultural traditions, we were all impressed by the how modern and thorough the museum was.
The real point of our Centro Leon stop was to see the process of making handmade cigars. We were hit with a wave of tobacco as we entered the room with several men at stations supplied with tools and lots of tobacco leaves. It was SO cool to watch them work like machines rolling the leaves together and setting them in molds to make their shape. The man who explained the process was really enthusiastic and let us smell different leaves to see the difference in their strength. This was definitely a high-point of the day-it was just so interesting! Of course… there was a gift shop in the next room, and we made some purchases. We were running late though, so we rushed back to the gua-gua and made our way back to the hotel.The new gua-gua- came to get us from the hotel and we piled in (in our usual crammed fashion) and drove up to the church. A delicious lunch (as usual) was waiting for us when we arrived. It
was fantastic (of course). As the post-lunch food coma set in, we were lucky enough to watch Jordan, an amazingly talented 16 year old, as he completed a pencil drawing of Jesus. We admired the finished work, even taking some pictures of it, but soon we had to shift our attention to getting pumped for VBS.We walked in the door to the church, and were immediately were greeted by the smiles of the children waiting for VBS to begin. We did the Good Samaritan story and acted it out for the kids.
We also did a couple coloring pages and some phenomenal songs.After VBS the chicas made the most successful shopping excursion yet! The boys stayed at the hotel while we hit a clothing store, La Sirena, and the market. Everyone walked home happy with their finds-MUY EXCELLENTE!
Dinner was fantastic, and the showers after were even better. We successfully sang a 3-part harmony-which is incredibly notable-props to Denise for patience with our lack of singing capabilities.
Is tomorrow really Friday? False.
Mid-Trip Bonus Blog Entry!
The 2009 Dominican Republic Mission Team is half-way through this year’s mission trip.
Here are a few observations of the trip so far:
We were blessed with a smooth journey.
Our accommodations are comfortable.
Meals have been outstanding.Father Hipólito looks great and seems in very good spirits.
The road to Cristo Salvador has been re-surfaced! (Miracle???) But, don't worry, the van ride is still pretty crowded!
Dominican friends welcomed us warmly and send greetings to the people of St. Anne’s, especially those who have been to Santiago in years past – and most especially to Padre Jim!
The weather has been warm but not horrible, no rain at all.
Did I mention that the food has been wonderful?
Little kids look so cute in Moses and Pharaoh headbands and bandannas!
It’s been fun to have guitar players in our group and sing during our evening meetings.
VBS has been mentioned as both high points and low points of the day in our evening meetings. We learn so much every year about how to manage the flow of that short, intense time with the kids. (Father Hipólito makes a great Jonah... no pictures of that, though!)
Lazaro is a terrific host!
Helados Bon makes delicious ice cream.We got to meet Lazaro's son! Here he is with his grandfather Victor.
St. Anne’s has given this team great support!Thanks!
We'll have more pictures available soon!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
From Phillip's Point of View
Hi! Phillip Vollman here!
Today’s theme was “Jonah and (or in) the Whale/ GRAN Pez”. We were originally going to do loaves and fishes but…that’s not much of an action story…
Morning was great! We had for breakfast…whatever we had—and we had it with PASSION FRUIT JUICE [!] (it’s kinda a big deal)
We loaded into the van and went on our way to Iglesia Cristo Salvador. On our way we saw schoolchildren—it looks like schools ends quite early in Santiago. We arrived and split into two groups—one that would clean and paint the sacristy, and one that would finish the upper room (this last one had only 3 members.) The sacristy was painted the same color as the upper room—a fab light blue. There were always two or three too many people in the room—Ann and Fiona had nice naps and I had some more iPod Touch time while we stayed out of the way. ☺
After we had finished, we cooled off and prepared for another amazing/chaotic 90 minutos of… VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL—(Dominican Version). The kids were much more well behaved today… we also used a method of handing out crayons that made it harder for people to hog them. They had so much energy—it was amazing to watch them. My favorite part was when Father Hipólito played “Jonah” and played a little trick on Martha by quickly getting to the opposing door of the building that he had departed from… (It was just nice to see how Martha lit up—he is in his eighties, after all).
After VBS we returned to the hotel, rested for a while, and went to market. We went to a superstore called La Sirena, and there I really discovered that the technological items in the Republic did NOT match those in the States by far… We then went to a market and bought items for us and our families…
We had dinner. We did compline… and attempted four-part harmony but settled on two part for now…
That’s pretty much all that happened today—as far as I know*
*(That might not be a lot)
Today’s theme was “Jonah and (or in) the Whale/ GRAN Pez”. We were originally going to do loaves and fishes but…that’s not much of an action story…
Morning was great! We had for breakfast…whatever we had—and we had it with PASSION FRUIT JUICE [!] (it’s kinda a big deal)
We loaded into the van and went on our way to Iglesia Cristo Salvador. On our way we saw schoolchildren—it looks like schools ends quite early in Santiago. We arrived and split into two groups—one that would clean and paint the sacristy, and one that would finish the upper room (this last one had only 3 members.) The sacristy was painted the same color as the upper room—a fab light blue. There were always two or three too many people in the room—Ann and Fiona had nice naps and I had some more iPod Touch time while we stayed out of the way. ☺After we had finished, we cooled off and prepared for another amazing/chaotic 90 minutos of… VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL—(Dominican Version). The kids were much more well behaved today… we also used a method of handing out crayons that made it harder for people to hog them. They had so much energy—it was amazing to watch them. My favorite part was when Father Hipólito played “Jonah” and played a little trick on Martha by quickly getting to the opposing door of the building that he had departed from… (It was just nice to see how Martha lit up—he is in his eighties, after all).
After VBS we returned to the hotel, rested for a while, and went to market. We went to a superstore called La Sirena, and there I really discovered that the technological items in the Republic did NOT match those in the States by far… We then went to a market and bought items for us and our families…
We had dinner. We did compline… and attempted four-part harmony but settled on two part for now…
That’s pretty much all that happened today—as far as I know*
*(That might not be a lot)
Day 4 - Santiago
We had a great day today! One of the highlights of the day was painting the upstairs room of the church a “cool blue.” Other highlights were when Sara French braided Sarah’s, Anne’s and Ann’s
hair and Skylar shared his guitar with a couple of kids.After a delicious lunch, we started the second day of Vacation Bible School. The theme of the day was “Daniel and the Lion’s Den.” The kids loved the lion mask craft and the room was filled with excitement and music.
We spent the late afternoon getting some much-needed R and R after a very intensive, but rewarding Vacation Bible School. The evening activities included a trip to “Bon,” the local ice cream shop, where we tasted flavors like Cake, Corn, and the classic Vanilla. During our evening meeting we enjoyed “Jewish-style dancing,” while Denise played “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Although the most exciting part of the evening seemed to be when we wore the googley eyes, for Wednesday’s craft on our own eyes, and proceeded to take funny picture shown below.
-Ann
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