All of a Sudden, It's Friday!

 It has been a really fast week! And a very fast-paced week, too. Friday morning was spent at The Closet, a local thrift store. The staff gave our campers an orientation and then set them to work. Barbie dolls were dressed and given hair makeovers, battery-powered toys were tested, game pieces were sorted and matched. The Closet is careful to offer high quality items for sale and our kids did the shop a real service by making sure the toys were ready for new homes.

After lunch, photos from the week were set out and the kids made collages to remember Mission Possible 2011. Ice cream sundaes celebrated a week well spent.

After a round of singing and dancing to "King of Kings," we settled down to share favorite moments and recommendations for Mission Possible 2012. If the value of a program is measured by how many participants want to return, Mission Possible 2011 hit a home run!

(We can't let this chapter of the blog close without sending congratulations to Rev. Denise as she welcomes granddaughter Peyton. Thanks to text messaging, we got the news of Peyton's safe arrival early this morning. One day, we hope she'll have a great time at Mission Possible, too!)

Check the blog on Sunday evening to follow the adventures of the Dominican Republic mission team. They'll be arriving in Santiago late on Saturday and up early Sunday to attend church with the people of Cristo Salvador. Keep them in your prayers, please.

Thursday - Theatre Day at Mission Possible!

Who's in Rabbit's House? The answer comes when a big, bad voice from inside the house roared, "I am The Long One. I eat trees and trample on elephants. Go away, or I will trample on you!"

Rabbit & Frog

Rhino offers to toss out the intruder.

The Mission Possible kids presented this Masai tale to groups of children at Common Ground and Laurel Learning Center today. The culmination of work on Mon., Tues., Wed., and today, the actors wore masks they had created and speculated how to rid Rabbit's house of whatever had moved in! The little kids were delighted when a terrified green caterpillar emerged after having been threatened by a tricky frog. The play was accompanied by audience participation sound effects. What fun for ALL of us! A beautiful lesson in the power of teamwork.

The "Long One" exits Rabbit's house.

The triumphant cast returned to St. Anne's for lunch and then headed over to Herndon for a visit to the Jeannie Schmidt Free Clinic (jsfreeclinic.org). One of the volunteer doctors talked about the importance of providing adequate medical care to all people, not just those who can afford health insurance. We left behind goodie bags stuffed with toothbrushes, toothpaste, pencils and toys for children seen at the clinic.

Visit to the Jeannie Schmidt Free Clinic

Tomorrow - the final day of Mission Possible 2011. Green shirts and time at The Closet! We can't wait! 

Weeding Wednesday

Getting weeding instructions.

"It's raining!"
"Are you sure we're still going to work outside?"
"I didn't bring extra clothes!"
"Well, we won't have to wear sun block!"

Yup, it was raining first thing this morning. But the message was that the Reston Association staff would be waiting for us - rain or shine - to pull up English ivy, an invasive species common in Reston woodlands.

 





As often happens around here, by the time we got to the weeding site, the rain had stopped. After a briefing by the Reston Association staff, we spent two hours pulling up long strands of ivy roots. We left behind two huge piles of ivy and carried home a huge sense of accomplishment... not to mention some pretty muddy pants, shirts, shoes and gloves!

The afternoon was spent untying a "human knot," finalizing our script and making props for the play we're presenting tomorrow.

 A little rest tonight and we'll be ready for Thursday!

A jackle!

St. Anne's + God = Mission POSSIBLE 2011!

Shirts and journals are ready!

Today was the first day of Mission Possible, the outreach day camp at St. Anne's. We hit the ground running for our four day program. Blue was the shirt color of the day. 

The morning began with Rev. Denise leading us in worship and scripture study. We talked about "Unity, not Uniformity." We prepared to work together, drawing on our individual gifts.

Like chocolate, go right.

Team building was next on the agenda.

Martha led some getting-to-know-you games before lunch. It was fun to find out who liked which Harry Potter movie or who would rather have a koala or a kangaroo for a pet. This is definitely a group that prefers the beach to the mountains for a summer vacation! 

Toothbrushes and toys for goodie bags.

Following lunch at the park, the group designed an assembly line to sort and pack goodie bags that will be delivered later this week to the Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic.

Our Thursday activity will be presenting a play to a couple local daycare programs. We chose the story and read through the parts before our busy first day came to a close.

Emily works on the script.

Journals

We spent some time journaling before a couple of songs, announcements and a closing prayer.

Tomorrow: green shirts and God's green creation!

Friday, Fun, Frisbees, (some juggling) and Farewell

Our last day in Philadelphia began with pancakes and packing. We said goodbye to Chamonix Manor Hostel and made our way to the shelter for our last time with the kids. Chalk drawing and some lessons for us from the kids on Spades started our day. We replayed some greatest hits from previous days (friendship bracelets, Uno, paper airplanes, and an introduction to juggling) (yes, there is an app for that). Cara and Emma practiced their juggling-catch game (see video) and the boys of the shelter took their turns as well (you have got to be kidding me). Snakes appeared as the shelter boys had some nature experiments of their own to share (I'm just realistic). As our

time to leave approached, we presented the counselors all of the donated supplies we didn't use during our visit providing them the needed activities and support for the

rest of the shelter summer camp. Saying goodbye is never easy, so we ended with a farewell and the hope to return next summer to support the residents as they seek better futures for their families.

On the road (Emma navigate).

Stories from the week echoed throughout the van and over the cell phone as we recalled the great time we had (why is there jello in my bed?). Driving in each day (oh it's just a rental) to see the expectant faces and shouts of (there she goes in circles) "play with me" were wonderful memories. Drawing with chalk was a big hit lead by Thomas (this one time in China) as was crafting (oh I'll make some bracelets). We did learn, however, that our time with the children was not about giving "stuff", but of time, experience, and connection. The stuff (oh I just ate a kickball) tended to interrupt connection and put the focus not on relationships, but competition to "own" something. Definitely not our intent.

Singing, compline, and fellowship brought this group to a greater understanding our ourselves as members of our communion and our outreach to the residents of Stenton Family Manor showed us how we live our faith external to our church walls (we're going to get this in four parts). We are all grateful for our time together and the ability to share our blessings with our world (we need more Nutella).

The members of Philadelphia Mission 2011

Low-Key Thursday

As the title states, today was a fairly low-key day. We started off the day not really knowing what to expect. The administrators at the shelter had told us that there was going to be a carnival to mark the official start of camp for the summer, but when we got there, we realized that we might have more work to do than we had thought. The carnival didn't really kick off until after lunch, so we entertained ourselves and the kids with more card games and chalk drawings.

After a successful lunch in the park, in which Cara and Thomas attempted to learn to juggle, we returned to the shelter for our last two hours. We finished up our cha

lk drawings and ended up with a lot of messy kids and a fantastic rainbow turtle. All of the kids worked together to created this masterpiece. All-in-all it was a good day with not too

many issues or fights. The kids are really lear

ning to work together and solve their problems with words instead of fists.

Video (Discussed Below in Blog Post)

A Whole Lot of Fun and Cheesesteaks

The day started off well with the St. Anne's Aviation Academy. Many junior pilots created their own aircrafts and took to the sky over Philadelphia (see our video!). With fewer crafts and more games to play, we are finally starting to see the connection with all of our wonderful campers. They are all starting to work together and are learning to cooperate with rules and behavior. With cards in hand, memory and other card games became a big hit with all of the kids, along with us too!

Little kids in Bright Space (2-5 years old) made felt t-shirts and had tons of fun playing and hanging out on the playground outside. In the afternoon they went to the playground again, except with a different plan in mind. The little kids ended up in the pool with Scott and Kami included in the water fight. While the little ones were getting wet, the older ones were drawing on the blacktop with chalk and playing more physical games like football and soccer. They also continued the infamous card games and had a blast hanging out with all of us.

The day also included some more sightseeing in downtown Philadelphia. We visited the Liberty Bell and a quick tour through Independence Hall really put us all in the mood for the 4th of July!

After the sightseeing got old, we were all getting hungry and the next stop was Pat's for the famous Philly Cheesesteaks. We all were able to order for ourselves, in the strict south Philly style ("one Provy wit," or "one wiz wit out," etc.) which we all found particularly intimidating. They were extremely filling along with the french fries and sodas. While in the area, we walked through the Italian market. Even though it was all closed down, it was still cool to see and smelled great.

All in all, it was a great day with a lot less difficulties at the shelter, and a more positive attitude from all of us and the kids. A whole lot of fun throughout the day and the city along wit

h cheesesteaks at night makes for a tired group of kids. With a good night of sleep, we will be ready for another day of fun with the kids at the shelter tomorrow!

Second Day at the Shelter in Philadelphia

Dear St. Anne's Readers:

Today, we had our second day at the Stenton Family Manor, a home currently sheltering over forty families (with the ability to shelter one hundred).

Ms. Tami Hall, a staff member of Stenton Family Manor, described the situation in which these children find themselves. Imagine losing your personal belongings and confining you and your family - often more than one child - to a small room made for the temporary accommodation of two adults. The average family stays nine to twelve months. Transitions are often sudden and occur with little notice. Food is confined to three, timed, one-serving meals.

These transitions take their toll on the energy and coping abilities of the children (and adults, too). Often, the only way children know to solve problems is what is demonstrated to them by their tired and stressed parents. This manifests itself in bullying.

Today was more difficult than Monday. Today was the day we witnessed first hand the stressful lifestyle of families in the home. Children attempted to solve small problems by hitting.

We did have lots of fun with the children, today. Activities ranged from piggy-

back rides, bowling, Twister, and arts and crafts.

Observations and Personal Reflections:

Scott:

Today, as I was walking toward Ms. Tami Hall's office, one of the residents came in. She had clearly been crying immensely. The tears looked like happy tears. Ms. Hall stopped her and asked what was the matter. The lady held up a key and, in a faint voice, muttered, "This is my house. I own a house." The speaking was followed by clapping and cheering. Ms. Hall made an announcement: "Congratulations to Ms. Jones, a proud house owner. When you see her in the halls be sure to say 'good job' and pat her on the back. That is all." When I saw this exchange in made me realize there is always a light at the end of the tunnel no matter how dark or faint that light may be.

Thomas (YPI Intern, Chaperone):

On Monday, I played basketball with a boy, Jeron. His father had been in and out of the shelter all day (he was father also to another girl in the shelter). He walked on to the basketball court. "Finally, I got the papers. You're with me for good," he exclaimed. It was a moment filled with joy for both. It was a humbling experience that the father allowed me to share.

The shelter was a better home for the children than the 'other [whatever it may have been] option.' This shelter - with more than three people to a room for two - was joy. Too, the father was proud of his children. Never in the interactions I witnessed did the father dampen his children's dreaming. Though these humans live under such difficult circumstances, I do not think it right to label them 'depraved.' They are indeed trying.

Our First Day on the Job

Today was our first day working at the Stenton Family Manor. It was a little slow in the morning, but things picked up after lunch when other kids heard about it and came. We made name tags, which were a huge success and played multiple other organized games. In the afternoon we played cards and drew with chalk. We also played basketball and kickball. Some members of our group went inside to Bright Space to play with the kids 5 and under. At three we wrapped up with the kids and headed to the grocery store to acquire dinner supplies. For dinner we had Cincinnati Chili cooked by Scott and Kami. Tomorrow we look forward to getting to know the kids better and playing with them. We expect a greater turn out of kids!

Written by Emma and Callie