Mexico Mission Trip Report
July 30, 2009
What a great time we had! Really! It was hot, dusty, long and tiring (for us old adults that went at least, lol), but I know that the 5 students that went–Andrew, Elizabeth, Philip, Zach and Timmy–it was an unforgettable experience.
When it was all said and done, we had traveled a total of 2,300 miles and 36+ hours to get down to Palm Valley Church in Mission, TX. Palm Valley is church that has been in the Mission area since the 1950′s, and for the past 16 they have been making regular trips 7 miles across the U.S.-Mexico border to help local churches connect with the families in the small communities of Reynosa, MX.
Each day, the 8 of us Shoal Creekers loaded onto two old school buses with 50 other students, plus another 15 staff, and we were deployed with an arsenal of completely un-understandable Spanish children’s songs, and dorky coresponding dance moves. All for God’s glory, right? You can watch the video below to get an idea of just what we did, and how easily those latin beats can get stuck in your head. I can still easily recall “Para los ninos!” (For the kids!)
Our 5 students were divided into either the songs, skits, dramas, or VBS team, and we would spend pretty much the whole day in 100+ heat, in the streets, playing soccer and jump rope with the little ones, and then would perform the hour program that our students had learned in the mornings back at Palm Valley. We cross the border, pick a part of town, unload the bus, and blare music down the streets to draw attention to ourselves (as if seeing 60 Americans in the same maroon colored shirts pile out of two yellow school buses wasn’t enough). After performing one program in one part of the “colonia” we would get back on the buses and drive to a part of town we hadn’t been to yet, and repeat.
The coolest part was seeing our students completely sell out to their part of the program, their part of the mission. Each of them was an owner and each played a role in helping those children, those families, connect with God’s love through songs, dance, and crafts each night at the VBS we put on in a gravel parking lot. Each night families would come to the location of the new church and hang out for two hours while our kids did their silly, fun, and meaningful work. The pastor of that Mexican church was able to meet the families, pray for them, and let them know that there was a church close by to be there for them.
Each night and on the van ride back to Kansas City, we all got to share the things that were most meaningful to us. More on that to come.
“The Changing Face of Adolescence”
July 30, 2009
I’m begining a new book in my continuing journey of understanding adolescents, and the book I’m beginning is entitled: Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, authored by Chap Clark of Fuller Theological Seminary. So this post, and all following posts related to his book, will be just the point blank stuff that I read and how I think it applies to us that want to care and love and nurture our students into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
In chapter one, Clark begins by establishing the premise that the world, the sociology, and the psychology of today’s teenagers is different than ever before. He tries to go against those that say, “Yeah, we live in different times which brings with it a different set of problems, but overall, teenagers are basically the same as they’ve always been–that being a troubled existence between childhood and adulthood.” Clark says that if we believe that, we won’t adequately meet the needs of teenagers today. That if we realize that what’s happening to adolescents today is unique in the course of history, we’ll further to abandon them.
His main point is that children are entering into the adolescent phase at earlier ages than previous generations (supported by physiological evidence reported by the CDC), which means their bodies are changing early, which has effects on their understanding and perception of the world. Basically, their minds are less mature than their bodies, which gets them into awkward, and sometimes potentially dangerous situations. Add to that the information technology revolution that’s happened in the past 15 years, and today’s teens have access to more information (again, for good or bad) then any other previous generation. They are growing up quicker but are less ready to handle the freedom that comes with growing up.
Another fundamental difference in the way teenagers understand the world is the way they understand how families are supposed to operate. The definition of the word family has changed. In 1940, the divorce rate in the U.S. was 2%. In 2002, that number for first time marriages was 43%. Here’s how Clark describes the effect of that statistic:
“For the adolescent who is trying to hold onto something, at times anything, that is stable and safe, societal choices concerning divorce, adult sexuality, and the experimentation of living together even while children are in the home have had a strong effect…I found that this effect has been powerfully destructive. Allowing for the definition of family to be reshaped to line up with almost any casual encounter between two or more people is to deny thousands of years of societal history. The adolescent is left to discern how to handle the multi-conflicting messages related to home, stable relationships, and internal security–all while trying to figure out how to survive lengthened adolescence. This only adds to the aloneness most feel.”
They are learning that to survive in this world, you have to do what works for you, but they lack the life experience and maturity to make healthy life choices. Because many adults are more concerned with securing their own personal comfort, adolescents are left to make sense of the world on their own, without the involvement of a meaningful parent or adult.
The Buzz – Elevate Info
July 29, 2009
Several things you families need to know about:
1. Sunday August 16th- Directly after second service in the Underground student area, Justin Talley would like to invite all the 10th-12th grade families for a brief luncheon. Shoal Creek will pay for pizza, in return, our Crash leaders would just like to say “Hi!” and meet you 10th-12th grade students and your families! We’d also like to give you a calendar of the events we’re planning explain exactly what the high school students around Shoal Creek do.
2. Saturday August 22nd – Day at the Lake: Do any of you students like skiing, tubing, or wakeboarding? Or maybe just jumping off docks and dunking each other? Then make sure you sign up with Justin Talley to go with Buya (6th-9th) and Crash (10th-12th) to Lake Seba.
Buya students can come out to Lake Seba from 11:30am-4:30pm.
Crash students can come out to Lake Seba at 5:00 and spend the night camping. Cost is $5/student. Crash students must supply their own sleeping bags (and tents if you got ‘em). Please send an RSVP to justin.talley@shoalcreek.org.
3. This Monday Night’s Crash – Meet at Shoal Creek at 6:30pm in the back by the Underground. We didn’t end up seeing Ice Age 3 last week, so we’re going to shoot for it again. Should be done about 9:30pm.
Monday Night Crash – Going to the Movies!
July 23, 2009
When: Mon, July 27, 6:30pm – 10:00ish pm
Where: Meet at 1513 Canterbury Lane, Liberty, MO 64068 (The Backs Family Home)
Who: 10th – 12th grade students
Cost: whatever a movie costs plus however much food and drink you want to get. You can probably get by on $15, or less than $10 if you just want to see the movie.
This Monday: Ice Age 3 - meet at the Backs home (address above) at 6:30, we’ll go grab a bite to eat before seeing the show. Start time for the movie is 7:50, so we should end up back at that Backs right at 10pm.
We’re starting a new phase in Crash. Monday nights will now focus on building up community and friendships by going and doing different fun activities together.
Our Goal: bring a friend and have a good time with one another! Mondays will be about having fun, and we’ll start up a new batch of small groups for the students that want to go deeper in their faith and search out who God really is. Pay attention to the Shoal Creek calendar if you want to look ahead to what events are coming up. You also can always contact Justin Talley if you have any questions by emailing him (justin.talley@shoalcreek.org) or calling him (816-792-2992 x27).
Online Gamers?
July 9, 2009
If any of your students play online games, through pc or xbox live or any other host, check out this latest article from cpyu.org concerning the pros, cons, and potential effects associated with online gaming in a student’s life…