Adult Leader Cuba Reflection - Ray

Throughout my week in Cuba, I wondered how this beautiful island became the country it is today. Was it the U.S. policy that hurt the people because of our long history with the Cuban regime and the allies they keep? Is it the years of embargos and strained U.S. relations where families have been split apart? Is it the Cuban government that limits and controls access to just simple things that we take for granted here in the states? No matter by design or through their form of government the Cuban people, while sometimes lacking basic needs, don’t appear to be missing a thing and have learned to survive and even thrive in their country.

Things as simple as food, clean water, basic maintenance items, construction materials and infrastructure are hard to find. Just the act of exchanging our cash for Cuban pesos became a weeklong subplot in our Cuban adventure. Three months ago there was a bread shortage in Camajuni that put a strain on the community which hit me with the reality of the situation. I did see a stark contrast between Camajuni where there was no local hotel or tourism with crumbling building facades, limited retail shops and restaurants, versus Remedios where there was a historic Catholic Church from 1550 with historically significant artwork, a vibrant town square, a few hotels, restaurants and shops versus Cayo Santa Maria which is a full beach resort with a military check-point and a long single seawall road in and out of the resort area helping to limit access.

Most of the FPC team stayed in Camajuni. Sarah and I attended a special Session meeting on Thursday night (we were not able to get out of session after all). The church has about 80 members, 40 active and they have an average attendance of 30 people in worship each week. A Korean Church from Canada helped a few weeks before our arrival with Camajuni’s Vacation Bible School and they had 50 to 105 kids in attendance a day for the week. The Church provides community clean water service, wash clothes for the elderly, serve a Friday community lunch, provide visitations with food bags to the sick, perform children events on Saturday and hold worship with food provided for the elderly before & children after service. The Camajuni and Remedios Churches want a partnership of mutual respect, friendship and understanding. They also seek partnerships to bring in money and supplies to help the local community and grow local jobs at the Church. They said they can take up to 20 partnerships (not all visiting
annually) to help scale and build the church in Camajuni. However, 16 to 20 visitors is about the biggest size team they can handle today between the two churches.

The Cuban people are lovely, kind and gentle. They greet you with a kiss on the cheek and bid farewell with a gift in hand. I found the Love of Christ alive and well in Camajuni and Remedios. I feel we were lucky just to take a little of that back to Austin. The life of a Cuban revolves around service to others and preparing the next meal. The service is either a job, putting together a bag of food for the sick, helping kids paint, make friendship bracelets or just have fun playing dominos or cards while sharing a new game and story. The day of our house visit, Leo & Susan visited a man named Evan’s family and gave them food with the Pastor of the Camajuni. Evan died that day but I was joyful the Church was able to be part of that day. At another house I met Nena who lived in the same home with her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter. She treated us like we were her own family. At another house a pair of 7 year old twins kept us entertained by holding us captured with a Star Wars Darth Vader and Storm Trooper mask.

Food is an event. There was no risk of us going hungry last week but it was a job for the local Cuban team to make it happen. Collecting fresh fruit from markets. Getting eggs from the local egg farmer from his back yard. The boiling of unpasteurized milk. The making of fresh mango, watermelon and papaya juice. The slicing of avocado bigger than a hand. Digging up sweet potato and collecting yucca from the Church garden as a starch. The fried plantains. The vinegar, onion and cilantro salsa. The ice cream, mango slices, peanut butter bar and flan like deserts. Pasta, roasted pork, grilled chicken and fried fish were all on the menu. A fine hardy breakfast of eggs, ham, goat cheese and bread was waiting for us each morning.

One cultural difference is how fast the youth of Cuba grow up versus our youth group. It was interesting to see young men and women as old as 28 still considered youth of the church. Many worked, went to university and were what we would consider as our Young Adults without Kids. It was something we had to manage as we had to respect their norms and values without breaking our own as well as the trust of the parents that expected us to keep their kids safe. In the end friendships were made as we learned to understand each other better. We are connecting on Facebook, WhatsApp and by the old fashioned mobile phone.

Time management and planning in Cuba is hard as material availability, people and locations change. We as a mission team were forced to slow down, take a breath, connect with people and overall just go with the flow. There is a lot of quiet time on the island to reflect, think, create and interact with other people. A Cuban person is never late versus they were just required somewhere else for longer.
I was humbled to see a group of ladies in their 70‘s and 80’s make it to Church on Sunday. Pilar had a lower leg tumor and Nena was recovering from a femur fracture that had her in bed for 8 months. These ladies in the U.S. would be homebound or in a nursing home. Here in Cuba, they are cared for by the entire family. It is definitely an inspiration to see the importance that worship plays in their life.

Worship was great on Sunday. Sarah gave a sermon on the “Fruit of the Vine” 100% in Spanish. I felt like it was FPC history in the making and it was great for the girls to see it in person. The team got a
chance to do a few dances for the congregation and the locals really liked the performance and a few started to join in.

You should be proud of the care, patience, ingenuity, knowledge, humor, love, faith, creativity and kindness the youth of FPC/ UPC displayed on this trip. Every parent should feel proud and grateful of the young person they raised. I feel they got a chance to see a new culture, teach others about their own way life and discovered not only that they brought the love of God with them to Cuba but that Christ was already alive, well and thriving in Cuba.

Ray Lopez, FPC Austin

Adult Leader Cuba Reflection - Rev. Dr. Sarah Allen

Our Cuban siblings in Christ in Camajuani and Remedios lived out the greatest commandment. From the moment we arrived in Cuba, we were received as one would receive Jesus coming into your home. Hugs, food prepared upon arrival, incredible Christ-like hospitality. We brought 16 people, 11 youth and 5 adults from University and First Presbyterian Churches in Austin, Texas and stayed at the Presbyterian-Reformed Churches of Camajuani and Remedios.

            Primarily, this was an opportunity for U.S. teenagers to develop friendships and relationships with Cuban youth, and that goal was achieved. We spent most days together, visiting the two cities and learning of their culture and history, traveling to the beach, visiting the elderly in their homes and providing food for them, playing with children of the community and making friendship bracelets and paintings together. We also enjoyed much “unstructured” time together where cross-cultural friendships blossomed. It was such a joy to watch youth play dominoes together, teach each other card games while translating from Spanish into English, tell each other jokes and share stories, and ask deep questions about what daily life as a Christian looks like in these two distinct cultures.

            First Presbyterian Church hopes to continue a partnership with the church in Camajuani where most of the members of our youth and adult group resided, and we will continue conversations with Pastor Marielys regarding what that partnership will look like so that it is mutually beneficial and supportive for the Cubans and the U.S. disciples. One of the greatest learnings is that more than ‘help’ or ‘materials’, our partnership is one of mutual respect, prayer, and learning from one another, and that this partnership can change as God’s vision unfolds.

            Looking back on the trip, two moments stand out above the rest. The first happened on Saturday morning. We were planning to create pottery with children of the community at a home in Camajuani where a woman teaches pottery classes. Marielys came to me before breakfast and shared that the plans for the day needed to shift because she’d learned that the woman did not have any clay to make the pottery.

During our morning devotional, I shared this need to change plans and led a devotional on the topic of flexibility and openness to God’s Spirit. One youth shared that some of her expectations about engaging with the Cuban youth and children had not yet been fulfilled and that she was disappointed we wouldn’t get the chance to share in the pottery experience.

We talked some more about flexibility, adaptability and opening oneself up to God’s spirit, and then one of the youth asked Marielys, “Could we go into the town and invite children to come to the church at 10 and figure out games and activities to do with them?” Marielys agreed and so at 9:00 AM, three of our youth accompanied by the pastor and our translator, Maykel, walked the streets of Camajuani and knocked on doors and invited children to the church.

 Meanwhile, those of us back at the church found friendship bracelet thread, paints, canvases etc. and planned impromptu activities with the children. By 10 AM, about 10-15 Cuban children and youth came to the church and the spirit was incredible. Children were learning to make bracelets with the youth, they were painting pictures for one another, playing pick-up games of tag, catch and soccer, and Spanish/English conversations were flowing. The joy was palpable.

After a morning of activity, we went into the sanctuary and learned two Spanish songs together and gave thanks to God for the experience. The entire morning was Spirit-filled and I will never forget the creativity and flexibility of the group in creating an event that was meaningful for everyone involved in such a short time.

The other moment is preaching in Camajuani on Sunday morning. Marielys invited me to preach, and I preached in Spanish. My Spanish is good, but not as good as it has been in years past due to lack of practice. I was extremely nervous, but grateful for the opportunity to participate in leadership of worship. Getting up to stand in the pulpit, I felt a peace that I did not expect. The Spirit slowed my racing heart and calmed my nerves and allowed me to preach the gospel in a different language than I am accustomed to. My message was basic and my Spanish was passable, but the joy of sharing in worship with my Cuban brothers and sisters made the experience holy ground and one I will never forget.

I hope that other youth groups will take the opportunity to travel to Cuba and participate in the vibrant faith life there. We were safe, we were well-loved, and our lives were forever changed by the power of the Spirit. I would be happy to share details about planning a trip like this with other youth groups interested in participating.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. Sarah D. Allen

Pastor of Children, Youth, and Families

First Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas

Youth Cuba Reflection - Natalie

Today we toured the two amazingly hospitable towns where we are staying, Remedios and Camajuani.  We started in Camajuani, and looked at a warehouse where they make giant floats for an annual parade in March called Parranda. The town is divided into two teams, the toads and the goats, that hold a friendly competition for the best float.  The toads come from the neighborhood near the swamp and the goats are the people from the hills. We then walked around the lovely city center and passed a little playground where the swings were made out of propane tanks. For lunch we ate in the Camajuani Presbyterian Church, where FPC is staying.  The juices here are absolutely amazing and the fruit is so fresh, you can smell the guava just by walking in the room. From there we took a twenty minute bus ride to Remedios and walked to the town square near the Church where we are staying. A gorgeous yellow clock tower rises to the sun. Beneath the tower is a Catholic Church, founded in 1550. The history is stunning, and we are learning about Cuban culture through the friends that we are making. We feel very welcomed here!  

Natalie H - Grade 9

Youth Cuba Reflection - Leo

My favorite memory on the Cuban mission trip was the Saturday we spent with all of the youth from Remedios and Camajuaní and the kids from Camajuani. Originally, all the plans for the day did not end up happening because of unlucky circumstances. Thankfully, Madeline suggested we invite all of the kids from Camajuani to do arts and crafts.  In my opinion, this turned out to be one of the best days in Cuba. It was one of the great ways to interact with the children and the youth in a relaxed and fun environment. The kids, especially, were a real treat to hang out with. We played with the kids for most of the morning and some of the afternoon doing arts and crafts, playing catch, and playing with water balloons. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences because all the kids were so energetic and so happy to have more people to talk to and play with.  These moments were joyful for me in return.            

What the people I met in Cuba wants is not what I originally thought they needed help with. What they want is for us to understand. To understand that they are not what many people think of them in the United States. What everybody from Cuba showed us is that they are people overflowing with kindness and grace. Not just the pastors, but also the youth we got to meet, and the elderly we visited, and the children we played with showed this kindness as well. They did not just want help, they wanted a truly strong bond between our churches. And I think we started making that connection, and I hope it only grows stronger over time.  

Leo L - Grade 11

Youth Cuba Reflection - Xander

The airplane skids to a stop. The windows show nothing but green trees and dark, ominous clouds.... The air is damp with fallen rain. Lacking the scent of gasoline that I am all too familiar with.  We head into the small red building, and are immediately met by customs officials. Easy questions, and an easy entrance into the country. We meet Pasor Jesús next to his bus and we drive through the gorgeous forests that surround el aeropuerto and the rest of Santa María. We arrive at the church after 30 minutes of gorgeous driving . We are met with delicioso comida, which after airport food, is a gift that god must have brought down himself. Playing dominoes with los Cubanos Jovenes at night, walking around los calles during the day, seeing old-timey cars, taxi bicycles, and the occasional horse and carriage. Multicolored architecture, rivaling a candy store in its vibrancy.

Xander G – Grade 10

Youth Cuba Reflection - Caleb

Dinner, cena, heaven in your mouth – whatever you want to call it, it was transformative. I mean the stops got pulled all the way out on this one – pulled pork, chicken noodle soup, fresh sweet potatoes, fresh avocado, fresh bread (just assume all of the food is literally as fresh as edible food can be) and butter, rice, mango juice, and pineapple juice. In this situation, having just got arrived in Cuba after an exhausting day of travel and airport food, I would do many things even for just some semi-fresh salad. However we were met with all of these deliciously delectable morsels mere seconds after the door peered opened. The tables were set and ready for our company, having never met or communicated with anyone here. I mean come on – the napkins were folded into little decorative patterns. I rarely see that even at Michelin star restaurants. I’m just saying this much – if God were to be at any place on this earth, that view would be it. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that this church is right in the heart of one of the single most awe-inspiring, breathtakingly beautiful, and unimaginably, stunningly, gorgeous places that my eyes have ever been blessed enough to see. No other place that I will venture to can possibly best the rooftop minibar views of the Remedios town square. Buildings are artful and history-ridden in this wonderful paradise of a city, in this pristinely astounding escape from phones, society, and even the English language. Baby blues, sea foam greens, pastel pinks – they all converge with the white and navy trims and slightly damaged shutters that only add to the patina and the character of what I will now think of as the epicenter for kindness and beauty within a physical place and the community of the people in it. The walls have seen things and the streets tell stories, but the buildings, palm groves, and the Hibiscus plumes only give so much. The street bands playing and singing Gypsy Kings and the people smiling and telling us we’re always welcome when they ask where we’re from, are the real reason there is God here. God is everywhere here. Dogs smile and play, children run around in the security of this city’s streets, people walk half naked, restaurants keep their doors open, and the air is heavy with joy. One day in Cuba is a lifetime of memories and if there’s one thing that Remedios has taught me already, it’s that a stranger is just a friend without a name. This trip is only six days long, but the memories I’ve been so incredibly blessed to receive, even only this far in, are in my mind forever.

Caleb J – Grade 11

         

Adult Leader Cuba Reflection - Rev. John Leedy

The 2019 Youth Mission Team would like to say a big THANK YOU to our UPC and FPC families for all the support, love, and prayers that accompanied us on our adventure to Cuba. We could not have made this trip happen without a community of faith and friends behind us. Your dedication to the Christian Formation of our youth shows in the lives that were changed in Cuba and we are all so very grateful. Your support through participation in our Cuba Gala, your gifts of financial and material donations, your prayers, your blessing, and your engagement with our young people – all of it was felt every step of the way. From all of us, thank you.

            The trip itself was spectacular and unlike any other mission trip we’ve taken with the youth ministry thus far. Our adventure started at 3:00 am on July 23^rd when all of the sleepy youth and adult leadership from University and First Presbyterian Churches arrived at the airport to catch our 5:30 am flight from Austin to Miami. It is here I want to specifically thank the parents and spouses who sacrificed a good night of sleep to get their loved ones off with a hug at the airport. After a seven-hour layover in Miami and a two hour weather delay on the tarmac, we left Miami and landed in Santa Clara around 8:45 pm. Landing in Cuba was a strange experience. Personally speaking, Cuba was always spoken of as an “off limits” place when I was growing up and I had resigned myself to think of Cuba as one of those places in the world I would never have the chance to visit. Seeing the lush, green Cuban countryside out the airplane’s window was surreal. Travel weary and hungry, the mission team cheered when we walked down the jet way and took our first steps on Cuban soil. 

            Obviously there were many unknowns awaiting us when we arrived in Cuba – including what the process of getting through customs and immigration would be like. Thankful, a Cuban airport agent and members of our adult leadership team who had travelled to Cuba previously made the process smooth, and once all of our bags were collected and the 16 members of our team accounted for, we got on the big yellow El Centro Presbytery school bus and began the drive into the night. Our first stop was the town of Camajuani and to the Presbyterian Church there where half of our group would stay for the week. After we dropped them off, the bus continued to the Presbyterian Church in the town of Remedios when the other half, including the majority of the UPC youth and adults, would stay for the week. One of the most memorable moments from the trip happened as we pulled up to the church in Remedios. We arrived around 9:45 pm and as the bus pulled up alongside the curb of the church, we saw light shining through an open door to the church. Through the door we saw tables set with tablecloths, folded cloth napkins, and a feast awaiting our arrival. Such was the hospitality we experienced from the Cuban people throughout our entire time. The pastors of the two Presbyterian Churches, Pastor Jesús and Pastor Marielys (also a clergy couple) assisted and guided us every step of the way. Elders and deacons from the churches cooked food, provided translation services, and even brought sheets and towels from their own homes for us to use. Every meal was a feast: pulled pork and chicken, fried plantains, shrimp and fish, fresh mango and guava, avocados that were literally the size of your face, coffee and clean water, and the quintessential Cuban rice and beans. Our bunk style accommodations had air conditioning (a rare amenity in Cuba) and hot showers (90% of Cubans do not have a shower in their home). Our host sites were understanding of our need to rest in the midst of the extreme heat and humidity and provided ample opportunities for siestas. 

            Among the many aspects of the trip that made it unique was the work we did. Our primary focus for the week was building relationships with the Cuban people and engaging in mutual dialogue about what life and church are like in Cuba and the United States. Every day our youth sat with Cuban teenagers and shared their experiences as they made friendship bracelets, swam at the beach, walked through the town plaza, ate, and played endless games of dominos. Such work requires a different kind of giving of oneself than other forms of mission work. Our youth had to navigate the initial cultural awkwardness and differences with a group of young people who live totally different lives than they do. They had to navigate differences in language, politics, economics, and cultural references at every turn. This type of work takes an enormous effort (for both our youth and the Cuban youth) to approach such interactions with intentionality and mutuality. Our youth never approached the Cuban youth with the assumption that the Americans had everything all figured out and we were there to set the Cubans straight. Both our youth and the Cuban youth asked thoughtful questions of each other, learned, laughed, took selfies, listened to one another’s music, played sandlot baseball, worshiped and prayed together, and, after a time, became friends. Sometimes it’s hard on mission trips like these when there isn’t a physical “something” that we built to show for our time there. But the thing that was built was connection, understanding, mutual love and appreciation, and Christian fellowship across cultures. The thing I have to show from this trip was when my mobile phone finally reconnected to cell service in Miami and I had new friend requests waiting for me on my social media from the youth and adults in Cuba. Those connections with our Presbyterian sisters and brothers in Cuba mean the world and will continue long after the glow of the trip has faded to memory. 

            One final story. On our last evening in Cuba, one of the Cuban teenagers, Alejandro, whom our group had grown close to over the week, invited the group of three boys from UPC and FPC to take a walk in the downtown area of Remedios. I volunteered to accompany the group for what was pitched as a 30-minute walk through the town plaza. As it was already 9:15 pm with an early wake up the next morning, I was anticipating one last brief stroll past the colorful buildings, vintage cars, and guitar and maraca trios playing salsa music outside the hotels. Cuba is a profoundly safe country. With strict government gun control, absence of drug abuse, and almost no theft, walking around the streets at night felt free and easy with many of the locals sitting outside the stifling heat of their homes in the cool evening breeze. Our Cuban friend, Alejandro, lead us to the town square, past the beautiful old Catholic church with it’s 17^th century carved wooden roof, past the office of the PCC (the Cuban political party), past the memorial to Che Guevara and posters of Fidel Castro, past the Cohiba cigar factory, past the hospital, the schools, and the bakery. Looking at my watch and gauging how far away from the church we were, I was starting to get the feel we were in for something of “a three hour tour”. Finally, Alejandro asks if we’d like to visit his home and meet his family. Ah. That’s what this walking tour was actually about. We, of course, agree and begin our walk through another neighborhood. After around 20 minutes of walking and talking, and surreptitious watch checking on my part, he turns to us and apologizes that his home is out in the country. (Deep breath, John. Deep breath.) We’re committed now and we’re going to see this through. Finally, out in the middle of farmland, banana trees, and cows mooing in the fields, we reach the home of this Cuban teenager. Although I’m confident his family was not expecting a group of four Americans to drop by, unannounced, at 10:15 pm, the hospitality we were shown in their tiny front living room was unlike anything any of us had ever experienced - chairs were brought out and furniture rearranged, fans were moved, glasses of fruit juice were brought in, and hugs and kisses were shared by all. We met Alejandro’s mother and grandmother, his aunt and grandfather, and talked freely together as if we’d known one another for years. Toward the end of our stay, Alejandro’s grandfather leans over to me with his hand on his heart and says, in Spanish, “Our family is your family and our home is your home.” From his tone and sincerity, his words did not come across as a platitude or an overly effusive thing one says to guests. Reflecting with our youth on the walk back home, I reminded them of the Christian discipline of radical hospitality and how it is faithful work to welcome the stranger as if they were Christ himself. That point did not need much further emphasis since all of us were still processing the experience of being welcomed in such a profound way. Stories like this and a hundred more are what we return home from Cuba with and we look forward to sharing them with our UPC church family in the days and weeks to come. 

            It was a joy and privilege to have the opportunity to partner in ministry with some great folks this past week in Cuba. The leadership team for the trip included Rev. Dr. Sarah Allen (FPC), Ray Lopez (FPC), Stephanie Holmsten (UPC), Michelle Ruiz (UPC), and myself. The youth mission team from UPC consisted of Emma Faidley, Caleb Jackson, Edith Holmsten, Xander Greenway, and Natalie Holmsten. The youth mission team from FPC consisted of Zach, Madeleine, Emma, Leo, Camille, and Susan. We especially want to thank these folks for their willingness to trust God on this adventure and their openness and love they shared with the people in Cuba. We also want to thank God for the invitation from El Centro Presbytery, the radical hospitality of the Presbyterian Churches of Remedios and Camajuani and their members, the deeply faithful pastors Marielys and Jesús, our wonderful translator Maykel, our fearless bus driver Osmani, the amazing Cuban youth: Luis, Ryson, Alejandro, Thalia, Eduardo, Rosy, Yanira, Cesia, and their friends, Mike Murphy for being our emergency contact, Caly Fernandez and the Cuba Partners Network, for the UPC and FPC staff that assisted in logistics and communication efforts, and finally the congregations of UPC and FPC for their generous support and unfailing prayers. In the end, gratitude and joy remain. Thanks be to God.

-Rev. John Leedy

Associate Pastor

University Presbyterian Church

Youth Reflection - Emma

Overall, serving in Fort Worth has been a wonderful experience. Some of my favorite parts include working at a food pantry, playing with underprivileged and homeless children at a shelter, and bagging toiletry items at a nearby church. Working in this area has really developed my understanding of homelessness and how it impacts the community and everyone in it. Even though the reality of homelessness is sad and upsetting, it brings me great joy to see such a supportive group of churches and community centers dedicated to helping their neighbors and those in need. This mission trip has been filled with excitement, fun, and hard work. We’ve served at a different location every morning, and we’ve met a variety of men and women with interesting stories and lives. One of my favorite conversations was with a man named Michael. He was from Forth Worth, enjoyed barbecue, and used to run track at the local high school. Through this brief interaction, I found that Michael and I were very similar and held many common interests. This really put his situation into perspective for me. Many members of this community have hopes and ambitions, but have been overcome by poverty, hunger, and homelessness. To me, the work we did in Fort Worth was very meaningful, and it impacted the community and the members of WUFPC positively. I am very grateful for this opportunity to serve, and I look forward to next years mission trip and the experience and knowledge it will bring.

-Emma, UPC

Youth Reflection - John

This morning, after an early wake up and a quick rush to the shower in order to ensure a prime spot in the line of groggy boys that came out of our room, I realized that two days ago I had signed up to write a blog post on the last day of the mission trip. That position holds a lot of weight because instead of having one or two days to write about I needed to sift through five days of service in order to find the best moments. As the day continued the deadline crept up on me until it was 10 pm and the second to last person who was tasked to write a blog post was beginning to sit down and I had neglected to think about what I was going to say. I knew that I needed to talk about where I saw God in the world. This of course was not that difficult, I saw God in the lines of homeless people smiling when they saw us ready to volunteer, the food insecure who took home grocery carts of food and the other volunteers who were giving their time and talents along with us. However I rarely had an extremely powerful moment with any of the people with which we served and decided that just talking about the many small times I saw God was not as intriguing. It was on our last devotional of the week when we sat in a circle and gave affirmations towards one another that I realized where I truly saw God this week, in the other youth I worked with. Amanda, who was always quick to come up with a new game to keep us hydrated, Amy, who would keep the group motivated by singing allowed whatever song was currently running through her mind, Madeline, who would come to the aid of anyone who needed it and was always eager to work, Sara, who would keep the group entertained with her ridiculously long story jokes and riddles with complicated solutions, Nadia, who was everyone’s big sister, there to lend a helping hand and refill supplies at the food bank when they got low, Marianna, who no matter how difficult a problem seemed would persist and work harder than anyone else, Chris, the youngest in our group was always able to crack a joke and make sure everyone was in the service fully, and Anthony would be there to answer questions thoughtfully and insightfully. I was so lucky to be able to work along side this group of amazing young people and help make this world a better place by being the hands and feet of Christ.

-John, WPC

Youth Reflection - Nadia

As a graduating senior, I wanted to make this trip my best one yet. I wanted to forget the fact that this was my last mission trip as a youth and simply enjoy myself. On the first day, all of the youth were just a little shy, but working together really gave us the chance to get to know each other better and begin to build connections. John constantly cracked jokes. Marianna had an amazing work ethic. Sara had a constant stream of riddles and jokes. Amanda had abounding energy (enough to even start singing camp songs at seven in the morning). Amy was up for just about anything and was always the first to volunteer. Anthony was always up for a good ol’ politics debate and was a constant stream of endless facts. Chris was always up for an impossible riddle and a fun game of Crud. Madeleine did an amazing job of making sure that everyone felt included and was in charge of making up our group’s chant (Go Hydration League!). This group of people made the work so much fun this week and I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to make these new friends.

-Nadia, FPC