Reflections from the Mission Trip

I expected the Mississippi Mission Trip to be an arduous, head-clearing, work-filled trip, but its blessings went beyond all expectations. A few reflections follow.

- Getting to know so many Trinity members from other services! I now have new and treasured friendships with Nancy Graham and Vickie Meyers of the 8 a.m. service crowd as well as many others. (I'm from the "11 a.m. set.")

- Sharing desolations and consolations. Pastor Shannon led us in this ancient end-of-day meditation that asks us to share our highs and lows from the day. It was a holy and substantive end to full days.

- Witnessing amazing compassion and empathy. I was repeatedly and consistently witness to a depth of compassion and empathy that I have never seen before. I gained a new sense of what it meant to care for one's neighbors. A homeless man's remains from the hurricane were finally identified by the Biloxi Bethel Lutheran Church pastor last week; Pastor Shannon led us through a profound moment of grieving for a troubled life that would have a respectful end. Dr. Deb Schroeder, M.D. from Indianapolis who joined the Trinity group, discussed the haunting nightmares a Biloxi woman has from battling Katrina's waters for 10 hours.

- The laughter! Having a shared mission, hard work and a hot setting means you'd better be able to laugh to help yourself and your colleagues get through the day. We laughed a lot and thanked the Lord for the gift of humor. (You may want to ask Charlene Bloom about washing off primer from her face!)

- The outpouring of thanks from our Mississippi neighbors. Everyone thanked us. We would stop in a store and they would ask if we were volunteers and thanks us. It never stopped. One woman told our bus driver Don Emenhiser -- through tears of gratitude -- that "it was not the Red Cross and it was not FEMA that was getting so many through the devastation and rebuilding. It was the churches and the volunteers."

- The Herculean effort of it all. Camp Victor, named after Christus Victor Lutheran Church -- the original Lutheran Disaster Relief Headquarters --occupies a large former warehouse that includes around 250 barracks for volunteers, a gigantic warehouse for food and other relief material for the victims and another ample storage area for rebuilding supplies. It made me realize the organizational thought, effort, space and leadership it takes to run a long-term relief center.

- The commitment. The full-time team leaders at Lutheran Disaster Relief/Lutheran Social Services worked long hours and seemed to be indomitable. Other local volunteers saw long days as the norm and just kept charging ahead. Our crew chief, Ken, was a bright, mature 18-year-old construction genius, who managed 2-3 construction/rehab sites daily. When I asked him his normal work hours, he simply shrugged and said, "I work from 'can' to 'can't'!"

The witness. Living one's faith puts fuel in one's tank. While it's tiring, it's also recharging. You realize this is doing the work of the Lord in a new way. As Betty Okeson said at an evening devotion, "I think I've seen the face of God this week." It makes one rethink priorities. It becomes a powerful memory and a challenge to repeat it and renew its lessons daily. It makes one realize the awesome charge and reward in the Great Commandment to Love Our Neighbors. One realizes that this is the fulfillment of how God created us to live and do.

Blessings
Barb Wachtman