All Saints’ Youth
Sitting in an open air
sandwich shop at the end of the day we were asked, “Where did you see God
today?” Perhaps one of our answers best
sums up the day. “Where didn’t we see God’s
presence!”
An early morning stroll
revealed the beauty and peace of God’s blessings. Mist draped the lakes as the sun rose over
the water. The ducks were out for an
early morning swim and came to greet us as we walked and prayed.
After breaking camp we drove
up and down the mountains through the back roads that led to St. Francis in the
Fields Episcopal Church. As we arrived the praise band, one of four music teams, were
rehearsing the morning’s musical offerings.
We were so warmly welcomed by this amazing parish. What a blessing!!! The service was phenomenal, uplifting,
Spirit-filled, and FUN!!! The church
building was filled to almost overflowing with young people there to absorb the
Spirit and participate in this moving and relevant time of worship.
We gave away our first two
prayer shawls at St. Francis. The first
one went to the parish as a whole to thank them for their hospitality and to
offer our prayers as they look towards a building expansion because they are
bursting at the seams. The second went
to an individual we met who is currently discerning a call to ordained
ministry. What a blessing she will be
for the church.
After sharing a picnic lunch
in the back yard of the church we headed off to the memorial at the Flight 93
crash site – a field in the middle of nowhere, no big fancy signs announce its
presence. Memorials were left on the guard
rails of the parking lot, on a tall fence erected on the site, and around the
concrete gathering area. Reading the
thoughts of others who had visited the site was powerful but paled in
comparison to hearing the volunteer share the events of that day and the final
moments of those who sacrificed their lives to save so many more. We were amazed at the story from the recovery
operation. Much the same as a bullet
being fired into sand will penetrate the earth and the earth will rise up and
fall on that site, the plane hit and was buried deep in the earth. Because of the heat of the burning jet fuel,
experts have said that all of the people would have evaporated on impact. And yet, sitting on the ground, almost
completely untouched, lay a Bible, open to one of the Book of Kings detailing
how God’s Word will never disappear and evil will never triumph over good. The Bible’s leather cover was barely
singed. The pages were untouched.
As we read the many
memorials it became obvious to us that we needed to leave something
behind. We had brought with us a Table
Cross, plain and unfinished, waiting to be decorated, the twin of the cross
that we had given Grace’s youth mission trip to take with them. We took that cross and each wrote a message
to the people of Flight 93 and tied that cross to the memorial fence with a
gammon reel plumb bob string (a land-surveying tool) as well as a tie from one
of the prayer shawls. As we stood hand-in-hand
in a circle offering prayers to those on Flight 93 a lone bag-piper walked out
onto the hill and played Amazing Grace.
What a gift he offered. Music
that made everything we’d seen and heard even more real, touching our souls
much deeper than words ever could. After
we thanked him for sharing such a powerful gift with us, he loaded his pipes
onto his motorcycle and rode away.
And we were off as
well. Driving in convoy down the road we
were driving the speed of traffic when around one corner we saw the speed trap
in the center of the road. Traveling
further along our eyes darted to rear-view mirrors waiting to see the
inevitable. And we did. Flashing lights pulled out onto the highway
in pursuit of…………………………..the person right behind the last car in our
convoy! Perhaps the signs proclaiming us
as members of All Saints Reaching Out in Christ helped!?! For those of you believing that we are all driving with a heavy foot, we were only driving 3 miles over
the posted limit!
We made an unscheduled stop
at a look-out on our way through the mountains.
The scenery was amazing! God’s
creation stretching as far as the eye can see.
We all lined up on the edge of the cliff – but not so close as to give
Tracie any more gray hairs – for the necessary and required photo op. What a sight!!!
Our final approach into DC
was interesting. There are numbered
streets, lettered streets, State-named streets, one way streets, streets that
are one way at certain times on certain days, road blocks, and none of this
laid out in any kind of expected, regular grid pattern. Police cars, police officers with rifles are
absolutely everywhere. Navigating is a
treat. And there are TWO 4th
Streets. The first one we found didn’t
get to the numbers we needed. In backtracking
we had to traverse one-way streets not to mention the six streets that meet at
one intersection.
But we arrived safe and
sound! The retreat center where we are
staying is fantastic and close to absolutely everything. Only a couple of blocks
away from the Capitol. We live on
“The Hill”, a neighborhood where a 3-bedroom apartment rents for $2500 a
month. Some of the houses here were
built in 1849. Historical buildings,
artistic stonework, and creative front gardens – all display the variety of
God’s amazing gifts and how each of us chooses to manifest those gifts. After unpacking and settling in it was time
to turn in and get ready for our first day of mission work.
Love and God’s Blessings,
All Saints 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007