Monday, June 19, 2006

We woke to another beautiful day. After a breakfast of eggs, bacon & hashbrowns we were on our way to the Salvation Army by 8:00 A.M.

Living in Houston, traffic is a way of life. Distances are not measured by miles, but minutes. I never thought I'd see the day that I longed for Houston traffic. Traffic in Washington DC makes Houston look like "Ned in the first reader". Gridlock can bring things to a grinding halt for extensive periods of time. We had allowed 1 hour for a 15 mile commute and we needed every minute of it.

By this time pastor Mark had arrived and we arranged for him to fall in behind us at a designated place. He readily admits that he is "directionally challenged" so this made it a bit easier for him. Upon our arrival the children were already waiting at the door for us. They were very eager to see us and begin the days activities.

Ms. Michelia and Ms. Robin along with Pastor Mark went to the Laundromat to wash our red shirts while the rest of the group began to set up for VBS.

Upon completion of VBS we had planned to tour one of the Smithsonian Museums. I had asked the students to vote between the Air and Space Museum or the Museum of American History. American History won out. We saw a wonderful exhibit on America's fight for freedom. World War II, Vietnam and Iraq were all documented and displayed for a greater understanding of America's freedom and the quest to maintain it. We also saw Julia Child's kitchen. It was disassembled from her home and re-assembled in the Smithsonian. We saw a great exhibit about the history of country music. And yes, my girlfriend, Dolly Parton, was part of the exhibit. But the most fascinating exhibit I saw was the preservation lab for the original Star Spangled Banner. The flag Francis Scott Key saw flying over Ft. McHenry that inspired him to pen the words the our National Anthem. You can see more for yourselves here: http://americanhistory.si.edu/

When it was time to leave the heavens opened and it poured for about 20 minutes. There was finally a break in the rain and we made a run for it. We stopped for dinner and then went back to camp for some basketball & volleyball. Here are some pics from the Smithsonian.

Be Ye Doer Tour!

On Friday, June 16, 45 students, 15 adults and 4 children departed Spring, TX for Washington DC where we would spend a week doing mission work in and around the city. The Lord blessed our trip and we were able to plant many seeds of ministry.

We arrived at the church at 4:00 A.M. If you know me at all you know that I don't do mornings very well, but we had to get an early start due to the significant distance we had to travel. We traveled hard for 2 full days and arrived in Baltimore around 7:30 P.M. Eastern Time.

Sunday, June 18 - Father's Day
We awoke to a beautiful morning and left camp at 8:00 A.M. for the Salvation Army where we would spent the biggest part of the day. We were greeted with open arms, literally, by Captains Evelyn and Cedric Middleton. We quickly began to set up our equipment, then helped teach Sunday School for all ages. We then attended worship where we presented a mini-concert.

We were all drawn to a lady that was dressed to the nines and had the outward signs of Parkinson's disease. She was exuberant in her worship and reminded me a lot of my aunt Loveda. Her name was Bernice and she worshipped with her entire being. She quickly became very special to all of us and our hearts we immediately bound together.

After lunch we changed clothes and began setting up for a block party sponsored by the Salvation Army for the entire neighborhood. There were hamburgers & hotdogs, popcorn & cotton candy, games and live music. We sang several selections throughout the afternoon and everyone enjoyed the festive atmosphere. Another group was also there and sang as part of the block party. It was a men's gospel trio and they were fabulous. The kids really enjoyed them. Captain Evelyn got all the kids up and taught them a line dance. Yes, we danced at church! It was great fun.

That evening we had a talent show at camp. First Baptist Church Opelika, Alabama was also staying at the camp and we enjoyed getting to know them.

Here are some pictures from the week. I'll post more later.

Until then,
Buck <><