Senior High Youth News
News about recent events and activities of St. Paul's High School Youth program
Chilly Homeless Challenge
The youth from St. Paul's Lutheran Church held an outdoor event called the "Homeless Challenge" last weekend in spite of chilly lows in the 30's and a chance of flurries. Warm jackets, sleeping bags, extra blankets, and plenty of hot cocoa and coffee kept everyone warm and toasty around a blazing fire. The youth set up for the all-night activity by building a make-shift shanty-town on the church lawn next to 1st Avenue. They had fun constructing shelters out of cardboard boxes, and in some cases, a lot of extra duct tape. People honked and waved from cars as they passed by on the road nearby. Some people stopped to put food items in a shopping cart the youth had placed in their village. Donations were designated for the Waverly Food Pantry, along with some cash donations designated for the Lutheran Hunger Relief Program.
Early in the evening, some members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church dropped in to visit and chat around the campfire. Later in the evening, the youth took a break and headed inside for a powerpoint slideshow and open discussion about homelessness. The wintery weather did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the youth who were happy to head back outside and take on the overnight challenge. "This makes me realize what homeless people actually go through." said one youth. "They have to deal with strangers and traffic and weather and trying to keep warm outside." After a long, cold night that seemed to go by in a split second, the youth awoke to a brisk and frosty Sunday morning, having gained a greater appreciation for the gifts of home, heat, friends, and family. Some of the youth attended worship at St. Paul's before heading home for a shower, a home-cooked meal, and probably a very long afternoon nap.
Amazingly enough, some of the youth are eager to do this event again, but regretfully, will have to wait another year before taking the challenge a second time. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit, bring food, and give donations during the evening. The youth had a blast, learned a lot, and grew a bit through the Homeless Challenge. Hopefully, the words of Christ, from Sunday's Gospel lesson, will sink in a little deeper because of the experience. Jesus said to the rich young ruler, "Go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and then come, follow me."
Jesus, Justice, Jazz!
After a year of preparations, fundraisers, and meetings, the National Youth Gathering was actually happening! There we were, immersed in the heart of New Orleans, surrounded by thousands of other youth, trekking to the Superdome beneath tall skyscrapers and huge hotels. The speakers and musicians at the event were inspiring, as they challenged us to think about the meaning of Christian servanthood; to listen to the needs of others and to respond in Christ-like love and service. As one of the gathering songs proclaimed, we were ready to “get dirty” for others.
On our service day, we rose at 5:30 a.m., grabbed a quick breakfast, trekked to the Superdome, and waited for instructions as 70 buses idled nearby. We were looking forward to working on a housing project somewhere in the city. Demolishing a house would do, or painting, or perhaps cleaning up a work site. There were 12,000 youth serving on each day, so we were told to “keep an open mind” and be prepared for anything. Our bus took us through the devastated 9th Ward and out onto the delta to a small fishing village called Yscloskey. Small shacks and a bait shop hugged a narrow fishing channel spanned by a huge drawbridge that rose to allow fishing boats to chug past.
Our work crew leader boarded the bus and told us that we would be cleaning up the channel and roadsides throughout the village. He also held up a 5 foot long stick and told us to “tap the ground” wherever we went to scare off poisonous snakes that lived in the swamps. My heart sank, as a “gasp” went up in the bus. This was not my dream job by a long shot! I had been looking forward to swinging a hammer or using a paint brush, not tapping the ground with a stick to fend off snakes. Either way, it was time to get to work.
The St. Paul’s youth tackled the project valiantly. I was wading through a ditch looking for bottles when I heard calls for help. “They’re trying to move a boat!” came the cry, “Come and help!” I crossed over the drawbridge, and sure enough, there was half our group down in the mucky swamp, pushing and pulling on a boat stuck in the mud. “Move that boat! Move that boat!” came the call. And away they went, heaving the boat ever-closer to the highway as large spiders jumped overboard into the swamp. Afterwards, our group posed for victory photos to show off their muddy scars.
We continued to work after lunch, some scouring the ditches for cans and bottles, others dragging huge metal pipes and garbage to the roadside. No one complained about the dirty work, the intense heat, or the “housing project” gone awry. Instead, Josh Brewer commented, “This isn’t exactly a housing project, but it’s a pretty good environmental stewardship one.” At that, we all took another swig of water and got back to work. People honked and waved and rolled down their windows to say, “Thank you!” Their response cheered us on and reminded us why we had come to New Orleans after all, to serve others in the mind and manner of Christ. And hopefully, that is what we will take with us into all of life, a willingness to listen, understand, and respond with Christ-like love and service. Thanks to everyone who helped make the trip possible. We had a great time, learned a lot, and even got our hands dirty!
Rocks and Rain in Wisconsin
St. Paul's youth and adults set out on an adventure to Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin. Soon upon arriving late Sunday night, a thunderstorm struck and our campfire was cut short, but we were all glad to be able to receive a good night sleep for our big plans the next day. But as the storm grew worse, two of the tents sprang leaks, and six of us found ourselves sleeping in the vans halfway through the night.
Waking to a wet campsite, we decided to truck on and set out for a hike right after our breakfast of French toast and bacon. This five mile hike took us 500 feet up beautiful bluffs, and we soon forgot the rain. The hike took us to the Devil's Doorway rock formation (which we renamed the Gateway to Heaven) and it looked as though we were on top of the clouds. We stopped here for a devotion and gazed at God's beautiful creation. We did not want to leave this stunning place on top of the bluffs, but our stomachs were telling us it was time to eat.
After trudging back to camp and sandwiches, we set out for one last adventure that day: rock climbing. This wasn't the man-made, plastic, perfect-hand-hold kind of rock climbing either, this was the "here's a big cliff, let's tie a rope at the top and climb" kind of rock climbing. We were fortunate to have Robin from EWALU to help us and teach us some tricks. We were all able to make it at least part of the way up the rock. It was a great new experience to try and another way we grew as a group helping each other out and cheering every one on.
Fortunately, our last night did not include pools of water in our tents, but instead a great campfire along with the essential s'mores, guitar-playing, and talking. Despite the weather, we all worked together, smiled, and learned about ourselves and God's wonderful works throughout the world. - by Michelle Anderson
Easter Breakfast
Food and fellowship were in abundant supply this past Sunday morning at the Easter breakfast hosted by the senior high youth at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Many hands, good hearts, and hard work contributed to the event that included dozens upon dozens of home-made baked goods and food donated by the members of the congregation. Several dozen cinnamon rolls were also donated by HyVee, which seemed to multiply the food just like Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000! It was quite a festive environment, with music drifting in all morning from the three Easter worship services in the church sanctuary, followed by hordes of hungry families and children looking for jelly beans and peeps scattered on the tables. Ecker’s Flowers and Greenhouses donated beautiful potted flowers and helium balloons which added to the joyful celebration of the resurrection of Christ, as the words above the balloons proclaimed, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”
The breakfast was a fund-raiser for the senior high service trip to New Orleans this summer, where the youth will be attending a national gathering of 36,000 Lutheran youth, called “Jesus, Justice, Jazz.” The youth will be traveling by bus to New Orleans to learn about justice, mercy, and compassionate service. They will be learning about homelessness as well as getting their hands dirty working on housing projects in the city which is still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
The youth have been meeting monthly to prepare for the summer trip and working hard to raise the necessary funds. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that most likely will prove to be life-changing, eye-opening, and faith-building. We are preparing ourselves for an amazing trip that will open our eyes to what it truly means to serve in the mind and manner of Christ. If you keep a prayer list, please add St. Paul’s youth to it, and pray for them especially during the week of July 20-27 this summer. We hope to return to Waverly deeply changed and challenged by the experience as well as motivated to deeper faithfulness and service in our own congregations and community.
Pizza Painting Party
What happens when the high school youth get together for a Pizza Painting Party? Well, first you need music, which was supplied by Ben Zelle's sound system and his collection of rock music, blues, and even some 80's hits! Nice variety! The #1 selection of the day, however, was a soundtrack of the musical, Les Miserables, complete with solos by Nelson Schreen and others. They sure love that musical! Oh yeah, painting also happens, and a lot of it. The high school youth reclaimed the youth room with paint brushes, rollers, and pizza, and they have the paint marks and pizza stains to prove it. The new "bisquit" paint color along with the black ceiling is a nice change for the room. Next comes the flooring and electricity, but I don't think we'll have an Pizza Electrical Party anytime soon. Call in the professionals! P.S. Does anybody know where we can get our hands on a used ping-pong table? A pizza party just isn't the same without an exciting game of "Round Robin."
Leaf Jumping and Bonfire
Ever leaped full-on into a six foot high stack of leaves? If not, you really missed out! The high school youth had a blast right before Thanksgiving break, raking leaves at the home of Jerrod and Kari Staack. The acrobatics were recorded live, for later viewing, as youth jumped, flipped, dove, and literally flew into huge piles of leaves that swallowed up the smaller kids, who were eventually pulled out before the leaves were set on fire for a glorious and extremely hot bonfire. Between the huge pile of leaves, the awesome acrobatics, and Kari bringing out hot cocoa and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, it was totally sweet! We are definitely planning on this for next year, so mark your calendars!
For more information about these and other events
contact Paul Frantsen, Director of Family and Youth Ministry
at 319-352-3850 or paul.frantsen@stpaulswaverly.org