It stands for "People Experiencing A New Understanding Through Service." It was something I and several of my friends did as youth every summer throughout our high school years. I have been very fortunate in my life and am thankful for all of the opportunities and experiences that have come my way. And out of all of my life experiences thus far, I believe the annual youth group workcamp is an experience for which I am sincerely grateful.
Each year, I left my comfy suburban surroundings to experience, know and learn about injustices, discomforts and very real fears marginalized and forgotten communities faced. Hunger, racism, poverty, housing issues. Each summer opened wider my eyes and my heart. I would return home with stories of the homeless people I met, the amazing construction feats we accomplished and silly shenanigans that happen when over 20 youth travel together. While I know I contributed to a community in need, I always felt that I gained too.
Last week, the youth from my home church in Kansas came to Cedar Rapids to do flood relief work. While the floods happened last year, the aftermath still exists. The national news has ceased its coverage of the floods, but displaced residence continue to live in temporary housing and businesses struggle to rebound. The complexities of insurance have left several families with nothing and unable to rebuild. It is as if the community is still scratching its head, looking around, and asking what do we do?
My sister accompanied the group as an "adult." I decided to join them last Friday for a day of labor. Without fail, I was transformed into that camper, experiencing that familiar appreciation for those I met and their stories. I felt a kindred spirit in P--, a seventy something year old woman with a bumper sticker on her car that reads "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." She traveled the world, led a fulfilling career as a professor and shared with my sister "I never wanted to sit around with other women and talk about children. That just wasn't for me." The youth helped her with maintenance and yard work. You could tell she loved having them there and they loved to help her. As an adult, I marveled at the dedication and responsibility of the youth and wondered where we like that?
Another woman lost her house (the house in which both her husband and son passed away) in the flood and was rebuilding thanks to the help of volunteers.
Through service one is attuned to the delicate existence of the human experience and the resiliency of of the human spirit.
Andrea is smiling with her eyes!
2 comments:
Karoline! It was wonderful for you to join us up in Cedar Rapids. Having you engage with our youth helps them to realize (and appreciate) the longevity of our PEANUTS program. It is my hope that more and more of our youth will choose to come back to LUMC after college...marriage...etc, and continue to be a part of our ministries. We got a lovely "thank you" note from P___. I think she misses all of her handi-youth...their chatter...their smiles. Have a wonderful "rest of the summer" and I'll look forward to seeing you the next time you are in our zip code.
I have strong memories of spray-painted messages to fellow community members and of sanding down fresh drywall, of watching people try to rebuild memories and dreams...it's always worthwhile work, to try and help people with that process, even just one day at a time. And then to tell the story afterward.
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