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Mission Trips
. . . in all things, love.
. . . in all things, love.
Watertown Moravian Church
In June, 2007, Barb Weide, Ed Dehnert, Joe Harris, T.J. Coughlin, and Matthew
Keeser participated in the following mission trip to Bethel, Alaska.
Vacation Bible School in Alaska,
It’s Not a Vacation, But …..
by Barb Weide and Ed Dehnert
How many ways do you know how to say or express wow? Most often we relate to
wow experiences through our senses; sight, sound, touch and smell. Wow, what a
mountain! Wow, look at that sunset! Most of us have not had what I would call a
spiritual wow moment. I believe our team would agree, our time in Alaska was filled
with more spiritual wow moments, than the sensory ones.
Life and the environment in the tundra area of Alaska are very different from our
general perception of what Alaska is. We expect to see mountains, glaciers, trees,
bears, mountain goats, whale and more. Truly one sensory wow after another, but
that is not what you see out on the tundra. There is a natural beauty there that is
hard to describe and it does take more effort to see it. Nonetheless it is beautiful and
God has blessed this land in ways we have a hard time seeing and understanding.
Much of the beauty is found in the people that call the tundra home. What we see as
foreign and strange, sometimes harsh, they enjoy and love. They are content with
what God provides and are forever thanking God for the gifts he provides. Where we
believe that we are in control of our life, these folks know that it is through God’s
grace that they have what they have. Their beliefs are so grounded in nature and
everything is viewed as a gift from God. This is such a fresh way to look at life,
especially compared to the hustle and bustle atmosphere that defines life in the lower
forty-eight. Most people would believe that they are backward, poor and lacking in
many things. I believe they have a better handle on life than what I see around me
here at home. Spending time in Alaska has really generated a longing in me for a
simpler life. One that is spiritually grounded and focused on God, not the me first,
self-centered material focused lifestyle of the lower forty-eight.
Our vacation bible school opportunities placed us in the unique position to
experience life in the villages out in the tundra. We saw and lived firsthand how life
pulses through this rich, diverse area. Everything revolves around the season which
means, what salmon is currently running, what berry is ripening to pick and what
hunting season is open. Subsistence living is foreign to us, but life to the folks in the
village. This means that often the adults, especially the men, are away fishing,
hunting, or gathering something. Much of the village life therefore is taken over by
the women and often this leaves the children with little or no direction. It is a hard life,
but I never heard anyone complain. To say that the children were hungry for VBS
would be an understatement.
Most of the villages have little if anything for the children to do. A small raised
wooden platform about the size of a basketball court was the only play area in the
village. They have no swings, slides or sandboxes. All of the villages we visited have
nice schools, unfortunately all locked for the summer and unavailable for use. They
do have ponds, rivers and tundra, but all of these offer limited and sometimes
dangerous activities for the kids to engage in. It is not hard to see why drugs,
alcohol, and suicide are so rampant.
VBS filled a niche and provided a healthy learning outlet for the energy that these
kids have. It took upwards of an hour after each session to get them to leave so we
could clean and set up for our next session. They were having fun and wanted more.
When the young folks in our team walked through the village it was like the pied
piper, three young adults surrounded by twenty plus kids. Needless to say our team
slept well every night we were there. To see how excited these children were to come
and learn about God was an ongoing spiritual wow. We were constantly asked if we
would be back next week, next month or next year. Our response, God willing we will
be back. We were all humbled by our inability to do more. There is such a huge need!
Why is there such a wow feeling spiritually in doing VBS with children? I believe it is
due to the back and forth sharing of gifts between local folks, children and our team.
It works because it places us all at a common equal level by allowing everyone
involved to share their faith from their own personal perspective. Age, race, or
gender does not seem to matter. When you go to serve and open yourself to the
Holy Spirit completely and totally, good things happen. There seems to be a constant
flow back and forth and we truly wonder who actually got more from the experience,
them or us. In truth everyone gains and God’s kingdom is both glorified and enlarged.
The needs in Alaska are great and the call to serve is there. If you want to
experience the most intense, rewarding wow moments of your life, consider becoming
a part of this VBS ministry. Whether you participate at home, Alaska or somewhere
else, you will learn a whole new meaning of the word wow!
Keeser participated in the following mission trip to Bethel, Alaska.
Vacation Bible School in Alaska,
It’s Not a Vacation, But …..
by Barb Weide and Ed Dehnert
How many ways do you know how to say or express wow? Most often we relate to
wow experiences through our senses; sight, sound, touch and smell. Wow, what a
mountain! Wow, look at that sunset! Most of us have not had what I would call a
spiritual wow moment. I believe our team would agree, our time in Alaska was filled
with more spiritual wow moments, than the sensory ones.
Life and the environment in the tundra area of Alaska are very different from our
general perception of what Alaska is. We expect to see mountains, glaciers, trees,
bears, mountain goats, whale and more. Truly one sensory wow after another, but
that is not what you see out on the tundra. There is a natural beauty there that is
hard to describe and it does take more effort to see it. Nonetheless it is beautiful and
God has blessed this land in ways we have a hard time seeing and understanding.
Much of the beauty is found in the people that call the tundra home. What we see as
foreign and strange, sometimes harsh, they enjoy and love. They are content with
what God provides and are forever thanking God for the gifts he provides. Where we
believe that we are in control of our life, these folks know that it is through God’s
grace that they have what they have. Their beliefs are so grounded in nature and
everything is viewed as a gift from God. This is such a fresh way to look at life,
especially compared to the hustle and bustle atmosphere that defines life in the lower
forty-eight. Most people would believe that they are backward, poor and lacking in
many things. I believe they have a better handle on life than what I see around me
here at home. Spending time in Alaska has really generated a longing in me for a
simpler life. One that is spiritually grounded and focused on God, not the me first,
self-centered material focused lifestyle of the lower forty-eight.
Our vacation bible school opportunities placed us in the unique position to
experience life in the villages out in the tundra. We saw and lived firsthand how life
pulses through this rich, diverse area. Everything revolves around the season which
means, what salmon is currently running, what berry is ripening to pick and what
hunting season is open. Subsistence living is foreign to us, but life to the folks in the
village. This means that often the adults, especially the men, are away fishing,
hunting, or gathering something. Much of the village life therefore is taken over by
the women and often this leaves the children with little or no direction. It is a hard life,
but I never heard anyone complain. To say that the children were hungry for VBS
would be an understatement.
Most of the villages have little if anything for the children to do. A small raised
wooden platform about the size of a basketball court was the only play area in the
village. They have no swings, slides or sandboxes. All of the villages we visited have
nice schools, unfortunately all locked for the summer and unavailable for use. They
do have ponds, rivers and tundra, but all of these offer limited and sometimes
dangerous activities for the kids to engage in. It is not hard to see why drugs,
alcohol, and suicide are so rampant.
VBS filled a niche and provided a healthy learning outlet for the energy that these
kids have. It took upwards of an hour after each session to get them to leave so we
could clean and set up for our next session. They were having fun and wanted more.
When the young folks in our team walked through the village it was like the pied
piper, three young adults surrounded by twenty plus kids. Needless to say our team
slept well every night we were there. To see how excited these children were to come
and learn about God was an ongoing spiritual wow. We were constantly asked if we
would be back next week, next month or next year. Our response, God willing we will
be back. We were all humbled by our inability to do more. There is such a huge need!
Why is there such a wow feeling spiritually in doing VBS with children? I believe it is
due to the back and forth sharing of gifts between local folks, children and our team.
It works because it places us all at a common equal level by allowing everyone
involved to share their faith from their own personal perspective. Age, race, or
gender does not seem to matter. When you go to serve and open yourself to the
Holy Spirit completely and totally, good things happen. There seems to be a constant
flow back and forth and we truly wonder who actually got more from the experience,
them or us. In truth everyone gains and God’s kingdom is both glorified and enlarged.
The needs in Alaska are great and the call to serve is there. If you want to
experience the most intense, rewarding wow moments of your life, consider becoming
a part of this VBS ministry. Whether you participate at home, Alaska or somewhere
else, you will learn a whole new meaning of the word wow!
Under Construction
| "Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others." Henri Nouwen |
"The Moravian Church is a mission
movement…we send people." Board of
World Mission of the Moravian Church
movement…we send people." Board of
World Mission of the Moravian Church