As I have done for most of the past 19 school years, this weekend I brought my class of 19 middle schoolers for a four day ministry trip. This year we went to Burlington, Vermont. This was a special trip for several reasons. I grew up in the Burlington area, so there was a sentimental element to our trip. Also, our youngest daughter, Rose, is in my class this year, so she was a part of the team, and my wife, Sue, was one of our chaperones. It was, in a sense, a family outing. Our other chaperones included my classroom aide, Amanda Schafer, a long time employee of mine at camp ( and my oldest daughter's first boyfriend) Dan Jackson, and a student's mother, Angie Homer. It was a great team.
We set out early on Thursday, the 22nd of May, bright and early. For the first time ever, we had a show on our way to our base-site where we were to stay, and the student work teams did a great job making sure the props would be accessible for the show without having to unpack all of the luggage, too.
Our show on Thursday was at the Fold, a group home for troubled teens similar to Teen Challenge. In the case of the Fold, located in Lyndonville, VT, it was a home for girls. We arrived in time to have a picnic lunch and set up our show. Because we were performing outside, there were some last minute adjustments we had to make. Steph needed to practice the high stilts on sandy soil, silk jugglers needed to realize that even a slight breeze was going to make their job impossible, and we had to give them alternate roles in the "Good Samaritan" juggling routine. On the up side, Sam was able to juggle fire torches in his eighth grade solo that he was scheduled to do that day.
As usual, we closed with "Beautiful Scandalous Night" in which, one by one, our juggler were called up to the cross by Cutter, in the role of Jesus. Each juggler brought a bandanna with a label: Hate, Fear, Sin, etc. They mimed placing their bandannas on the cross, kneeling in prayer, and standing back up and juggling in a semi-circle around the cross. By the time they were at the normal closing point of this routine, there was one of the girls from the Fold crying from the symbolism of the routine. Them Amanda faded the music, and I spoke. Prior to the show, we had given everyone in the audience a bandanna, too. I told them to take the markers we had provided and put some symbol of a burden on their heart, and, if they chose, bring it to the cross as well. Slowly, the girls and staff came forward, many in tears. Not the drama-queen, out of control tears youth group girls can often muster, but sincere, tears of hope.
Once everyone who wanted to had brought their bandannas forward, the music faded again, and I said, " At first we didn't know what to do at this point. Giving the bandannas back was totally the wrong symbolism. Keeping them wasn't right, because these are private things. So we decided to do what God does when we bring our burdens to him." Then Anna took all the bandannas and placed them in a change bag. When she turned it inside out, they were gone. "As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins (and burdens) from us."
After packing up we spent a couple hours with the two groups of kids hanging out together. The kids from the Fold shared parts of their stories, then Amanda (the student, not the chaperone) shared about her struggle with depression and anxiety, including multiple hospitalizations. Alex shared about his battle with rage - something of which there is virtually no trace anymore. Then things broke out into a juggling lessons -play with the rabbit, tell funny stories- flirt appropriately- typical youth group kind of thing. One girl from the Fold, Sarah, an African American girl originally from Pennsylvania, was really moved by Amanda's openness, and they bonded quickly.
By the time we had to leave, there were tears, hugs, and invitations to come back. While the kids at the Fold have no technological devices at their access, they swapped facebook info none-the-less, so that, after graduation, they could keep in touch. It was the most touching program of our school year.
And our trip was only beginning!