Free, free, we're free at last

You've never heard of Juneteenth?  Before today, neither had I.  But apparently it is a recognized holiday in 36 US states!

So what is it?  Well, although Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect January 1, 1863, some folks in Texas didn't know until June 19, 1865.  So Juneteenth commerates the day when all the slaves were finally free.  The name comes from a combination of June and Nineteenth.  I wonder how many of these holidays are hiding out that I don't know about just because I'm white?

A few years ago, my aunt Chris became involved with an African American church and helped them start a private, Christian school for K-3rd grade called Joshua Christian Academy.  Last year it opened with 8 students (including my 7-year-old cousin... if you go to the site I think you'll be able to figure out which one she is).  This fall they're going to have 25!  The school wants to limit the class sizes to 15 and add a grade every year.  It's a pretty amazing story, and I want to write more on it later.

So today, Juneteenth, there was a parade in Des Moines and JCA had students walk and a van drive in it.  It had been quite stormy the past few days, but the sun was bright and shining this morning.  We all wore red for the school colors and walked about 15 blocks, throwing candy and waving to people.  I'll admit- I felt pretty white :-)  There weren't as many kids on the route as we expected, but we still threw out lots of candy.  I love parades in Iowa.  They have always been a big part of summers for me here.  

After the parade, there was going to be booths and live music in the park where we ended, but my cousins and I only helped set up for that.  I kind of wish we could have stayed longer, because the music sounded like it was going to be good.

Anyway, so now you know.  Happy Juneteenth!

FFY Country Store Day

On Thursdays, the Freedom Store at Freedom for Youth is open for members of the community to shop.  Clients can come early and get a number, or get one as they arrive.  Everything is free, but can only take a limited number of items.  The store has two parts: a food pantry and a clothing section.  About 10 people can enter for 10 minutes, and can choose 10 clothing items and 5 pantry items + bread.  Outside is a table of items they can take without a limit. 

I wasn't sure what to expect as we were setting up.  My job was to watch one section of the room and when each group's time was up, to count and bag items.  The first group to enter was almost all African and Asian mothers with babies strapped on with long strips of cloth.  Adorable babies.  Throughout the day, they made up the majority of shoppers .  I even got to hold a little Hispanic baby while her mother shopped.  Children and teens get to go to the store on Wednesdays and get 3 items, so they aren't allowed on Thursdays unless they're really small.

If I lived in the US, I'd enroll in Spanish classes right now.  It was difficult to tell which clients were able to speak English at all, so most interactions were conducted with sign language.  I used up the entirety of my Spanish in about 3 seconds ("Hola!" count to 10, "Otra mas" if they didn't have 10, "Gracias," y "Adios!").  I dropped a couple of "Da's" though, instead of "Si's".  But I'm sure speakers of dozens of other languages came in.  Ah, if I could have any super power, it would be to speak every language. 

PS Later on we did hip hop abs again... this time the teenage girls even brought DVDs!

Freedom for Youth

My cousin, Becca, is a Christian Ministry major and is doing a summer internship at an organization called Freedom for Youth.  I'm tagging along with her this week.  Their Freedom Center campus is so cool.  I'm amazed at how beautiful the buildings and everything look; I was assured that God is responsible for the design because he provided the right landscapers.  It is located in a shady part of town, but once you enter the property, it looks like a little old Western town.  It truly is a safe refuge.  

Shops and the Art Studio; These buildings here are used for Freedom Quest (teenagers) classes during the school year, such as pottery, bicycle repair, wood-shop, metal works, gardening, drama, etc. 

Sonshine Kidz is the summer program for elementary aged children.  It is held every Mon, Tues, and Wed from 11am-1pm.  I can't post any pictures of the children, but believe me, they're adorable.  There are mainly African American, Hispanic, and newly immigrated (so far, I've met kids from Kenya and Tanzania).  The kids arrive and we eat lunch (delivered every day by the grace of God), hear a Bible lesson, play games outside, and spend time reading.  I especially like the emphasis on reading and writing.  Today, we played with chalk.

Can you tell which one is me?

After Sonshine Kidz, the teenagers came in the afternoon to earn "Sweat Points" for summer camp.  I think they need to earn 30 points (hours) to go, and they do jobs around the campus to earn them.  I weeded for a few hours with a group of them and got a little sunburned.  Two of the girls taught Becca and me a routine from a workout dvd called Hip-Hop Abs.  I'm working on a dance move called the Washing Machine and I'll leave it up to your imagination as to what all that entails.

Freedom for Youth was founded in 2003 and they acquired this property in 2006.  They meet so many needs, including homework help, mentoring, skills classes, chapels, feeding program, community closet, and even transitional living for 18-22 yr olds.  The kids are given the opportunity to sell the what they make in class (metalwork, woodwork, pottery) a few times a year at a Country Market.  After spending time at the campus, I can tell that the staff and volunteers are relying on God to meet all their needs and keeping him in the center of what they do.  It all seems so simple there.  Do God's will and have faith that things will work out as long as he wills.

I loved being with 11-15 year olds again.  I need to keep my "teacher edge" even in the summer ;-)  We shared stories about our lives, and even talked about the effects of the fall of communism in Russia.  It was awesome.  Even having to reprimand a few girls for bringing a water fight indoors felt so natural to me and not burdensome.

Today took a lot of energy, but I felt like I was exactly where I'm supposed to be.  Even if it's only for this week.  God is at work all over the world.  He really is the best volunteer organizer, with a global network of people moving all the time.  I'm so encouraged to see a place functioning so well and making a tangible difference in a community.  The people I have met here are truly Spirit-filled and have left me longing for more of that in my life.

Restless and concerned

Why can't I leave it all and go to Haiti to help real people?  Why do I feel compelled to strive for more, when the place I've gotten to is 100 times better than most people ever get in their whole lifetimes?

I can't even fathom what is happening there.  One third of an entire country needs medical attention?  It's like the number fifty thousand.  I hear it, but it doesn't really mean anything to me except that it's something very big.  Something very big and terrible has happened and I can't even feel the depth of it. 

Pray, pray, pray.

Racism Survey Results

My church here does a lot of with racism and social justice, and just published the results of a survey of Africans and hate crimes in Moscow. The results of the study were that more than 50% of Africans have suffered attacks here. BBC picked up the story and it has been the most popular of the day. You can read the it here.

Isn't it remarkable

that people would run to the streets to illegally protest when they've been warned with consequences,

and those with the freedom to protest rarely do so?

Spring Break Mission Trip: Russia

If you didn't already know, I am going to Russia for a Spring Break missions trip. I haven't ever really been on a missions trip so I'm pretty excited. This is a picture of everyone on our team. We are going to play with Russian orphans (which, to be honest, sounds very clichéd to me, because I know that it is so much more than that implies) through an organization called the Boaz Project.

Yay! Jesus loves Russian orphans! So do we!!!

If you would like to know more about this trip click here. If you would like to donate to this trip click here. Thank you so much! I know, for me, this trip is going to be very significant in my life and spiritual journey, especially since I spent last spring in Russia and basically fell into fascination, if not love, with this post-Soviet, frozen, riddle-wrapped-in-an-enigma-of-a-mystery nation. This trip will give me the opportunities to practice my Russian and to gain a vision for what God may have in store for my future.

And it's going to be fun to play with Russian orphans :-)

Instead of class,

NCMSLC is where I am this weekend