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Tecumseh, Mi
Intro by Curt Boger
The Tecumseh, Michigan
trip just completed on June 21 was my 9th
Workcamp trip, and I have to admit, I was not ready mentally nor physically for
this one. For example, I packed shoes, shirts, shorts, shaver and socks, but no
toothpaste or soap. I brought my miter saw, Sawzall, drills, circular saws,
wrecking bars, levels, sawhorses and more, but no tape measure or pliers. I was
dreading the drive and the hot days in the sun. Things were not in order back
home, and here I was, taking off for a week. It was a struggle to get my van
and truck ready, having to replace brakes, do oil changes, and more. Nothing
seemed to be easy this time around. The day we left was also the deadline for
paperwork to be in for the Montana trip in July, so of course, there were last
minute changes and travel issues to deal with for that trip as well.
But God showed up once
again at Workcamp and changed everything. By Tuesday I had met my crew:
Justin, the quiet college guy with a love for God and eagerness to try new tools
and learn; Aidan, a self-described unbeliever who was on his 4th
mission trip (figure that one out); Becca, the 13-year-old girl with the
ponytail and the bouncy personality who always had a smile; Brandon, the
12-year-old boy scout who loved the kittens at the worksite and kept us fed and
watered as “breakmaker”; and Nicole, 14-year-old girl from Chicago, who had a
twin who I kept encountering back at the school and wondered why she looked at
me funny when I said, “Hi.” By Tuesday I was tired, content, relaxed, and my
burden had been lifted.
Our worksite was out in
the country, a two-story house built close to 100 years ago, once part of a
prosperous farm, now a rundown home for an elderly woman, her daughter, and
grandson. Our task was to replace a dilapidated wheelchair ramp that was the
only access to the home.
I don’t want to spend too
much time on the details of the work. We measured, calculated, dug postholes,
poured concrete, cut wood, nailed, bolted, sanded, and pretty soon we had a nice
ramp with solid handrails for the elder Mrs. Cutter to safely get in and out of
her home. We had a great
experience, with the students sharing a lot of time with Mrs. Cutter’s grandson
Andy, who was just out of high school. We finished that job on Wednesday and
were assigned to a new site for Thursday.
On Thursday we were
assigned to help a less experienced crew that was struggling with a porch
building project. We arrived in the rain on Thursday morning to find the other
crew had not yet started construction, so we knew it would be a challenge to
finish by the end of the workweek on Friday. The team dug right in (literally)
and finished post holes, excavation, and preparation as we got to know the folks
from the other crew. More measuring, sawing, nailing, and bolting ensued, and
by 4 o’clock Friday afternoon, we had a nice little porch built, with a series
of seven steps, handrails, and more. Both teams were really feeling like
something had been accomplished, and the resident was beside herself with the
joy of getting that new porch.
Work is only one part of
Workcamp. It is truly a remarkable thing when six people can arrive on a
Sunday, get randomly put together on a crew, and in a short day or two, feel
like they have always known each other. God truly is all about relationships.
For six short days, we plan, work, eat, worship, and play together, and our
lives are forever changed for good. At Workcamp you are immersed in Jesus, and
I think that’s the way He intends for us to live every day of our lives. The
week tends to fly past, and on Saturday, many tears are shed when its time to
leave. Maybe we don’t have to leave… maybe if we all tried to find Jesus in
everything we do, we would in fact “never leave”.
On Thursdays night at
Workcamp, the evening program “brings the week all together” at the cross. This
time, the lesson was about the paralytic who was brought to Jesus on his mat,
and lowered through the roof to Him. Jesus told him to “Take up your mat and
walk”. We each then weaved our own symbolic “mat”, made up of the things that
hold us back or that we are troubled with, and then we were given the
opportunity to lay those mats at the foot of the cross. It was a moving
experience, and many of our youth expressed feelings and understanding of all
that Jesus has done for us that they hadn’t known before.
The theme for Workcamp
this year was “Reveal”. I can report to you that Jesus indeed revealed Himself
to all of us this week in many and wonderful new ways
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Ashland,
Montana
Northern Cheyenne Nation
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After a year of preparations,
fundraising, recruiting and more, thirty-three of us departed Holy Cross on the
morning of July 10. Pastor Schauder sent us off with an inspiring message and
prayer.
After a swing through Badlands
National park, our first stop was a nifty KOA campground in Hill City, South
Dakota. We spent two nights camping there, making day trips to a beautiful
mountain lake for swimming and hiking, plus a nighttime visit to Mount Rushmore
to see their evening amphitheater presentation and a round of “Stump the Park
Ranger”. Despite thunderstorms both nights, we had a great time together.
On Sunday July 12th,
we packed up by 8 AM and traveled the remaining 3 hours or so to Ashland,
Montana, which is just outside the eastern border of the Northern Cheyenne
reservation. Along the way we stopped at what seemed like the only restaurant
in one of the only towns along US 212 in southeast Montana. Our presence
caused quite a stir, as it looked like there were usually only a handful of
people in that place at any given time. By the time we left, everyone knew who
we were and what we were doing for God (good food too!)
Sunday afternoon is “arrival
time” at a workcamp. Youth groups check in and have their picture taken, and
at 3 PM the kickoff program is held, with all 390 participants in attendance.
We checked in without any problems and the camp was off to a great start! The
school we stayed at was the St Labre Indian School, a Catholic institution for
the Indian population just to the West of Ashland. Every camp has a local
co-sponsor that teams up with Group Workcamps Foundation, and in this case it
was the Northern Cheyenne Housing Authority. Thus, all of the 64 residences
that would receive our help would be on the reservation.
We met our crews Sunday evening
and each crew got to start looking over their project plans for the week. The
work would start Monday morning so we all made sure we had the tools necessary
to do our projects. Materials are provided at the site by the local sponsor,
but the responsibility for tools is ours.
Each person from our youth
group is crewed up with 5 other people they do not know (I will leave the
details of crews to the stories from our youth).
Ordinarily we work Monday –
Friday, from 8:30 till about 3:00, with Wednesday afternoon off to go and do
something fun or interesting. The Ashland area is so remote however, that ideas
for something to do were scarce. One of our youth then took the initiative to
organize a time of playing with and getting to know children in one of the small
villages on the reservation. It was really a great afternoon of interaction
and many of the kids asked if were coming back tomorrow. Teary farewells were
said and we all left that place a little better and a lot blessed by the day.
Our trip home on Saturday and
Sunday included a stop at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and of course at the
world-famous Wall Drug in South Dakota, just in case anyone had any spending
money left.
In the Cheyenne, we found a
deeply spiritual, peaceful, grateful, and forgiving people with a deep sense of
tradition and family. I know that it was no small thing for me then, when the
Chief stood up at the closing program on Friday and proclaimed us all to be
honorary members of the tribe.
Finally, I wanted to relay a
message to everyone reading this. A woman at a local store stopped to shake my
hand and couldn’t stop talking about how great it was to have us there. I pass
this on to each one of you reading this, because no doubt you had something to
do with us being there, and we in a sense took you along with us. We were
honored to represent you as we served the Cheyenne in the name of Jesus.
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