Wow, what an incredible 10 days this Ministry Tour has been. Definitely a Tour to Remember!

It was truly a blessing to watch these kids, some shy, and quiet, some loud and boisterous, develope bonds with one another as well as friendships that well may last a lifetime. Watching the kids as they approached the elderly in the convalesce homes, at first hesitantly, not knowing what to expect – then by the end of the Tour,  jumping out eagerly after each performance to talk and hold hands with them and delight in the fact that they brought smiles and tears of joy to many of the residents.

I think this tour caused many of the kids to think about a lot of things in a different way from what they were used to. Some learned for the first time what a college dorm looks like. Some learned how hard and busy it is behind the scenes of a puppet show. For some, they learned sympathy and love for the elderly.  Many of the kids learned for the first time how exciting it is to swim in the Atlantic ocean, while others discovered a new love of white water rafting on the Pigeon Forge river. And some just learned how important it was to use deodorant on a pact bus loaded with teenagers!

But, for me, the one thing I’ll never forget about this tour was after the homecoming performance and talking with one of the mother’s as she waited patiently for her freshman daughter to finish saying her good-bye’s to each and every kid that went on tour, that – the girl on stage talking nonstop to everybody, was not the same shy quiet girl she dropped off 10 days ago’. For me, that’s what makes it worth all the sleepless nights pulling hallway duty.

The following is a post from Lynn Panosh

What a joy it is to spend a week with 47 high school students!!!  REALLY!

What makes our annual Eagle’s Wings/Hearts in Puppetry Ministry Tour so special?

Commitment

The students who participate in Eagle’s Wings and Hearts in Puppetry make the commitment to their ministry for the year…that means showing up for weekly rehearsals and sharing their music and puppet drama throughout the program year in worship and the church school.    The adult leaders that support these ministries also commit to these midweek and Sunday times.   We are united in our goal of music or puppet drama.  We work together, we pray together, we have fellowship together.  Relationships grow.  We model our ministry after the early believers as found in Acts 2:44…

“they met together constantly, shared everything they had, worshipped together, participated in the Lord’s Supper together, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity, all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of the people.”

Goals

We have a goal when we leave on our ministry tour… to share the Gospel with all we meet through music and puppet dramas. To model Christian love amongst our group and with those we meet. It’s not a cushy trip… we have long days, crammed in a bus. We load and unload every day… sleeping in a different place, sometimes dorm rooms, sometimes host homes, some hotels (nice!) and some church floors. We give up our time and some of our SELF for the good of the group. In a world of instant gratification and personal choices, we go counter cultural for a week, working together with patience and flexibility. And in doing so, we grow!

Blessings

We are incredibly blessed by everyone we meet. Older adults in retirement homes… the forgotten generation, whose smiles and warmth fill our hearts. We must face a reality that is hidden away and reach out of our comfort zone and in doing so, are blessed. Our simple act of sharing song and laughter brings joy and hope. We are blessed by those who welcome us into their congregations and homes. It is a big commitment to rally a congregation to provide a meal, host homes and come out for a concert. They do so with love and we are humbled and WE learn. We are the servants going out to share our ministries but THEY are the communities which open their hearts and time to allow the ministry to happen. From Mark 6:10…we are the disciples going out with little and they are the villages who welcome us.  Can we do the same?

Memories

We have returned with many wonderful memories of the beauty of a different part of the US… three college campuses, whitewater rafting, an afternoon at the beach and more. My heart is full of the growth of both groups as I saw high school students working together to make things happen and reaching out of their comfort zone to make new friends. We had no major drama… because all cooperated and gave of themselves. For sixteen graduated seniors it was their last trip and on our closing night, they shared and they grieved the end of a chapter in their lives. They, we, have been changed.

Parents

I am grateful for the parents who support their child’s involvement in these ministries… who encourage (or insist sometimes) that their child honor their commitment, who see the value of a Christian community, who work their family’s busy schedule around our schedule. I am grateful for the support of the Our Saviour’s community in our fund raising and recognizing and encouraging these ministries. I am thankful for the work of the youth leaders, Pastors and other musicians who work as a team… a village to help our children grow and learn. I am grateful to the seven adult leaders who give of their time and are passionate about their faith and these young people. I am grateful to God, who blesses our efforts and gives us all that we need.

Eagle’s Wings and Hearts in Puppetry take a “break” for the summer, but begin again with the annual “Fall Into” retreat at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center in Oregon, IL in August. ALL students are invited to this retreat or to become a part of either ministry. More information on that to come!

Here are pictures of our white water rafting experience! Below is the slide show but if you click here you’ll be directed to the Flickr.com page where this set is located.

If you or your child went on the trip, we would appreciate it if you would donate $2 towards the cost of these rafting pictures. They were taken by the staff at Nantahala Outdoor Center and cost us some money in order to have them send us the CD. You can give the money to me (Graham) or Lynn Panosh. Thank you!

Here are some instructions for downloading images off of any of our Flickr photo sets:

Step 1:

Click on “All Sizes”

Step 2:

Click on “Download the Large size” or whatever size you wish to download.

There you have it! you’ve got your own copy of the photo!