Servant Event 2006

Last week, our junior and senior youth group (called LYF out here) went on a Servant Event to Camp Trinity in New Haven, Missouri, about 60 miles SW of the St. Louis Seminary and about 600 miles from the parsonage. This translates to a 9.5 hour drive straight through, or, with 12 kids and an infant, nearly 13 hours. However, there is still some question of whether or not we were ever lost on this drive. The jury is still out. Al and I and two other really great adult leaders, (who we’ll call Mo and Curly Jo due to the fact I forgot to ask them if I could use their names), took 12 youth and Eden. We stayed there 6 nights, in a large, divided cabin with air conditioning (total luxury!) and 11 bunks. There were 51 participants total, from Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois and Nebraska. Go Huskers!! (I get brownie points for saying that. Don’t worry Dad, I’ll always cheer for MSU, even when the Red and White are killing us and I’m the only green in the room).

Anyway, moving on… The camp is beautiful, dominated by tall, sturdy oaks and filled with green grass, swimming ponds, hiking trails, and the sandy, rock-filled Missouri River. I watched a Great Blue Heron sweep for prey one early afternoon. His wings spanned at least 5 feet, his crown a dirty white. But he was camera shy, so he stays in my memory only. I haven’t seen a great blue heron since I left Michigan. Oh, how life has changed.

The camp has a lodge, which Al spent most of his time fixing up, with the help of 4 other youth. On the back of the lodge is a camp store and swimming pool, all surrounded by gardens. Curly Jo and my group were responsible for planting and mulching gardens, and PLANT WE DID!! One hundred and eight flats, to be exact. The people from Texas and Nebraska were not used to planting in the poor soil. The clay was its typical slimy, yet sticky self and the ‘dirt’ was hard and cracked. Curly Jo said she’d never complain about the soil in Nebraska again!



One of the lakes had a bridge going over the middle, with a gazebo in the middle, filled with flowers. The kids enjoyed canoeing it daily. Eden had herfirst canoe ride on my lap, while here daddy paddled us around the water fountain.

There were volleyball courts, basket ball courts, tennis courts, swimming holes, campfire circles, a gazebo over-looking the river, and an outdoor chapel, in which Mo lead the group which rebuilt the cross and altar.

Our group worked very hard all week. One day we went to the nursing home to sing. The next day we went in to town to serve at senior citizen’s homes, painting and cleaning gutters, washing drapes and the like. Mo’s group put up a sign at the cemetery, as well.

There was plenty of free time, plenty of food and plenty of Christian fellowship. God was definitely at work in the lives of all who were there. Eden was a peach. One leader asked me at the end of the week if Eden ever cried? (Apparently, this chaperone slept through the first night with no problem!) I was very proud of the kids we brought along, they were a joy to work with, and, given the choice, I’d be there right now with them again, enjoying another reality at Camp Trinity.

After a week of sweating, working in the rain (the Nebraska group minus Sarah being the only ones who didn’t run for cover when the first sprinkle hit), and generally getting worn out, we traveled to the St. Louis seminary for a break on our way home. The hour long drive went by quickly, as we caravanned with the Wisconsin van, complete with walkie talkies. When we arrived, everybody piled out of the vans, anxious to get into the massive buildings. Our kids were in awe of the chapel. I could sense it in their ‘jaw on the floor’ look, and they immediately sat down in the pews, heads turning in all different directions. You can scarcely take it all in. It was neat to see them so interested. One girl was fascinated with the banners, others, with the windows, some with the off-centered cross over the altar and yet others with the huge marble baptismal font. They explored the altar with great respect, standing in the pulpit looking out over the invisible congregation. When it was time to move on, they wanted to go up to the balcony and check out the view from there, so they did.

When we walked in the door at Sieck hall, trying to stick to a time schedule, Al started to lead them into a ‘typical classroom’, but they were stopped by a piece of original artwork right inside the door, seemingly mesmerized. They were still standing there, five minutes later trying to ‘figure out’ all the meanings in the painting, as the adults frantically checked their watches, fretting over the time. The group never made it to the classroom... I smiled when I realized how much culture they were getting in one day.

Our last stop on the abbreviated tour was to Luther Tower. Luther Tower was completed in 1966, though it was in the original plans for the seminary. The base of the tower contains the Chapel of the Holy Apostles, and the top part of the tower houses the 49-bell carillon, in which the group got to ascend a narrow, winding staircase to see. Our boys appeared to be fascinated with the explanation of how the bells got into the tower, the biggest one being put in location by a crane.

After a ‘quick?’ bathroom stop, we loaded up again for the long drive home. Our plan was to drive the 6 miles east to the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, & get onto the Interstate. However, upon being two blocks from the Arch, and stuck in a terrible jam, we quickly realized that, due to Fair St. Louis, the road was closed and we had to backtrack south for 20 miles. On a positive note, I heard many exciting comments about ‘being stuck in my first traffic jam’, that I really smiled about it. After we left the seminary, Al’s cell phone started buzzing, relaying that he had voice mail messages that were lost in ‘analog world’ for the whole week. His first message being that his dear friend and fellow Concordia classmate, a current seminarian at the Ft. Wayne campus, had passed away less than a month after learning that he was filled with cancer. Al missed the message, therefore missing the memorial service, but later said ‘there was no place I’d have rather been if I couldn’t have been at the funeral.’

After another 12 hours, we pulled into Wilcox and silently thanked God for getting us safely to and from our destination. Deep down, I think the parents were thankful too.