HT Abroad ‘23

Catching up before I head to Panama tomorrow and get further behind. I meant to get this post up yesterday and another today, but my mind and body decided that it was a lay-in-bed-and-read-a-book kind of morning. I needed the afternoon for other computer work, running errands...and finishing the aforementioned book ;)

After an 11 day "break," at the end of June, though, I guess you could say July came in like a lion (keep reading) with a Higher Things (HT) team of 12: 7 conference alumni + 5 staff. Their project was straightforward: VBS in Cienfuegos, which they combined with an HT retreat - daily keynotes on topics related to vocation, missions, etc. - and plenty of worship opportunities. 

I don't normally have time to plan, shop, and cook for myself when there are volunteers here, much less for others, but more than a couple days to reset between teams does wonders, and I loved feeding the HT team the night they arrived, aka before I was knee-deep in a bajillion other things. 

Church on Sunday was extra-special because a) there was a Baptism; b) two team members graced the congregation with their musical gifts; and c) there were THREE birthdays, including one of the team members. 

Adam

Ambrose

We embarrassed Makia by making her stand up front with seminarian Daniel and Altagracia so we could sing to her. 

To the beach! 

I didn't think they'd be terribly hungry since we'd eaten lunch around 3, but Little Caesar's was ~insane~ so it was after 9 by the time I got back with pizza! I stayed and prayed Compline (possibly for the first time?) with the team, as they would every night.

The team leader had requested weekday brunches instead of breakfasts and lunches, so I planned something unique for each day. Monday: typical Dominican fare at the group home. 

Rev. Harrison Goodman kicking off the retreat. 

VBS took place M-F from 4-6 pm, in keeping with the time slot of a weekly "Bible school" activity. We structured the time around a large group opening, stations the kids rotated amongst, and a large group closing. Day 1 was...day 1: chaotic as expected, but the pure Gospel was spoken and we turned our learnings into process improvements for the next day, and the next day, and the next day. 

Berkis (wife of sem grad Carlos, my main Cienfuegos contact) handled check-in since she knew the core group of kids from their weekly visits. 

Snack prep! Remember: nothing pre-packaged or grab-and-go here. Exhibit A: "Ritz" cracker and "Nutella" sandwich lions with pretzel manes to go with Daniel and the Lions' Den.

It was clear the kids knew and respected Carlos when we got to his part of the opening. He & Pastor Rafael (Iglesia Luterana Pueblo Nuevo, the mother church of Cienfuegos) would later just take over, ad-libbing based on bullet points from the curriculum, and eventually shift the Bible story from its own station to part of the opening.

The Day 1 craft was on-theme, too. 

One of the process improvements was coloring sheets during the arrival window - what became the calmest part of the day. 

Jamie (right) was one of the music leaders. I interpreted for crafts, so I admittedly don't have many pictures of the OTHER stations.

Another process improvement: add an interactive game to closing. We were able to use the cancha one day when there wasn't volleyball practice. 

Photo evidence or not, the music leaders must have been doing something right. 

I loved this moment between Pastor Rafael and Ambrose, a pre-sem student at CUW who led Bible stories all week. 

Bus Matins! We mixed up the morning routine Wednesday so the team could go waterfall jumping at 27 Charcos. 

A highlight of Thursday was getting to co-lead a retreat session with HT's Events Executive, Crysten. She's on the LCMS Board for National Mission and talked about our church body's work domestically; I rounded it out with how volunteers and my role as Volunteer Coordinator fit into the Office of International Mission. 

Thursday's also the day the cookies came out of the freezer for snack!

Friday we went OUT to brunch at a place I'd been wanting to try called, creatively, BRUNCH Café Bistro. One of their specialties is waffles (& pancakes) with ice cream. 

How did I make it all the way 'til Friday without getting a picture of the VBS mastermind? Crysten is the "me" of HT and made sure everyone knew where they needed to be and when. 

On what planet were kids NOT going to make a mess when given feathers, stickers, shells, pom-poms, fun foam scraps, and glue?

Good thing all seven young adult participants went out of their way to be helpful at every turn. I didn't lift a single heavy thing all week. 

We closed the event with a familiar prayer, in any language. 

HT is currently in the thick of conference season. I won't be in either Carbondale, IL, or San Antonio, TX, but I understand there'll be an exciting announcement on the screen at both sites: HT Abroad '24, June 30 - July 6 in the Dominican Republic!

Until next time, blessings!