Pilgrimage Debrief (Part 2)

This week's post comes from Regan Plourde, who wrote the following testimony and shared it at worship on Sunday, September 19. The first part of this story, as told by Hannah Cooper, was posted last week.

Hi. For those of you who don't know me, I am Regan, one of the pilgrims this summer. Before I pick up to where Hannah left off, I would like to say that this trip was extremely impactful and I learned so many new things. I believe Hannah left off on Thursday which is where I will continue to tell you all about.

Thursday

Thursday morning we all woke up early and headed to another lake, Jenny Lake. As you can tell we visited many lakes over the week. Not one lake was the same. They all were so different and beautiful in their own ways. We all piled into our van full of all us kids and headed off to Jenny Lake. When we arrived there we were lucky enough to find a parking spot as it was very busy that day. We didn’t know much about what to expect as we were not given many details about what this day would bring.

After everyone was ready we set onto our hike. A little ways into our hike we experienced something that I will never forget. After all week of hearing about the dangers of bears and the need to have bear spray… we finally saw a bear. We were hiking on the trail as the people in front of us stopped. When we looked to see what it was they were looking at we saw a bear. Immediately we all turned around and ran in the opposite direction. I’m not sure about the rest of the group but after all our talks about bears I was terrified. Eventually the bear moved on and we continued our hike.

About halfway through our hike we came across a beautiful waterfall. I had seen waterfalls before but nothing like this. After the group was all together we sat down to have a service. We found rocks to sit on by the waterfall and had a really wonderful service. Between what I consider a usual service, Church by the Pond, and the service by the waterfall, the waterfall service was my favorite because we were able to connect with God and with nature all at once.

After our service we continued our hike all the way to the top which was called inspiration point. It was a breathtaking view of the whole lake.

After eating our lunches and feeding the squirrels we headed back down to the surprise we had been told about even though we had already figured out what it was. There was a boat ride back to the main parking lot. This was good as we were all tired from a long day. That evening we closed with prayer and talking about our God moments for the day.

Friday

Friday was our last official day. This was the day everyone was looking forward to. It was the day we went white water river rafting on the Snake River. We all woke up and drove into town to where we got the bus to take us to the river. We got into our raft, everyone was excited. The river rafting was a blast. There were some heavy rapids which made it all the more thrilling.

We got back onto the bus to go back into town where we went shopping downtown Jackson Hole. On our ride back to the campground we came across buffalo. After watching them for a bit we realized the baby buffalo was eating a mask. This really brought me back to reality as it made me think about the impact we have on nature and how harmful we can be. I worry that that one baby buffalo may not be the only buffalo, or animal in general, that may be doing the same thing.

This day of all days the mountains were the most clear as the smoke had started to go away. As Hannah said, from the second we stepped off the plane, smoke was visible and the mountains were not clear. We learned this was due to fires in Idaho which is something I would never have known was occurring.

After a week of new experiences we took that evening to have a final group discussion. We received letters from our parents, a great way to end the week. We then went around and talked about ways we saw God work through others, ways God worked through us, and our God moments for the week. This discussion was rather emotional as we all had such a wonderful experience together that we knew was coming to an end. We discussed our returns to reality and how we would see things differently and what going back to normal and busy everyday life would be like.

Saturday

The next morning was back to reality. We all packed up and headed to the airport. After gate changes and other obstacles we made it back to Bradley at midnight. After driving through pouring rain we made it back to the church where we were greeted by our families after having not seen them for so long.

Final Reflections

Overall, this trip changed the way I look at things. I look more closely now at how God has an impact on things. I learned more about how God helps me get through tough times such as camping or not showering for two days. God created the beautiful mountains that I was so lucky to see. He created the lakes, and all the animals we saw. And the most impactful of all, God created the many wonderful and kind people we met along our trip.

This was a truly life changing experience and I am so grateful for the chaperones that experienced this with us as well as our parents and the parish for all the help with fundraising and the many well wishes we received.

Pilgrimage Debrief (Part 1)

This week's post comes from Hannah Cooper, who wrote the following testimony and shared it at worship on Sunday, September 19. The second and final part of this story, as told by Regan Plourde, will be posted next week.

Hello, for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Hannah Cooper. I have been a

part of the youth program here at St. Paul’s since I was little, so I’ve been able to experience all that the program has to offer. Going through multiple famines and a mission trip, this summer I was lucky enough to travel to Grand Tetons, Wyoming for my pilgrimage.

Sunday

The first day was a big day. It was the first time we were flying without our parents and

for some the first time flying ever. First, getting there was a shock to my senses, having never been anywhere with that landscape: the size of the mountains and the haziness from the fires in Oregon and California was astounding. The evening was filled with introductions to our guides Pete and Bill and the numerous bear and animal safety warnings which did nothing to curb my worries. That first night we tried to adapt to our new surroundings, which did not go very well seeing as I freaked out for a solid 30 minutes before bed about a flying centipede in our yurt.

Monday

On Monday, we visited the Church of the Transfiguration set into the mountains, a landmark which we were constantly shown when curious of where we were going this summer.

Preparations for the stone soup dinners were also made at the grocery store as we formed our two teams.

Finally, we all went on our first hike of the trip where we were promised an opportunity to go cliff jumping down by Phelps Lake. This hike probably didn't start as early as it should’ve so we rushed to get down to the lake about 1.5 miles away. We lost the chaperones for a bit during the hike which became a problem when debating if we should be jumping off a cliff with no phones and no idea how to get help if anything went wrong. Luckily, the chaperones magically appeared while we were debating, probably a moment of wonder to be honest.

Tuesday

Tuesday was our day of service with the National Park Service. Our job: maintaining a trail that had been overtaken with sage bushes and plants. Now at first, this task was fun. We each had a giant pair of clippers and got to throw the bushes down the mountain. The excitement soon started to fade though as time went on with the discovery that inhaling sage pollen for three hours was not great for some people’s allergies.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, we drove to Yellowstone National Park. This was also the day we formed the kids car where all seven of us plus Reverend Helena got to go in one car. The park was beautiful and even though it was still Wyoming, there was a different atmosphere. We got to watch Old Faithful erupt twice and ate lunch by a river.

On this night, it was our team’s turn to make our stone soup dinner which went pretty well except for dessert. The plantains, which we for some reason thought would be successful even though we had no clue how to make them, were inedible.

Final Reflections

Before I let Regan tell you all about the second half of our pilgrimage, I would like to

share how pilgrimage has changed me. Now although I wouldn’t say that I necessarily found God while on pilgrimage, I have found a greater appreciation for everything that has been created around me. Being that much more removed from the real world than usual, the impact of nature was very strong; the views of the mountains which looked different from every angle, the abundance of butterflies everywhere I looked, and the overall serenity of this place provided me with a stronger appreciation for life. Enjoying every moment and living in the moment, not focusing so much on the what-ifs or the future but what is in front of me right now.

Each night, our entire group would have a debrief reflecting on the events of that day,

performing a short night service, and sharing our God moment of the day. Seeing as we shared one each night, I had an array of God moments throughout the trip, but the one that still stands out to me is the view of the mountains which never got old. From each new location or angle, the mountains had a different impact. For instance, looking at them over Phelps Lake felt different than swimming next to them in Jackson Lake. The simplicity yet depth of nature in the Grand Tetons demonstrated to me the beauty of God’s work.

Lastly, I would like to thank the St. Paul’s parish, our chaperones, our guides, and the

other pilgrims for making this experience possible. Amen.

Welcoming the Children

How appropriate that we're starting up our children's formation again (in a modified format), and this Sunday's gospel reading is from Mark 9.

In this story, Jesus is sitting with his twelve disciples.

Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Children in the ancient world were particularly vulnerable. Some scholars think that only about 50% of children in ancient Rome lived to see the age of 10.

So, when Jesus places this child at the center of their circle, he is highlighting for them one of the most defenseless people in their society. And he's identifying himself with that same vulnerable person!

"Jesus welcomes the children" from the Jesus Mafa project

It made me think of this painting from the Jesus Mafa project. In the 1970s, Mafa Christians in Cameroon did dramatic recreations of scenes from the New Testament. They sought to envision the most important scenes from Jesus' life in their own cultural context. Photos were taken, and French artists transcribed the photos into paintings.

In this painting, we see Jesus, wrapped in a red robe, surrounded by children. He has several in his lap, and others are gathered around smiling. Clearly he has a magnet-like effect on the children of this village. And they have his undivided attention.

The gospels record Jesus prioritizing children several times in his public ministry. I wonder what he means when he talks about welcoming a child in his name? He seems to have a soft spot for them, in the same way he has special love for sick people, tax collectors, and scorned women.

If welcoming children is equivalent to welcoming Jesus, then our supporting our children's formation program is crucial work. We're still looking for teachers for 2021-2022, and we'll be doing fundraising activities throughout the year that will need your support, as well. I invite you to discern how the Holy Spirit might be nudging you to take action to welcome children in Jesus' name.

For more Jesus Mafa artwork, see the collection online at Vanderbilt University's Jean & Alexander Heard Libraries. And let me know which ones are your favorites!