Epworth UMC Mission Trip and Baltimore County Christian Work Camp

July has been devoted to two week-long endeavors that were very much alike.

The first project involved a couple dozen members of Epworth United Methodist Church traveling to Cherokee, North Carolina in the western mountains to the Cherokee Indian Reservation to do various types of mission work including painting, cleaning, and building a deck.  We stayed at the Cherokee United Methodist Church in the heart of the reservation.

While it may not be obvious why it was necessary to do mission work, in light of the huge casino in downtown Cherokee, there are many families which do not meet the criteria for membership in the tribe and these are the families that, in the words of the pastor, "fall through the cracks". These were the families that the church identified for us to help.

My project was the construction of the 10 foot by 20 foot deck.  I found a design for the deck online and originally we were told that it would be 10 foot by 10 foot, but when we arrived the plans changed.  There was also intended to be a roof over the deck because the homeowner has contracted cancer and needed to be protected from the sun.  Another mission team, to come after us, will be building the roof.

Our mission team was inter-generational which means it was the responsibility of the older members of the team to teach our youth how to operate the power tools and how to construct the deck.  This was one of the joys for me.  These youngsters had so much energy and enthusiasm that I loved being around them.  And, yes, they constantly reminded me to "Drink water, Mr. Ed!"  It was very hot and dehydration was always a concern.

The mission trip was also an opportunity for cultural awareness and we learned a lot about the Cherokee Indian tribe...specifically the "Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation."  One of our featured speakers was this tribal elder who also gave us a lesson on how to use a blowgun.  He had dinner with us at the church hall and afterwards everyone gathered around to hear him tell stories about the early days of lacrosse and hunting for small animals with blowguns.  Later in the week, we attended a pageant telling the Cherokee history and a Pow-Wow that included fireworks and dancing.

A week after we returned, our church participated in the Baltimore
County Christian Work Camp.  Unlike the mission trip which involved going to a far away place to help people, this was an opportunity to make a difference right here in our backyard.  Because our church is particularly adept at building ramps, we were selected for three ramp projects.  Other churches, however, do other things such as painting, cleaning, plumbing, etc.

Our first ramp was a relatively small project which we got done in a day. The homeowner had suffered a fall...was in the hospital...and needed a ramp constructed so he could get around.  This project was in Woodlawn and despite some surprisingly large rocks, it went very smoothly.  I came back the second day to make some final adjustments on the sidewalk in front of the house (added sand and a couple pavers) but basically it was all done.

The next project involved part of our team working with a handful of people from another church and the effort went very smoothly.  They were delightful to work with and, again, our youth...now highly trained...were a big asset to the project.  There is no replacement for youthful energy.  This project was in Middle River.

The final project, however, was very complicated and took three and a half days to build. This was a ramp that included two "switchbacks" (sharp turns) to construct in the limited space we were given.  The good news is that we got it done and it turned out really well.

One other aspect about the Baltimore County Christian Work Camp that is very important to mention.  We began each day at the Hunts Memorial United Methodist Church in Ruxton and we ended each day at another church.  These meals (and the lunches) were provided by the church volunteers and we can't thank them enough for the difference they made in our lives.

Grand Canyon and Sedona vacation

It's been awhile since I posted anything and I need to catch up!  Barb and I have had an extraordinarily busy couple of months and we have much to report.  First, I'm going to write about our vacation in Arizona in which we took a train to the Grand Canyon south rim and later visited Sedona (red rocks) and Phoenix.  It is important to note that our niece (http://thedestinationdesigner.com/) Mackenzie Melfa had a major role in booking the trip and finding out about Sedona which was a wonderful surprise for us.

This tale actually begins a year ago when we took AMTRAK across the country to visit our son Robert in Portland.  One of the couples we met on the train, Tom and Carol Lee, told us about this wonderful train from Williams, Arizona to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  They wrote the information on an AMTRAK table napkin and we kept it in a folder until several months later when we decided we wanted to go.  We still have that napkin.

We booked an early morning Southwest Airlines flight to Phoenix on Sunday, June 8.  That's Barb in the airport shortly after we arrived. We picked up our rental car and started driving four and a half hours to Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon Railroad Hotel.  It was the biggest thing in town; a source of many jobs.  This hotel is the former Sante Fe Railroad hotel built circa 1908 and it is said that as many as five U.S. presidents have taken the train to the Grand Canyon.  It certainly is the most fun way to travel.

Prior to our 9:30am Monday morning departure, we and hundreds of others were treated to a cowboy show just outside the hotel and adjacent to the train.  There were the usual bad guys and "the Marshall" who had to keep order.  This would be a recurring theme throughout our trip on the train and on the return trip when the bad guys would rob the train and the Marshall would have to come to our rescue.  We suspect the actors trade the roles to keep it fresh. It was a lot of fun.

Arriving at the Grand Canyon, we were greeted by several tour buses which were part of our package (including very good meals) and we were immediately taken to the rim of the Grand Canyon.  I'm sure you've heard this before: it's impossible to describe the enormity of it all. It's huge.  We were at 7,000 feet on our side of the rim and it rises another 1,000 feet on the other side of the rim.  We elected to spend a night in the Maswik Lodge at the canyon rim so we could catch that late evening and early morning light.  My sister told me that was a "must".

My sister was right. The color is dramatically different in the evening and in the morning. (That's the crack of dawn in the picture to the right).  You really begin to see the various trails leading down to the bottom of the canyon and the astonishing number of people who are trying to make their way down.  One thing you must remember:  take a lot of water. Everywhere we went, there were reminders to re-hydrate yourself.  The national park provides many sources of water, but they don't sell the water bottles.  You must bring your own.  Now, on to Sedona....

This was the view outside of our hotel balcony in Sedona, known for its fabulous red rocks and mountains.  In some ways, Sedona is more "approachable" than the Grand Canyon which simply overwhelms you because it is so big.  You can't take it all in.  But Sedona (named for one of its earliest inhabitants) sweeps you off your feet with its beauty and history.  We stayed there two nights, but it easily could have been a week.  We took the famous "Pink Jeep" tour to the Indian ruins and saw artifacts from the era 1,000 AD to 1,200 AD.

These are the remnants of Indian housing built adjacent to a stream which was their source of water.  These houses were built with stones and mud against a mountain wall.  Pink Jeep offers many tours and this was just one of them, but we were so glad that we picked this tour.  You can still see the drawings on the walls on the back side of their housing.  The sun was a frequent subject of their paintings so we suspect it had a role in their religion.  As mysteriously as the Indians appeared, they disappeared 200 years later.  Possibly the water dried up.

Our final stop was in Phoenix which some have described as "low rise and 40 miles across".  We found very few high rise buildings and the town seemed to empty out on Friday night, so this seemed to be accurate.  That left us free to roam the light rail from end to end on Saturday and visit the historic Heard Museum (picture left) which is dedicated to preserving southwest U.S. culture and artifacts.  When we visited, they also were featuring a "Lego" exhibit; hence the statues in front of the building.


In short, we loved our Arizona adventure.