Also Alabama - Pass Christian to Camp Christian

  Today was an early morning seeing as many of us were told several times last night that it was "Lights out!" We woke up to a delectable breakfast prepared by the cooks, Joan, Jenn, Diane and Bev. We started off doing something a little different. We went to the Habitat Restore and did some landscaping, such as pulling weeds, trimming trees and riding on the back of the truck with Wally F. We were able to finish our work pretty quickly so that we could be off to the beach.

  We rolled up to the ocean in our totally tubular bus. Wally past us in his sweet beemer.  Ready to just party it up on the beach we came prepared and wore sunscreen but… we're rocking the burn lines. Even though lots of us are burnt, we managed to enjoy the salty water. Splish splash we was having a blast! We tried to hang 10… some of us crashed with the waves. The lovely cooks brought us a delectable snack of rice crispy squares and flavoured water. At 4:30 we packed up and headed back to camp.

  We got back and the cooks had made us some delectable tacos. We chowed down and sprinted to the showers trying to cool down from the heat of the sun. Now the crazy chaperones are riding us again like rented mules so hang loose brah, catch you later.

                                Brought to you by Mieke and Ashley.

We began our Also week in Alabama by working at the Habitat Restore for the morning.

 We finished our work at the Restore early enough for us to enjoy an afternoon at the ocean.  We travelled about an hour outside of our camp to the Gulf Shore.

Catching a little sun ! (Too much sun!!)

The classic beach shot.

Not to be outdone, the girls give it a shot . . . must admit they caught on to one, two, three . . . jump a little quicker..

Ashley and Gabby enjoying the ocean and the white sand.

  Kathleen and Jenae just strolling down the beach with the sun on their faces and cooling breeze blowing through their hair.

Touch football in the sand.

Also Alabama

Taking advantage of the warm evenings at Camp Christian.  Cheyenne and Ryan W. at the net.

Ralph, John, Lloyd and Wally F. sharing a few fish stories.

ALSO Calgary Arrived Safely

The ALSO Calgary group left Rosthern this morning at 9:00, leaving behind freshly fallen snow to go to sunny Calgary, because the grass is always greener on the other side.

We had a long seven-hour van ride, with quite a few stops: Anywhere between too many and not enough. We arrived at Foothills Mennonite  Church at about 6:00 pm, and after supper we had orientation sessions with Megan Enns, Kim Thiessen and Futi(sp?), an International Volunteer Exchange Program participant from South Africa.

We are currently having nightlunch and preparing for a big day tomorrow. Don't be afraid, pictures are coming! It's just that nothing too interesting has happened... yet...

-Benjamin Schulz

ALSO Saskatoon: Exploring Issues Close to Home

Monday April 29, 2013

ALSO Saskatoon students participated in MCC's CHALO! programming today and explored some social issues affecting the Saskatoon area.  This was to provide a context for their volunteer experiences over the next three days.   The day began with a snowy trip to the MCC Centre in Saskatoon where the MCC staff lead some exercises that helped students understand the damaging effects of stereotypes and 'single stories' when we think about people that are different than us.

 -The MCC Staffers: Becca, Myriam, and Kaytee did a great job!-

After these workshops we were introduced to two speakers (and former gang members) from the STR8-UP rehabilitation program in Saskatoon, the only of its kind in the city.  They shared some heart-felt stories about their past and how and why they got involved in gang life.  These stories put a personal face on some of the issues that face many young people in the province, and reminded us that addictions and crime affect us all so we must all be part of the solution.

 -STR8-UP leader Stan along with Dave and Shane-

Following a quick lunch we traveled downtown and completed a 'race for survival' simulation game where different students assumed the role of different people and had to complete some tasks within their role.  This helped us see how life can be much different when viewed from a different point of view, and how cold it can be to be 'on the street'.

  -Dria, Nicole, and Terry complete their 'Race for Survival'-

After journaling at the MCC Centre and some discussion about the afternoon activity we returned home to RJC.  Tomorrow we will begin our service assignments at Habitat for Humanity, Farm-in-the-Dell, and Saskatoon community schools.      

Also Alabama- New Orleans to Pass Christian

Greetings my friends,

            We awoke this morning with an air of expectancy: we were visiting the fabled Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church! Upon awakening, we breathed in the essence of musk and saw the gleaming vacancy sign of the Knights Inn shining bright in our eyes. We prepared ourselves for a day packed with excitement.

            We arrived at the church while Sunday School had half an hour left. While the kids were being educated about God's word, we joined the adult session. Already, we saw signs of the most invigorating and entertaining service we'd ever been a part of.  The charisma that these adults were displaying already was more than I had seen in any Mennonite churches I had ever been in combined.  The congregation and the speakers were very communicative and intimate, with members joining in whenever they felt the urge. The passion that was displayed by our new friends was uplifting and invigorating. Amen! The relatively small choir of about 12 people shook the building. Goosebumps covered many arms as Marvin Gaye's doppelganger led the choir, as well as the drummer and bass player. We sang three of our own pieces, and the reaction was far more vocally enthusiastic than what we are used to in our Mennonite churches. "SING IT! SING IT!" was heard all throughout our pieces.

            Reverend Harry Toussaint started soft and over the next hour and a bit worked his way up to his bold conclusion--"God is greater than all circumstances." The Reverend had energetic earnestness flowing from his mouth and body. His speech eventually gave way to an improvised chant/song, in which the pianist and drummer soon entered in. As the words of God flowed out like a rushing river, it was as if we were being splashed by the Lord's will.  It was obvious that everyone in the building was a believer. The congregation, as well as the Reverend, were engaged as though they were hearing the most fascinating story ever told. If anyone is able to fall asleep, they must be straight trippin'. A service like that--that's what the edge of your seat is made for!  Can I get a witness? HALLELUJAH!!!

            Our brothers and sisters were kind enough--gracious enough--to supply us with a homemade southern home-style meal, including fried chicken and collard greens. Never had so many "amen!"s been exclaimed after the doxology. A Canadian-style gift of maple syrup and Saskatoon berry jam was presented to RJC's longtime friend Billy Morgan.

            We were treated to an afternoon swamp tour, which made biology incredibly interesting. We were treated to alligator, wild boar and blue heron sightings, among others. Currently, we're at Camp Christian. We begin our brief stint with Habitat for Humanity in the morning, and we're very excited to keep on keepin' on. CAN I GET A WITNESS?! UHH!!

With Love,

Travis Hebert and Nick Hawrishok

A warm southern welcome from our friends at Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church

The 'Choir'

Worship through singing like we had never heard before.

Karalee and Billy Morgan 

RJC choir with one of their three numbers.

Reverend  Harry Toussaint with his message!

Good ole southern fried chicken, collard greens and beans.

Billy as ever was a gracious host.

Swamp land

A gator came to say hello!

As well as Bacon and two Ham sandwiches!  Just a family of feral hogs.

We have done and seen lots.  Time to begin our journalling .  We look forward to beginning our work with Habitat tomorrow.

The two authors of todays blog hard at work.

ALSO Alabama - Memphis to New Orleans

Saturday

We had an early morning on the bus

We are all excited, everyone of us

We left the Mississippi rain

For the Louisiana terrain

On the way we saw alligators swim so fast

The French Quarter was a blast

From buskers, to dancers, to street artists, to jazz

Anything you want New Orleans has

Alligator, shrimp, oysters, and crawfish

These delicacies were dee-lish dee-lish

Tomorrow off to church we roll

We are gonna sing with soul

Now our day has come to an end

To you all our love we send

The end

Crystal, Jaye and Gabby

Typical Louisiana countryside from the bus window

Fishing on Lake Pontchartrain.  We crossed the lake by driving over a 38 mile bridge.

Above ground cemetery. Water table is so high that burials are above ground.

Typical architecture in the French Quarter

Shopping at the street vendors in the French Quarter

One of the many street performers.

Listening to the buskers on the streets in New Orleans

Street corner bands 

Sampling alligator and crawfish! 

Some of the local products to tempt your pocketbook.

Crystal sucking back an Oyster in the market.

Care for a bite of crawfish?

Preparing for Goodwill Missionary Baptist church tomorrow morning.   Choir practice under the trees.

ALSO Alabama - Rosthern to Memphis

These past few days have been a bit cramped. "One thing they don't tell you before you get on the bus is that you will be sleeping on the bus in a NON HORIZONTAL POSITION for TWO NIGHTS. ahahahah" - Matt Remenda.  We spent our time playing games for as long as we could tolerate them, Matt loved Go Fish. Its not always comfortable trying to lay between bags, leg rests, and other people but we make do. As long as you make sure you don't have to go to the washroom in the middle in the night on the bus or else you will have to mess with Ryan Wiens whose head was right in front of the washroom door, its not that bad. 

On the brighter side we won't be sleeping on the bus for a while - tomorrow we will be in a hotel and then we will be in Camp Christian for a week. "We have eaten almost all our food and now we are relying on what's left to get us through the week, WHICH! is awesome because its great food!" - Matt Remenda. 

Today we stopped at the Elvis town or Elvis place or however Matt Remeda says it, he thought that signing a dead guy's wall was really stupid, but everyone else signed it anyway. After Elvis Town (Graceland, Memphis) we stopped at the National Civil Rights Museum. There we stopped and learned about the life and death of Martin Luther King Junior as well human rights leaders and civil rights movements. We just stopped at our hotel a few hours ago and we had supper at Abbay's. We had some fun afterwards, especially Matt and now we are just chillin' in the lobby.

Tomorrow we are on our way to New Orleans to see the French Quarter.  

 "PEACE OUT! :)" - Matt Remenda  - Liam Peters

Passing the time with a little Catch Phrase.  Jaye is bamboozled!

'What nerds' says Lloyd.  Do people still do this?

Nick plays bare-chested cribbage while Derek looks on.  Travis is too shy. 

Liam's version of War.  It's the friendly version.

Matt and Liam pretending to watch TV. . . . but there isn't one.

In front of one of Elvis's cars at Graceland

Derek, Josh and Ryan don't actually know who Elvis is.

Jenae and Laura are very excited about spelling their names right on
the wall at Graceland 

Morgan and Josh team up to sign at the top of the wall .

It's so nice to be walking outside with no snow around.

Nick and Trissy having lunch at the Rockabilly Cafe in Graceland.

Getting instructions as we start the tour of the National Civil Rights Museum

Ryan outside the Lorraine Motel reading the biography of Martin Luther King

Morgan leaning over the balcony in the same spot where Martin Luther King was assassinated.