June 6, 2012

Where do English, Creole, French, and concrete mix?

At the Church of the Brethren's young adult workcamp in Haiti, of course.

This unique workcamp took place last month, and one of the projects for the week was to build a stairwell at a school. When the workcampers arrived they met another group of young adults who was also there to serve: teachers and friends of the school. Together, these peers from different cultures formed one team and diligently worked side by side to complete their task.

The concrete was mixed by hand, and the wood was cut with rickety saws. "Most of us hadn't been exposed to that kind of construction before, so the Haitians had to teach us a lot," said Cat Gong, 2012 workcamp co-coordinator. "They also helped us practice our Creole. It was quite a learning experience."

Workcampers rented a house to use as their dormitory for the week, which provided the opportunity to make friends with children on the streets. "Many of them were grade school age," said Cat. "But they were too poor to go to school." So the workcampers invited the kids in to play in the evenings. One night, workcampers Brooke and Erin even hosted a bowling lesson for all the people at the house. They lined up empty water bottles for pins, and used a rubber ball to knock them down.

These experiences beautifully portray one of the most important goals of Global Mission and Service ministries: to serve brothers and sisters around the world, not from a place above, but from a place beside; to learn from differences (even if that's just mixing concrete); and to share new experiences (even if that's make-shift bowling). Participants in the Haiti workcamp built much more than a stairwell, they built and strengthened meaningful relationships.

So what do you get when you mix ages, cultures, and languages, with love, grace, and service?

Something far stronger than concrete.

Church of the Brethren Newsline