Lauren Thompson and MaeAnna LaFavor show that their hands are ready to work! Left: MaeAnna and Pastor Kris Garey on cleanup duty. In addition to work, the group got to sightsee and attend concert worship services.
Thanks to the help of many folks from Cook County, Trinity Lutheran Church in Hovland sent a group to the everythree year national Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). MaeAnna LaFavor, Pastor Kris Garey, and Lauren Thompson of Lutsen were gone 10 days with a bus caravan of 350 NE MN high school students from Lutheran churches. We spent three days in Lansing doing service projects, worshiping, learning about the effects of racism, poverty, and impacts of world economy. We then traveled to Detroit for four days, joining 30,000 students and adult leaders— almost filling Ford Field for worship five times. We went to museums, did service projects in Detroit neighborhoods and spent time at the Convention Center with a mix of activities of fun (including in-door ziplines) and learning (including the needs for clean water around the world—more than $200,000 was raised during the Gathering to help provide wells). The music (by Agape, Skilliet, Blanca and others) at each night’s gathering and worship was lifting and exhilarating. The whole event gave everyone a broader understanding of the difficulties many people face and let us be in the midst of a large group of Lutheran young people.
Everyone we met in Detroit, and the newspapers there, were so impressed with the students, their energy, and their commitment to Christ. One student told the Detroit Free Press, “It’s moving to be at the nightly prayer services. There are times when you think, I don’t know if anyone believes the stuff I do, and it can get to be kind of daunting sometimes. It’s really awesome to know there are 29,999 other people just like me yelling their heads off.” We found Detroit to be a city filled with people who are “Rising Up” from great difficulty, and people who told us our visits gave them hope as they realized others care about them and their future. We made friends with youth from near places like Two Harbors, and places as far away as Puerto Rico.
The ELCA has a phrase, “God’s work. Our hands.” On this trip, our hands were lifted in work, and in praise, and in friendship! So many people across Cook County helped through our fundraisers and with their interest in the trip—this made it extra meaningful for us. Thanks to everyone!
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