Peace Seeds

In 1986, the United Nations had their International Year of Peace. During that year, a Day of Prayer for World Peace where leaders from each of the twelve recognized religions got together and prayed for peace in Assisi, Italy.

This summer, the Micah Corps focused one of their prayer practices on the Peace Seeds, in the hope that they could get an international perspective and inter-religion perspectives on the efforts for peace around the world.

We are giving a link, so that, you too, can pray the peace seeds and see how much each religion hopes for peace.

http://people.umass.edu/nates/prayers.html

Micah Corps Leaves the Building

Well, this is it, folks, the last official day for the Micah Corps internship. We have had a blast this summer learning about immigration, environmental stewardship, and children in poverty in Nebraska. We enjoyed all of our trips and visiting churches all around our great state of Nebraska.

While the internship will officially be over, we will still be around. Expect more blog posts in the coming months, so check back often!

We would like to say thank you to all of the people who hosted us this summer, to all of the churches that invited us in, to the Risk Taking Mission and Justice Ministries team, to the Nebraska Annual Conference, and to anyone and everyone who made this summer possible for us. We appreciate all you have done!

There will be a final thank-you video here shortly that we made to show how grateful we are for the amazing experience we were given this summer and to all the amazing and wonderful people who made it possible!

Thank you again,

The 2012 Micah Corps Team

Micah Corps at School of Christian Mission

Last weekend, the Micah Corps had the pleasure of attending and teaching at School of Christian Mission in Kearney. We attended classes on Immigration and the Bible, Haiti, and Poverty as well as teaching the youth about Haiti and Poverty.

Everyone except Adam and Elizabeth, the two teachers, attended the Immigration and the Bible class taught by Stephanie Ahlschwede. They learned how immigration is not just a current issue, but was an issue in Biblical times as well. They learned how they need to listen to the stories of immigrants and why they came to our country before judging them.

A few women take a break from listening to be in a picture.

The audience listens as Stephanie speaks.

Katie, Jonathan, and Elena attended the class on poverty. In the class, the teacher, Roger Selley, taught about breaking down stereotypes and structures. The spoke about the reasons people end up in poverty and some of the effects of working for minimum wage. One fact they learned was that it takes 72 hours of working for minimum wage pay to be able to afford a fair market value 2-bedroom apartment in Omaha.

Tim makes a sign for the parade around the room.

Tori decided to take the class on Haiti.In the class, the teacher, Dr. Jacques Pierre, taught about challenging stereotypes of Haitian with a focus on Haiti and the culture of Haiti. They learned what some of the common stereotypes were about Haitians and how to challenge those stereotype snad find the truth of the person instead of their original culture.

Adam and Elizabeth spent the weekend teaching the youth about Haiti and Poverty. They taught about the culture of Haiti and about the effects of the earthquake on the country. In teaching about poverty, they taught about homelessness and how the children could help with others who are in poverty.

The children pose around their quilt of homes.

The children and Elizabeth and Adam take a break for a picture.

We also attended workshops on music, centering prayer, caring ministries, and child welfare. The weekend was a great time and very informative for all.

Nebraska: A State of Rappers??

Today was a brand new beautiful day blessed by God. The Micah Corps took on the opportunity to ask questions of one of Senator Johanns' staff-members. We asked questions about Senator Johanns' actions on the DREAM Act and immigration reform, children lacking adequate nutrition, the farm bill, SNAP programs, education reform, and renewable energy sources. Although the answers to our questions tended to be fairly vague, the experience of speaking to a staff-member who has influence in real policy-making decisions by our Senator was incredible. Our Nebraska group created an agenda before we walked into the Senator's office and stuck to it. We learned how to control a meeting and to ask very specific questions in hopes of getting a specific answer.

The Nebraska State Seal
"Equality before the law."

Elena enjoys the beauty of D.C., right in front of the Capitol!

The afternoon was a new musical experience for most. A man who is "not a rapper", but rather a poet who uses hip-hop beats, Bomani Armah, taught our entire group how to create a catchy, effective rhyme. We each created an 8-bar rap that described ourselves. Next, our entire group worked together to create possibly the greatest work of musical art of all time. And it went a little something like this..

Broken systems are blocking our prosperity
The only way to fix it is to stand in solidarity
We have the ability
            to work with humility
            to crush all the bigotry
            and fight for our dignity
We don’t need sympathy
            Fight for our dignity
Enough with the charity
            Fight for our dignity

We’ve got a huge problem, it’s called poverty
Let’s spread the wealth, cause it’s not all for me
Today’s inequality is caused by greed
Hoarding by the few leaves more mouths to feed
Houses going empty with so many foreclosures
And now we’ve got tons of folks living in exposure
We’re waging a war on homelessness
So join God’s army, let’s all go enlist

Broken systems are blocking our prosperity
The only way to fix it is to stand in solidarity
We have the ability
            to work with humility
            to crush all the bigotry
            and fight for our dignity
We don’t need sympathy
            Fight for our dignity
Enough with the charity
            Fight for our dignity

The gap keeps growing between the rich and poor
And all it seems to do is keep closing the door
There’s not enough food on the table to eat
No place to lay his head or to rest her tired feet
The burden is heavy and the road is blocked
Everything they had has already been hocked
In providing basic needs people are forced to choose
Life is a game where no one should lose

Broken systems are blocking our prosperity
The only way to fix it is to stand in solidarity
We have the ability
            to work with humility
            to crush all the bigotry
            and fight for our dignity
We don’t need sympathy
            Fight for our dignity
Enough with the charity
            Fight for our dignity

We can’t just sit there putting on airs
It’s everybody’s problem, not just "theirs"
We’ll make the most impact if everyone would care
In sending us His son, God offered us a dare
Equality for all, and justice for the meek
God gave us a charge to take care of the weak
Charity is good, but equality is GREAT
Do justice, love mercy, follow Micah 6:8

Broken systems are blocking our prosperity
The only way to fix it is to stand in solidarity
We have the ability
            to work with humility
            to crush all the bigotry
            and fight for our dignity
We don’t need sympathy
            Fight for our dignity
Enough with the charity
            Fight for our dignity

© 2012 Micah Corps Nebraska

Day Three in D.C.!

Day three in D.C.! Today the Micah Corps learned entirely new lessons on justice at the federal level. First thing in the morning, our Nebraska group (including pastors from Nebraska and individuals who work for and with the Nebraska Annual Conference) visited with day laborers at a Home Depot here in D.C. We got the privilege of passing out breakfast pastries and juice, and chit-chatting (mostly in Spanish) with men who were glad to have the company and the food. The majority of the day laborers were Latinos who were looking for work from contractors, businesses, and individuals needing help fixing or building something. These day laborers would come every day and sit for hours upon hours waiting for their opportunity. A man named Arturo Griffiths, from DC Jobs with Justice, briefed us on some of the issues the day laborers face. Often, workers will be picked up, work all day, and not get paid. Other times, they will get picked up, work all day in an area fairly far away from home, and not be given a ride back home. There are other cases of general maltreatment of workers. However, these people feel like this is generally a good way to make enough money to support their families. Arturo hopes to organize all these workers who are currently just sitting out in the Home Depot parking lot into a small building next to Home Depot and track the workers as well as the employers, to prevent wage theft and protect other rights of both the employer and the worker.

The Micah Corps at the National Mall!
(Washington Monument behind us.)

Next on the agenda was heading back to the General Conference Office to hear a little from Mayuris Pimentel, an immigration attourney. She told us quite a bit of critical information on the immigration system and the legal aspects of immigrating to the United States.

John Hill, Director of Economic and Environmental Justice of the General Board of Church and Society was up next, teaching us some ins and outs of the federal budget. We split into three groups and created our "ideal" government budget; in other words, what we would spend if we were in charge. We then discussed what the actual figures are for the federal government spending, and how we might make an impact on changing or maintaining certain aspects of the budget that we feel should take priority.

After a delicious lunch at Union Station, the Micah Corps was ready for an afternoon full of more fascinating people to hear stories from and ask questions of. First up for the afternoon was a couple of young women, Marion and Marya, who spoke about the organization Bread for the World. Bread for the World works mostly in education and advocacy for helping the poor and the hungry. Bread works closely with the justice aspect of hunger rather than the charity side. Such programs as SNAP (Food stamps) and WIC (for women with babies) are focused on by Bread for the World.

To read more on Bread for the World, browse the following link: http://www.bread.org/

We love D.C.!

The final speaker on our day's agenda was from the organization "Men Can Stop Rape". This organization focuses on preventative action against the abuse of women in any way. They go to the root of the cause of rape and sexual assault, which is stereotypes of masculinity, and challenge those stereotypes as well as make young men feel included in an atmosphere where the pressuring and maltreatment of women is unacceptable. Our group participated in an activity in which we lined up from "Most Harmful to Women" to "Least Harmful to Women" certain stereotypes, scenarios, and types of "maltreatments" of women and men.

There was never a dull moment all day! We learned about so many important issues and how they all effect one another. Tomorrow (Thursday) we will meet with Senator Johanns to speak to him about the issues we've been discussing, so catch tomorrow's blog!

A Tremendous Tuesday in the Capital City: Nixing the Stereotypes

Wow! What a long and exhaustingly educational day the Micah Corps had. We woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready to take D.C. by the horns. That is, until we walked outside at 8am and realized there was already a heat index of about 90 degrees. Nevertheless, we utilized our multiple forms of public transportation to arrive at the (drumroll please!) United Methodist General Conference Building. You can imagine how high our heads were as we walked toward the building located on Capitol Hill amongst Congressmen and other "head honchos". What an envigorating experience...and it was only 8:30am! Throughout the morning at the General Conference building, we met some phenominal people who work for our United Methodist Church and will be leading our Nebraska group through our seminar this week.

The Micah Corps hams up with a colorful panda
in the Shaw neighborhood!

Our first portion of the seminar included discussing charity versus justice, and participating in an activity by which misused and unjust power and control was illustrated to us. We explored the fact that the poor and homeless often do not have equal resources that the more privileged have. Here's a rather small-scale example: a student from a privileged family or school might have extensive tutoring or training on how to take the ACT, however a student with less money would not likely have those resources. The outcome of this would likely be that the more privileged student would get a higher test score, therefore getting more scholarship funding, continuing to have more advantages and resources than the student who did not have those resources to the testing study materials in the first place.

Three individuals who had experienced, or were currently experiencing, homelessness came to speak to us next. All three individuals had never anticipated being homeless and ending up on the street. The circumstances of life simply put them in a position they could not have foreseen. One woman told her story:

She had grown up in a middle-class, well-off family near Washington, D.C. She then went on to college to study nursing. After finding her way into a steady job, getting happily married, and giving birth to a beautiful son, she started to get very sick. Being a strong-willed woman, she moved around with her military husband and her child for years to different countries and states, all the while having a terrible illness that would cause her to lose her breath, grow weary quickly, and even lose consciousness. After countless tests, and some of her own personal research, she was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression. This illness made it extremely difficult for her to work, however, she trekked on with her husband and child by her side. Suddenly, her husband left her. She stated that even in retrospect there was no indication he was going to leave. He left to travel, and left her and her son alone. She and her son had to move because without her husband's income they could not afford their home. Eventually, due to her illness and inability to work enough hours to support herself, let alone herself and her child, she sent her son to live with his father. She moved to a homeless shelter, with the thought that she would be out in a couple of months after she made a little more money. Months turned into years, and years into nearly a decade. She had worked so hard, but her medical bills were incredibly steep even with government support, and she simply couldn't get back up on her feet again. Finally, by God's grace, she happened to come across a program that provided homes to the homeless to help them get back up on their feet. She said having her own home to call her property made all the difference. She is now steadily getting back on her feet again and has been able to bring her son home to her once more.

What do you think of when the word "homeless" is heard?
 Lazy? Alcoholic? Drug-addict? Mentally unstable? Dirty?

These stereotypes were nixed after the three speakers told their stories. All three are hard-working people who simply lost their jobs and/or outside forces caused them to lose their homes. Did you know that a high percentage of homeless have a college degree, or even multiple degrees? So the next time we see a homeless person on the street, let's not avert our eyes and pretend he or she is too scummy to even acknowledge. Let's give that person a smile and treat them like any other human being. A smile has incredible worth to anyone, especially someone who is feeling isolated, stressed, and likely hungry for food and company.


The second part of the day was spent in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Does this place sound familiar? For the music masterminds, this neighborhood was the birthplace of the jazz musician Duke Ellington. More of a history buff? This is also the neighborhood where, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., riots broke loose and the neighborhood reputation as the "Black Broadway" was tainted. For several years this neighborhood and its formerly booming businesses took a major downturn. Only three businesses in the entire neighborhood stayed open through these years of violence, crime, and drug-use in the streets. One of these businesses the Micah Corps got the privilege of dining at--Ben's Chili Bowl. However, businesses are now booming again and the culture and liveliness of the neighborhood has a new kind of vibrance.

The Micah Corps, Micole, and David Reed enjoy
 the food and atmosphere at Ben's Chili Bowl.

As previously mentioned, today was a very lengthy day, full of new and wonderful educational experiences. The Micah Corps finished off the day by touring a little bit more of the National Mall. After waiting until sundown, we took off to see the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial. While at the Lincoln Memorial, a great reminder was right in front of our faces. Social justice and this idea of nixing the stereotypes we have of other people is not a new phenomenon. President Lincoln, in fact, addresses the same idea of a struggle for justice and equality for all in his famous Gettysburg Address:

Abraham Lincoln Memorial

        "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
       Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
         But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Micah Corps' Response to the Holocaust Museum

Today, the Micah Corps was fortunate to get to travel to the National Zoo as well as the Holocaust Museum. At the Holocaust Museum, each member had a very different and emotional response to the subject. While it was hard to get through, we have decided to each post a paragraph explaining a bit about our experience there.

Elena's Response

After a long walk, finally we got to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. It was interesting how since the moment that we got out the elevator the darkness of the building reflected the sadness of this part of history. We got to see the roots and the impacts of this event. Poverty led people’s minds in wrong directions, at least I think so. But, one thing that I do not get is how evil people can turn once they have power. They were the authorities and they didn’t practice justice. And just as people, they should love their neighbors. All we have to do is follow what Micah 6:8 says, “To act justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God”.

Elizabeth's Response

At the Holocaust Museum today, I was very moved by much of the museum. However, I found I had two experiences where I felt the most emotion and connection to the history. There was a roomthat contained the shoes of the victims. I had been told about this room by a friend before going, but I was unaware that it would cause so much emotion in me. There were so many more that I thought there would be! The shoes were the sole reminder of the people. The first thing I noticed on entering the room was the smell; leather so powerful it was almost overwhelming. This smell has always in the past made me very hapy but today it had a sobering effect. It made me realize that the people that were killed during that time, were just that, people. They were not stories that were told to us, but real living breathing, shoe-wearing people. The quote on the wall behind that shoes really solidified that. It was from Yiddish Poet Moshe Szulsztein, entitled We Are the Shoes. It said "...because we are only made from fabric and leather, and not of blood and flesh, each one of us avoided the hellfire." This line really struck me because it is the truth. Those shoes were not living humans, they were object, so in my mind, they are disposable (better to recycle), however, instead of the shoes being taken and burned, the humans were. This whole experience was incredibly sobering, however, I feel it has reinforced my belief that every person should be treated with the utmost respect, whether they are someone you like or not. I think this is especially important on our justice journey this summer because all of our topics relate to those who are not being treated with the respect that they deserve. We must always remember that children, immigrants and those impacted by poor environmental stewardship are all people just like us, no matter what they believe or where they are from.

Jonathan's Response

Today was one of those days that makes you very humble and thankful. After all we experienced and learned it was humbling and terrifying to learn about the systems in place that allowed for all of those that died in the Holocaust. Quite frankly, I was overwhelmed by the Holocaust Museum. I have written reports on the Holocaust, read books on the Holocaust, and watched many movies/documentaries on the Holocaust, but none of it truly prepared me for all the things I saw and heard at the museum. The reason I felt this way is because it is hard to comprehend the biggest and most tragic event in human history. After digging into social justice issues this summer in the Micah Corps and visiting the museum assures me that justice is something that must always be pursued. 

Katie's Response

Going into the Holocaust Museum...I didn't really know what my reaction would be to everything we were about to see. We got in an elevator to go up to the three floor permanent exhibition and when we got out of the elevator we were greeted by a black wall. It was simple and just had a quotation on it along with a picture, but right then could immediately feel a weight on my shoulders. I honestly didn't think that I would get too emotional because already knew what had happened during the Holocaust from school- I didn't think any of it was going to be a surprise. I had seen pictures of some of the horrific things done to the prisoners but they rarely had captions underneath of them to tell the story of those pictured. There was a wall toward the beginning of the exhibit which had various pictures on it of prisoners. One was a man looking straight into the camera and the caption said that the picture was taken shortly before the man was murdered by the Nazis. There were also pictures of prisoners being lined up for execution in a wooded area. This really got to me because when the picture was taken that moment was frozen in time and it was as if, by reading the captions, I knew their fate before they did. My gut instinct told me to help them but when common sense came around and I understood there was nothing that I could do...that gave me an inexplicable feeling that I hope I never have to endure again. At another part of the exhibit, there was a box car which was used to transport prisoners to one of the concentration camps. The way to move on through the exhibit was to walk through the car so I did. When I got inside the rail car I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't move. The gravity of the situation was too much- I was standing where so many others had helplessly been before, crammed into this tiny car unaware of their fate. I could see them and hear their cries... I think that will be a memory that will haunt me for a long time. The only part of the exhibit that I really knew about was the room of shoes and the display about hair so I was anxious to see what those were really like. The shoe exhibit was shocking, but what really got to me was the hair. Now, it was just a panoramic picture of the multitudes of hair taken from the prisoners before or shortly after they had died. What impacted me, though was what they used the hair for- mattress padding, car bumpers, and a ton of other things. My first and pretty much only reaction to this was, "These were real and meaningful human beings and they killed them but kept their hair?!" What I mean is I don't understand how these human beings were just tossed aside like garbage yet their HAIR was important enough to keep. My final thought is from a "movie" they had which showed pictures of the medical experiments they did on the prisoners. One doctor ordered 80 of them to be killed so he could do experiments on them. The pictures shown at first were of experiments they did on live people..but then they showed pictures of limbs and abdomens in piles and that is when I had to walk away. It was..and still is..unfathomable to me how those people were treated like they were disposable! The people in charge acted as if the prisoners were there for them to do anything they desired...even if that meant killing them so they could tear apart their bodies. Things like this make me lose so much faith in the human race- how can we treat our brothers and sisters like that? We are all God's children and because we were all made in God's image we are ALL EQUAL. I just can't comprehend how someone could have thought otherwise. And I guess it is one thing to not like someone because they are different than you..but to torture and murder them? I just don't understand. However, the fact that (even though it took a while) other countries came into the picture and were physically fighting against this cruelty makes me believe that there are people who will step up to fight for what is right when the time arises.

Adam's Response

The walk through the holocaust museum was extremely moving. To see actual shoes of the prisoners, to walk through one of the boxcars that was used to transport the people to the camps, to hear the testimonies of living survivors, was emotionally crushing. It is unfathomable that some human being could put so many other people through such an ordeal. After looking at all of the exhibits, my knowledge of the holocaust has been changed for ever. Even though it was difficult to take in everything seen today, I still believe this was one of the best experiences I could possibly have had while in D.C.

Tori's Response

Today was eye-opening for me. Although many people have heard of the Holocaust, and perhaps even studied it intensely, it is not often that we apply the happenings back then to what goes on in our current world. It is more likely that we will reflect on the past and feel sympathy for what happened to the persecuted. This is exactly what I had always done. Today, however, something else struck me. Perhaps due to my work in social justice through the Micah Corps, or perhaps simply because of the timing of this message, I was illuminated to the idea that in order to prevent those persecuted during the Holocaust from dying in vain, I needed to change my way of looking at the world today. Even in my daily life I see acts of injustice on a smaller scale. One of the most disappointing realizations I had today was that people all over the world during the time of the Holocaust had the notion and even concrete evidence that Jews and other minorities were being brutally persecuted in Eastern Europe, however, a vast majority refused to act, and often to even believe that such an atrocity was going on. One of the exhibits showed a poll taken in the United States at the time of the Holocaust. 95% of Americans felt that the atrocities happening toward the Jews should be stopped, however 77% voted that visas should not be granted to Jewish refugees. This lack of taking action in a time where our brothers and sisters in the world were in pain is incredibly sobering. However, there were stories of joy and courage, in which strong-willed, compassionate, otherwise everyday common people helped to save Jews and other persecuted peoples, risking their own lives in the process. God calls us, like these people, to take action against the 'least of these' just as Jesus did.

"...Then the righteous will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you?’ And the king will answer, ’I tell you this—anything you did for one of my brothers here, however humble, you did for me."

-Matt. 25:37-40

This quote stuck with me today. A Jewish Holocaust survivor in a documentary at the museum was telling a story of a 10-year-old Jewish boy who he watched over throughout the years of the Holocaust. He said that one day, the boy asked him,"What is a Jew? And why am I here?" The man started to choke up as he told the rest of the story. He said that he told the boy he was circumcized...that he was a Jew. The boy didn't understand what that meant, so the man told him he was born Jewish, and that was simply who he was. The boy was still perplexed so he replied,"That's why I'm here? That's why they killed my parents?"

It is vital to remember that all people are made in the image of God, and our visit to the Untied States Holocaust Memorial Museum was a great reminder of what can happen when we lose sight of that.

Micole's Response

Today we visited the Holocaust Museum. The minute I hit the fourth floor, I felt the heaviness. I have read and watched much on the Holocaust, but I never cease to be impacted by the whole thing. How could we let this atrocity happen? I walked around reading the information, seeing the pictures, and watching the videos, frequently on the verge of tears. The Holocaust was started by one man who had hate in his heart and thought certain people matter less than others. Sadly, that hate is a very real problem in our own country. Gays. Mexicans. Uneducated. The poor. Regardless of what you believe, there is no denying that these groups and many more are often looked down on.

At the end of the tour, there was a room with recent and current genocides that are happening around the world, and the question was posed: What will you do to help meet the challenge of genocide today? Honestly, I don't know what I can do about those genocides. But I thought of the marginalized people here in our own country. I was still overwhelmed by the responsibility to do something. As a teacher, I believe I have the opportunity to make a difference and effect positive change in my community. So what will I do? I will address hate and discrimination in my classroom and teach love and acceptance. It may seem small, but every year I have the chance to teach love and acceptance to 30+ students. That love and acceptance has the potential to grow in place of hate and discrimination.

Micah Corps Learns From UMM

The Micah Corps spent this past week learning from and working with UMM (United Methodist Ministries).

On Monday, we talked with Stephanie Ahlschwede, the director of UMM. She talked to us about her journey in becoming involved with the United Methodist Church and with United Methodist Ministries. She spoke to us about the mission of UMM and the history. Later on in the morning, Nathan Morgan, the "Emperor" of the Big Garden project spoke with us about the Big Gardens and about food deserts. We were amazed to find out that even in Nebraska, and in Omaha, there are places where there is no access to a quality grocery store where people can buy fresh produce and fresh food. It is because of this that food deserts exist.

On Tuesday, we met at the Blue Flamingo, a thrift and fair trade store run by UMM, at their new location at 1909 Leavenworth St. We helped to organize, paint, and clean the store and the areas around it for their upcoming Grand Opening which was on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th of July. We all enjoyed our time there.

Tori works hard moving fence behind the store. 

Throughout the morning, we split up into three groups of two. Tori and Katie worked out behind the store picking up and making the back look nice.

Elizabeth and Elena work on sorting out clothes , a very intense task.

Elizabeth and Elena sorted out clothes for the morning between the Men's and Women's clothes and between the different seasons. The final group was Jonathan and Adam. They worked on painting the front door of the store.

Jonathan is proud of his painting skills.

On Wednesday, the team went to meet at Heart Ministry Center with Lisa Maupin and Jaime Trobough. They work with the Volunteers in Mission Experience in Omaha. They learned the behind the scenes work of working with a group coming in for a mission trip from anywhere from two to five days. Later in the day, the team met back up with Stephanie and took a walking tour of the area around where the UMM building is. We got to see the different types of art in the area; that of the street art that was commissioned across from the UMM office, to a mural being painted on the back of a grocery store . We were also able to see one of the Big Gardens in the area.

Mural being painted behind the Avanza Grocery Store.

The final day of working with UMM, the team met up with Nathan Morgan, "Emperor" of the Big Garden Project again. This time, however, we got to get our hands dirty, literally. The morning was spent at the Nebraska Children's Home in Omaha, covering the ground with mulch to prevent weeds from growing. It was hard work, but definitely worth it!

Jonathan, Katie, and Adam work on filling a wheelbarrow with mulch to spread in the Garden.

Nathan helps Elizabeth to shove mulch and fill one of many wheelbarrows.

After an amazing week with UMM, the Micah Corps was ready to head out to Washington D.C. this morning (Sunday). After a long day of travel, we made it here and were able to even go out to eat at a great pizza place. However, to get there, we applied some of the lessons of last week, and became "neighborhood detectives" or made sure we were aware of our surroundings. In doing so, we noticed, right under our noses, a food desert, where we walked block after block and only saw one place to eat for over a mile. We hope to continue to keep our eyes open to the issues that face people today as well as enjoy our trip here in Washington D.C. More updates throughout the week, so come back tomorrow!

Micah Corps Rocks the Church!

We can't believe it's already mid-summer! We hope everyone had a fun-filled and safe 4th of July. After a weeklong break where the Micah Corps got to go home and visit friends and family, we are back to work, improving our presentations, and educating ourselves on our respective topics. Although we enjoy learning about our topics, the highlight of our summer is going out to churches, meeting wonderful people there, and sharing what we've learned to the congregations.

Tori and Katie spent this Sunday at Elmwood and Murdoch United Methodist Churches sharing their message on immigration.

Tori and Katie share with the children of Murdoch about
God loving all the children of the world.

Elizabeth and Adam attended and presented on children in poverty at Clair Memorial United Methodist Church in Omaha.

Adam is intense while Elizabeth is all smiles
speaking on making a difference for children in poverty

Elena and Jonathan were welcomed by the Saint Luke United Methodist Church in Omaha.

Good times for Elena and Jonathan at Saint Luke United Methodist!

The Freedom Writers

Tonight, some of us interns watched the movie The Freedom Writers. What a spectacular movie! As we were watching it, one scene really spoke to us. It was when Miep Gies (the lady who harbored Anne Frank) came all the way from Europe and spoke to the class. I am including a clip from YouTube, so check it out!

Micah Coprs meet Camp Fontanelle

Micah Corps interns play the role of carpenters!

Esta semana los internos Elena y Jonathan fueron a Camp Fountanelle a trabajar con el campamento de Straw Bales en la construccion de una casa de paja. Durante la semana ellos trabajaron con cinco jovenes y dos consejeros y mas personal del campamento. Ellos disfrutaron una noche llena de aventura con una excursion por el bosque, adorar, y cantar; y despues durmieron en hamcas (tree boats). Los internos compartieron sus experiencias e informacion sobre Micah Cops y el medio ambiente.En el campamento, ellos aprendieron un poco mas acerca de los efectos de jabones y detergentes en el medio ambiente, y energia solar. En las tardes, ellos se unieron al grupo jugando Gaga ball y fue muy emocionante, una manera interesante de disfrutar el campameto. Para mas informacion de Camp Fontanelle visita la pagina web:  http://www.campfontanelle.com

This week interns Elena and Jonathan went to Camp Fountanelle to work with the Straw Bales camp on the construction of a straw bale house. Throughout the week they worked with five youth, two counselors, and more staff in the camp. They enjoyed a night full of adventures in hiking through the woods, worshiping, and singing, and then they slept in tree boats (hammocks). The interns also shared their experiences and information about what is the Micah Corps and the environment with the youth. In the camp, they learned more about the effects of soaps and detergents in the environment, and solar energy. In the afternoons, they joined the campers playing Gaga ball, an interesting way to enjoy the camp. For more information about Camp Fountanelle visit the web page: http://www.campfontanelle.com/

Micah Corps at Auburn, Ithaca, and Wahoo

This past Sunday, the Micah Corps presented in Auburn, Ithaca, and Wahoo. After a week of studying their topic areas at agencies around the state, the Micah Corps delivered presentations that not only informed, but challenged churches to realize the problems that our state and our communities face, whether it is immigration, children in poverty, or environmental stewardship.

Tori and Katie presented their message "Welcoming the Stranger" to the congregation in Auburn. They helped the congregation to link their faith with welcoming the stranger among us.

Tori and Katie present to the Auburn congregation about immigration.

Tori and Katie are welcomed at the Auburn United Methodist Church.

Adam and Elizabeth presented this week to both Ithaca and Wahoo churches. They talked about the issues facing children in poverty in Nebraska and sought to open the eyes of the church members that poverty was not just in the urban areas, but also in their own counties and communities.

Adam and Elizabeth present to the church in Wahoo. 

After the service, they posed for pictures in front of the sign of the Wahoo church before they headed to Texas to attend the West Gulf Regional School.

Elizabeth and Adam pose for a picture at the Wahoo First United Methodist Church.

Adam and Elizabeth at Voices for Children in Nebraska

This week, Adam and Elizabeth are at Voices for Children in Nebraska, studying about the issues surrounding children in poverty in Nebraska. So far this week, they have learned about how poverty is defined and about some of the issues facing those in poverty, especially children , across the state of Nebraska.

This video shows how the federal poverty line, and what it actually takes for a family of four to survive are vastly different numbers. They also learned that poverty is not just in urban areas, it is also in rural areas and that the look of poverty in both of those places is much different.

On Tuesday, they had a chance to interview the staff members at Voices for Children in Nebraska. Throughout the day they learned what Voices does and how they are enacting change for the children in poverty in our state, by looking at the big picture, and enacting social justice on a state-wide scale.

Elena and Jonathan in the Great West District

A soft t-shirt made from recycled plastic bottles.

Elena and Jonathan have been in the Great West District since Sunday the 17th. They started out their week presenting and serving at three congregations: McCook Memorial UMC, Palisade UMC, and Wauntea UMC. Monday the two interns went to Imperial to meet with city official, Jo Leyland, to talk about recycling in that community. Jo gave the interns a complete tour of the recycling center to show how recyclables are sorted and transported. Jo also showed the interns a various assortment of recycled products. Recycled items included t-shirts made from plastic bottles, recycled toothbrushes, and benches made from recycled rubber tires and plastic.

At the Imperial City Office with Jonathan, Elena,  Jo Leyland, and Pastor Bonnie McCord (left to right).

  

Experimenting with a runoff simulation.  Elena, Shirley Ferguson, Pastor Bonnie McCord, and Jonathan (left to right). 

Tuesday the interns met with Shirley Ferguson from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to tour Hays County in an effort to explore different conservation practices. This included a 64 mile tour of Hays County that compared farming practices that conserve the land and other practices that are potentially harmful to the land. Today they met once again with Shirley Ferguson to explore Hays County by looking at the various forms of irrigation including: surge irrigation, surface or flood irrigation, and T-Tape irrigation. Tomorrow the interns will go to North Platte to examine energy production methods. Friday they will be at Crescent Lake Wildlife Refuge to look at the correlation between animals and the environment. Sunday will conclude Elena and Jonathan's week in the Great West District by presenting at Whitney Warring Memorial UMC, Crawford First UMC, and Harrison Memorial UMC. Sunday the 17th through Thursday the 21st the interns have been and will be accompanied by Pastor Bonnie McCord, who helped design this week in the Great West District for Elena and Jonathan.

Katie Lamb Joins the Micah Corps Team

Katie Lamb, a student at the University of Nebraska-Kearney and a member of the Havelock United Methodist Church in Lincoln, is joining the Micah Corps team.  At college, she is studying Organizational Communication with an emphasis in French, Sociology and Political Science with a minor in Social Work.  Katie also serves the Risk-Taking Mission and Justice Ministries Team as their intern. James Fye is no longer serving as a Micah Corps intern.

Katie joins Micah Corps interns: Elizabeth Swearngin, Adam Neely, Elena Rojas, Jonathan Poarch, and Tori Osler.

Micah Corps share mercy/justice story with Youth Annual Conference

 (Photo:  Matt Bowden, from St. Paul UMC in Omaha, tries to save "babies" from the river at YAC.)

THE STORY OF THE RIVER

Once upon a time there was a small village on the edge of a river. The people there were good and life in the village was good. One day a villager noticed a baby floating down the river. The villager quickly swam out to save the baby from drowning. The next day this same villager noticed two babies in the river. He called for help, and both babies were rescued from the swift waters. And the following day four babies were seen caught in the turbulent current. And then eight, then more, and still more!

The villagers organized themselves quickly, setting up watchtowers and training teams of swimmers who could resist the swift waters and rescue babies. Rescue squads were soon working 24 hours a day. And each day the number of helpless babies floating down the river increased. The villagers organized themselves efficiently. The rescue squads were now snatching many children each day. While not all the babies, now very numerous, could be saved, the villagers felt they were doing well to save as many as they could each day. Indeed, the village priest blessed them in their good work. And life in the village continued on that basis.

One day, however, someone raised the question, "But where are all these babies coming from? Let’s organize a team to head upstream to find out who’s throwing all of these babies into the river in the first place!"

Micah Corps Goes to Agencies

This week the Micah Corps is splitting up into our focus teams and traveling to agencies in Nebraska. Tori and Katie will be at Nebraska Appleseed. Jonathan and Elena will be out in the Great West visiting an organic farm and Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Elizabeth and Adam will be at Voices for Children in Nebraska. However, before they started their weeks at agencies, they each visited a church in the area of the state that they would be at.

Jonathan and Elena headed out west to visit United Methodist Churches in McCook, Juanita, and Palisade. On their way, they were able to see the sights out in the Great West District.

Jonathan and Elena stop for a picture in front of a field out west

Tori went to Beatrice on Sunday, and joining her was our mentor for the summer, Andrea Paret. They gave a talk on immigration and the DREAM Act to the congregation there.

Tori and Andrea talk to the Beatrice Congregation.

Adam and Elizabeth headed to Springfield to speak with the First UMC in Springfield. They spoke to the congregation about children in poverty and they spoke with the youth director, Ron Smith, about working with the youth in churches.

Micah Corps Makes Videos!

The Micah Corps traveled to Lincoln today to interview Bishop Sherer-Simpson and to learn how to make videos that were visually appealing. We thought we would share our videos with you. Making a cameo appearance in the video is Katie Lamb, who is the year round intern for the Risk Taking Mission and Justice Ministries. This first video was made by James and Jonathan.

This one was made by Elena, Elizabeth, and Katie Lamb.

The last video was made by Tori and Adam.

I hope you enjoyed these videos, it was a lot of fun making them and we are all really grateful for the help of Kent at the conference office for helping us improve our video skills.

Micah Corps Goes to Annual Conference

The Micah Corps' annual conference experience began on Tuesday night with the MFSA (Methodist Federation for Social Action) banquet. At the banquet, Darcy from Nebraska Appleseed spoke about immigration and the Micah Corps enjoyed the good food that was served as well.

On Wednesday, the Micah Corps was asked to help with the Opening Worship ceremonies and we all carried various items, such as the Christ Candle, the Cross, and water for the fountain down the aisle. Later on in the evening we were consecrated as Micah Corps interns for the summer.

Elena introduces herself at the consecration of the Micah Corps

Thursday of Annual Conference was a planning day for Youth Annual Conference and Children's Annual Conference, which we were to present at on Friday. However, on Thursday and Friday we all attended the breakfasts held for our specific districts around the state. The girls also were honored to be able to attend the United Methodist Women's luncheon.

On Friday, we presented for the Youth Annual Conference (YAC), and we had a blast! We began the presentation by introducing ourselves and either why we wanted to be Micah Corps interns, or how the Micah Corps is like worship.

James tells why he believes the Micah Corps is like worship, while Adam and Elizabeth look on.

In our first hour with YAC, we explained some of the United Methodist social principles and a little United Methodist history. Then, we explained to the youth the difference between charity and justice, which we explained with a challenge for a youth in the audience, and with a metaphor of babies floating down a river.

Adam, Tori, and Jonathan carry the babies down the "river" while the volunteer, Matt, grabs them to save them.

Volunteer Matt proudly holds the babies he "saved from the river"

The afternoon session with YAC also went very well. Each focus group introduced their topic, stating with children in poverty, then environmental stewardship, and then immigration. The youth then broke up into three groups to discuss whichever issue they chose further. The group focusing on children in poverty played a game with their youth which required them to try and fit what it costs to live on for a family of four, at the self sufficiency level, into what a person makes on minimum wage, and also what the federal poverty guidelines state. Then they discussed this with their groups and talked about what they left out when not everything fit and why.

Adam and Elizabeth speak with their small group about children in poverty.

The environmental stewardship group, Jonathan and Elena, talked about bottled water and its impact on the environment. In their small group, they discussed what the youth were and can do in order to be more green and to decrease their impact on the environment.

Tori and James, the group on immigration, talked about the DREAM ACT as well as about how immigration can be beneficial for our society. In their small group, they brought in Darling from Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) to interview and answer the questions of their small group.

Darling from JFON speaks to the youth during the immigration study.

Saturday was Children's Annual Conference and we spoke to them about the Micah 6:8 passage, and about how they can "act justly" with their friends and family. 

The children move over so the Micah Corps interns can fit on the "special blanket"

Then we talked about how some people in Africa have to walk several miles a day in order to get clean drinking water and had a relay race running with gallon jugs of water.

Elena helps out one relay team to finish their race.

We then talked about the things God created and the children did rubbings of the things they could find that he created.

Adam watches his group of kids as they make rubbings on the fence at CAC.

We also read a couple Bible passages to the children to describe why it is important to take care of our world.

Jonathan reads a passage from Job as one of the children hold the pages to keep them from blowing over.

All in all, it was a fantastic week, but it was not all work. We were able to stop every so often and have a little fun throughout the week.

The Micah Corps joins with the counselors from Camp Fontanelle to go  on a "roller coaster ride"

Video from Jason Kennedy

We will be working tomorrow with YAC (Youth Annual Conference) so we thought we would share the video the leader of YAC posted to promote the fun times!