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!

Presentations by Nebraska Appleseed and Voices for Children

Today a representative from Nebraska Appleseed came to give all of us a brief informative presentation on immigration. We played a short game called "The Path to Citizenship." We each had to try to be the first person to complete the naturalization process, all whilst navigating the constrictive guidelines placed by the government.   We learned so much about the process for citizenship today and had a blast doing it! 

James, Jonathan, Elena, Tori, Elizabeth and Adam (not pictured) playing "The Path to Citizenship" with Nebraska Appleseed! We learned so much today about the process for citizenship today, and had a blast doing it!

 We also got a visit from Voices for Children and learned about families in poverty. We did a puzzle where the "puzzle pieces" were pictorial representations of the cost of basic needs, while the small square was the average income of a family below the poverty line. It was a lot more difficult than you would think!

Adam, James, Jonathan, Elena, Tori, and Elizabeth trying to fit too many puzzle pieces into too tiny of a square. 

Micah Corps with the NE UMChurch: Serving at the Open Door Mission

Micah Corps with the NE UMChurch: Serving at the Open Door Mission

<a href="https://twitter.com/UMCMicahCorps" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false">Follow @UMCMicahCorps</a>
<script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script>

Serving at the Open Door Mission

On Thursday, the Micah Corps went to serve at the Open Door Mission in Omaha. Throughout the day we worked organizing their upstairs area, where all of the new items, like shampoos, clothes, and make up are held for people to take and use.

Tori helps to organize and shelve the new make up that has been donated to the mission.

Throughout the day, Tori and Micole sorted make-up, while James, Jonathan, and Adam worked on sorting out new and old items, as well as helping out with moving boxes to organize the upstairs a bit more.

Jonathan works at moving boxes to their correct locations upstairs at the  Open Door Mission.

Adam is surprised by the camera as he separates the new and used items