Day One 7/16/25

 What a packed day it was... We drove to church in the pouring rain, but this did not dampen our enthusiasm to be underway! We gathered in fellowship hall around 7:30 for some church clap

then went out and boarded the bus (it had stopped raining by then).

We played lots of icebreaker games like the alliteration name game and speed meeting, as well as the amen game (stand up or sit down every time the word 'amen' is sung in Forrest Frank's song "Amen", it's harder than it sounds - I think everyone got caught multiple times on the Hallelujahs)

Then we performed our own Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer Radio Theater-  We passed the mike around, and read our various roles, complete with sound effects, and Vicar narrated with a thick Southern drawl.

 

We were quickly approaching our lunch stop, or so we thought. Joe, our fearless bus driver, skillfully navigated the rather narrow roads in Riverview Park before it was figured out that our picnic pavilion was actually Kiwanis Park, which was in town and would not have required any narrow road driving, but none-the-less, it was great to see Riverview Park!

Before eating, we played some Tom Sawyer type games, like whitewashing a fence. Ok it wasn't a fence, it was fluorescent poster board, and it wasn't paint, it was toilet paper, but it was the same idea. Each team got a roll of toilet paper and in relay race fashion, ran to glue one individual square of toilet paper onto the poster board, passing the glue stick sort of like a baton. Whichever team got the most toilet paper squares on the poster board in 5 minutes won. Here is the hand-off - 

and here is the application of the toilet paper squares to the poster board

 

and here is the end result!

 

Next was a good old fashioned three legged race, which in our case was renamed the hobbled huck hustle!

It was just the sort of game Tom and Huck would have played on this very spot - in Hannibal, MO, right alongside the Mississippi River, and we were up for the challenge

Afterwards, it was time for our picnic lunch

 

followed by each group telling a "Tom's tall tale". To make it more interesting, each group was given four props that had to be somehow incorporated into the tale. We had some pretty dramatic performances

and we let our creativity run wild. Here's Vicar as Tom, while the rest of his group scrubs the floor of the picnic pavilion with pretend sponges (one of the props)

and even though I'm pretty sure Tom Sawyer never heard of or even imagined the concept of a robot, that didn't stop us from casting Kara as a robot in our version of the tale.

One last view of the mighty Mississippi with a paddleboat in the background, (and fluorescent drink in hand...)

We climbed back on the bus and watched an episode of Bones which had a voodooism theme, followed by a Bible study discussing voodooism in comparison with Christianity, why they are not compatible with each other (We worship the one true God, not a variety of spirits. We do not look to sorcery or casting spells with potions, or  dancing around with snakes, etc - we look to Christ and Christ alone.) It was a great prequil for NYG where we will have the opportunity to go to a session further exploring the topic of yes, Christ rose from the dead, but Christ is not a zombie...

After only two hours on the bus, it was apparently time for another food stop - Ted Drewes! It felt like  about 95 degrees and we hustled our ice cream back to the bus, eating as we went trying to savor it before it completely melted.

Naptime!

We again had a variety of bus activities, including St. Louis trivia (Do YOU know what two "firsts" occurred in St Louis with regard to automobile development/history??? I didn't think so...The answer is St Louis had the first gas station and also was the site of the first automobile accident!) We also learned some NOLA facts and lingo (things like "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?") Then it was time for another meal - at Lambert's

 

If you've never been to Lambert's, it's a MEAL! For me, it would be a meal without even ordering anything with all the food that is brought around to the table (or thrown to the tables), like their famous "throwed rolls"

Fortunately, we have an accomplished softball player with us, who did a perfect job of catching, even though they were fresh-out-of-the-oven hot!

and, yes, there was plenty of other yummy food as well, and large portions of it! 

We got back on the bus, but it wasn't long before we slowed to a standstill in traffic as the interstate was closed, and all traffic was being routed off onto a side road for several miles. We groaned as it meant we would likely not get to the Bass Pro Shop before it closed and likely we would not get to our hotel in time for swimming. Later, we found out there had been a traffic accident, which had resulted in the death of a 19 year old. We prayed for the family grieving this loss. Our lives were inconvenienced. Their lives were torn apart. Lord, be with this family and surround them with your love. Keep us from being turned in ourselves and so caught up in our lives that we miss out on our opportunities to pray for and connect with those around us who are hurting.

The movie we watched parallelled that thought in many ways. Soul Surfer - based on the true story of  Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, who for a time, mourned the loss of her arm, the loss of her ability/desire to surf, and was feeling sorry for herself until she went on a mission trip to Thailand where there were many who had died in a natural disaster and those who were left were struggling with basic human needs. Bethany realized that yes, she lost her arm, but she was alive, she had a nice house, food, a family who loved her. She saw how fortunate she was. And that changed her, motivated her to ENDURE her injury, return to surfing and become a role model for so many others struggling to overcome difficulties in their own lives

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Lord, thank you for the beautiful sunset this evening. It was truly your handiwork. Fill our hearts with thankfulness for all the simple joys You place in our lives. We may not be able to go into Bass Pro Shop tonight. We may not be able to go swimming, we may in fact be going through really tough times, but we have You, and in You we have forgiveness, life, and salvation. Always. Thank you - it is all we will ever really need. 

Well, as it turns out, we DID go to Bass Pro Shop. Well, not inside, but to the parking lot...

We got off the bus, and 

admired the pink and purple lights on the bridge, and

posed as a pyramid in front of the pyramid shaped Bass Pro Shop building, and

of course took the opportunity to do the church clap! How many people can say they did the church clap in the parking lot of the Bass Pro Shop in Memphis? Not many I imagine. But we did!

There was a  mixup with the hotel reservation, and the hotel that we were supposed to stay at (the Drury) had been booked for tomorrow night instead of tonight. Not to worry - We didn't have to sleep outside, or on the bus, or even split up our group to different hotels. God provided. We were able to book rooms at the Crowne Plaza Memphis. His steadfast love endures forever! That was the theme of our evening Bible  study.

We were kind of tired by the end of the day...

but our minstrel still had energy to lead us in songs to our God, who is our strength when we are weak, the true treasure that we seek, our all in all. 

And then we had the long-awaited Candy salad, where we each dumped the bag of candy we had brought into a large bin. 

(there was a LOT of candy between all of us)

The candy represents us, we are each a different and unique individual created by God for a special purpose, but together we are so much more than each individual person/piece of candy. We are the church, the body of Christ, just as the candy salad is so much more amazing than an individual piece of candy...

At the end, we each scooped up a bag of mixed candy to enjoy!

As I mentioned, our evening Bible study focused on Psalm 136, which has the refrain "His steadfast love endures forever". We were encouraged to think of all the ways in our own lives that we see God working and all the evidence in our own lives that His steadfast love FOR US endures forever. 

Lord, thank you for walking with us every step of our lives and for loving us. We know that your steadfast love does ENDURE forever and because of that we can ENDURE anything along the path of our lives