| If you ask any of our children who attended Advocacy Camp what our week was about, you'll likely get a variety of responses.
They might tell you about Wonder World, a creation of their own making where we invited them to create a "wonder corner" with various materials and objects where they could practice wondering about many things, including artistic renderings of the story of the bent woman, the blind man by the pool of Bethsaida, or the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through the roof to see Jesus. In the end, it became their world complete with multiple cities (e.g. Rainyville, Sunnyville, Middleville, and Nightville) and a space of adventure and imagination.
They might tell you about tending the garden on the playground—the heat and humidity that had us all sweating profusely, the tiny stinging bugs that plagued a few of us multiple times, spreading the bags of dirt and adding to our raised beds, removing the weeds, digging holes and loosening the roots, planting basil and lemon verbena and tomato plants.
They might tell you how seriously they took creating cards to send to our church members who just can't get to church as much anymore, if at all, or folks managing some intense health situations even if they are able to attend.
They might tell you how they interviewed our office staff and volunteers, practicing what it means to get to know other people we don't yet know.
Perhaps they might share the most in-depth conversation of the week where we even stepped into the reality that wondering without context can be dangerous, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche shares about in her 2009 Ted talk entitled, "The Danger of a Single Story." Together, we watched the first 10 minutes and wondered about moments when people assume we are one thing, when we are actually something else, something more. These are some of our children's reflections:
- People think I'm only American, when I'm also Japanese.
- People think I'm a lot crazy, when I'm only a little crazy.
- People think I'm [my twin], when I'm really [me].
- People think I was born in Kentucky, but I was born in North Carolina.
Or perhaps they would tell you all about our open-ended, process art where they had the opportunity to reflect on each days theme and all of its content and respond in some way through watercolor, clay, and any other art medium you can imagine. To see their artistic renderings of our week together, visit their art gallery located in the Commons outside the sanctuary any time between now and August 2.
For wonder that was the root of love and growth during our week together, we say, "Thanks be to God."
~ Renee Purtlebaugh
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