There’s non-stop yelling behind me right now; the students are playing their final game of Mafia for the week … I’m sure that’s only wishful thinking on my part; they’re probably gonna play a dozen games in the van on the way back to Minnesota.

We leave Mississippi tomorrow morning to sleep at the same church in St. Louis that we stayed at on the way here.  We plan to stop in Memphis on the way through, and hope to visit the Lorraine Motel.

The site where Martin Luther King Jr was shot has now been turned into a civil rights museum, but we’re still not sure if we’ll have the time.

I think most of us had a very meaningful time with Grandpa Perkins this morning.  There was a point where he was talking about his son Spencer (the name of this place is actually the Spencer Perkins Center, named after one of Dr. Perkins’ sons who died years ago of a heart-attack), and what Spencer had hoped this place would be.  Then he mentioned his other son Wayne, (who we’ve had the great pleasure of working with all week) and how he moved out here from California and built the house that groups like ours stay in while they’re here in Jackson.  He talked about what he’d always hoped the legacy of this place would be, and how it’s always been a picture of young people of all different backgrounds and skin colors and classes and stories coming here to learn how to love God, each other and our neighbors.
Then, as if it hit him right there that that’s what was going on in the group he was sitting with, he starting crying.  I don’t know if he said anything for about 5 minutes - niether did we.

All week long, it was pretty powerful to be sitting with him and learning from a man who’s situated his life around the cause of radical Love.  We went through almost the entire book of 1 John, and when ever he’d get passionate and worked up over some truth that he’d come across in Scripture, he’d kinda shout the last sentence of his point while bouncing his heels up and down on the ground in his chair.  This was usually followed by five seconds of silence, then he’d say, “Idn’t dat wunda-ful?” or, “Dat’s beauta-ful … at’s a beauta-ful thang.”

So as God was in the room moving Dr. Perkins to tears, He was also falling on some of the students in a unique way too.  Talking later, we noticed that not everyone who was crying was for the same reason.  Perhaps somewhere in the midst of roofing, family meals, meeting strangers, yard work, and sharing significant times with our siblings in Christ, we were encountering God’s highest hope for our lives.  Mississippi feels nothing like where we’re from, but in that room with Grandpa Perkins this morning, I think a lot of us felt truly at home with each other.

Like I said yesterday, JMPF just got a new house here in the neighborhood and Dr. Perkins was all too eager to get us working on it and cleaning it up.

He wanted to walk us through the place first and tell us his hopes and plans for all it’s 9 bedrooms, 5 bath.  Turns out this is the actual house that his son, Spencer, was living in when he passed away.

We learned that you can get any guy to do yard work if you give him a machete.

Grandma Perkins came over on her golf cart as soon as we got started at the house and took Devin and Ryan from our crew to help her with stuff in her office. Ryan worked with her all day the day before on her computer stuff so he’s waving good bye to us knowing he’s going back to the air conditioning while we work in the yard some more.

We had dinner at E and L’s barbeque.  When we walked in, Seth noticed the obvious, ”no one comes here for the ambiance.”  Barbeque ribs, rib tips, and chicken like you wouldn’t believe - just drowning in barbeque sauce.  Even the fries were swimming in it.
The whole time we were there, people just kept pouring in and taking buckets of ribs to go.
If you ever make it to Jackson and you’re a meat eater, you’d regret not finding this place.

So far in Jackson, no day was like any before it.  We’ve had quite a variety of activities, teaching, fun, history, and great experiences within our group.  So today was only different in that it was almost just like the day before.

Both crews went back to their jobs from yesterday.

This picture shows what the gardening crew was able to accomplish in just a day and a half.  Last night, we heard how a person from the neighborhood stopped by when they were working.  He said that he’s lived in Mississippi for 41 years and has never seen anyone clean that area up and he was really impressed.  It was great for all of the students to hear, first hand, who the people were that they were blessing.

Janelle, Anna, Stephanie and Hannah were on the roofing crew. This picture was taken just after we finished preparing the newly stripped roof for the coming rain storm.  These girls often showed the guys in our group what hard work was all about. (I only put that in here to make the guys feel bad - that’s what we kept saying to them all day to get them to work harder!)  Truth is, these students impressed us just as much as they did the townfolk.

For some time now, the JMPF has been trying to purchase this house that’s here in the neighborhood.  Well, they closed on the house yesterday and Grandpa Perkins told us about it this morning and how he plans to use it.  He talked about the different church leaders that live out in the Mississippi Delta (a 300 mile stretch of some of the most fertile soil in the world) and how so many of them are poor, but travel into Jackson for trainings, conferences, and other network type events.  He wants to fix this house up really nice so that when those brothers and sisters come into town, they can have a nice place to stay.  He told us that when he was a kid they often had to eat with their hands, so one of the first things he wants to get is a couple dozen sets of nice silverware for his guests.
So tomorrow is our last doing jobs with them, and our last full day here, so Dr. Perkins has asked us to go into that house with them and start prepping it to be fixed up.  Since wer’e the first to work on this project, they wanna take pictures of us at the property and use those pictures for one of the Foundations’ brochures.

Tonight is the earliest the students went to bed: 9:45p!  We had a pretty full day of work today and no one was bummed in the least that they got to go to sleep.  I was hoping to stay up later tonight and finish rewriting Day 4’s post, but it’s getting late here.  That really was the best day we’ve had so far; there were so many meaningful conversations and situations that we learned about.  I hope I’ll find some time tomorrow to do it; please check back Thursday night to see if I got to it - you’ll definitely get a better idea of why this trip may have been a very meaningful experience for these students.

Today started off like Monday did, with Grandpa Perkins joining us after breakfast for teaching.  Hanging with him in the morning and hearing his heart for people has quickly become one of the more valuable parts of this trip.  Yesterday we went through 1 John 1, then 1 John 2 today.  He had each individual say something that they liked about themself; that was actually pretty cool.  It was great to hear the things the students said about their character or personality that they enjoyed, even though it was awkward at first to tell everybody in the group why you think you’re so great.
That whole thing took about 20 minutes, but then Trevor was the last to go … so it went another 35 minutes.
(joking!)

Since yesterday was our tour day (I should mention that I wrote a very long and detailed post about yesterday, but when I hit ‘publish’ it erased it all; I’ll try to recreate it after this, so look below for “Perkins day4“), today we had the chance to serve the Perkins Foundation (JMPF) with some manuel labor.  It was a great experience because we got to see how the JMPF did so much to serve the community they’ve been placed in.  One group went into the neighborhood around the corner and pulled tons of weeds.

The weeds were just as tall as the chain link fence it was hiding, but we were able to pull about 75% of them today and will most likely finish the job tomorrow morning.  It’s a drag what happens in a neighborhood to areas that aren’t part of anyone’s actual property, no one takes responsibility to keep those parts of their community looking nice.

The other group went to a house in the same neighborhood to do some roofing for a woman who was having some huge leaks when it rained.

We were lucky enough to have Scott Olson with us who has done some roofing in the past.  Funny thing is, after his season of roofing was over years ago, he swore that he would never do it again!  We got just about half way done tearing the roof off today, and expect to start putting new shingles up just before we leave.  JMPF has another group coming next week that will probably finish what we can’t.

Wayne Perkins is in charge of us all week, and tells us each day what we’re gonna be doing.  I asked him today if organizing work projects mostly for people who can’t do skilled labor is actually a bigger chore for him than it’s worth to the foundation.  “No way,” he said, “Groups like yours is what makes us able to serve so many of the people in our community.”  It seems that they even set their ambitions hoping to get enough groups like ours that will partner with them.  That was great to hear; we truly feel like the JMPF is better equipped to serve by the efforts we’re making.

A lot of people were tired yesterday because they didn’t get enough sleep.  A number of them were actually ready for bed before us leaders! But today we were all tired for a different reason - they all worked their butts off today.  I can’t speak for the weed eaters because I didn’t get to work with them, but all the roofers had an amazing work-ethic, even in the 99 degree heat we had today.

At the end of each day we get together as a big group to process our experiences, then we break off into small groups for discussion about the things we feel God’s been telling us or to discuss thoughts we’ve been tracking in our journals.  That’s actually what they’re all doing now, which is why I’ve got time to be on here again - it’s the only time this house is quiet!

Please be praying for the students that God will renew their energy and willingness to serve.  I have been SO encouraged by the thoughts some of them are sharing in the small groups, and even the questions they’re asking Dr. Perkins in the mornings.  Please pray, also, for God’s continued voice speaking to our students through the lives of others.  Paul said in Romans 1 that he was excited to hang out with the people of Rome so that he and they might be “mutually encouraged” by each others’ faith.  That’s what we’re all hoping for with our time with the JMPF crew.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN PERKINS IS AN OFTEN EXCITING WAY TO START OUR DAYS.

Grandpa Perkins showed up to the house today at about 7:30am for our morning teaching.  We knew he’d be by that early, so we started getting people up at around 6am…which I’m pretty sure is the same time the ‘guests’ are forced to wake up at Guantanamo Bay.  Even worse was that most of us were up watching a movie until 1:00.

Dr. Perkins’ son, Wayne, is our main contact while we’re down here.  He came to breakfast at the house, then took us around the greater Jackson area showing us the when’s and where’s of how John and Vera Mae Perkins got started in their struggle for civil rights.  Driving through Mendenhall, MS, about half the buildings in town had signs on them that said something about Dr. Perkins being responsible for them being there.

One of the buildings we were driving by in downtown Jackson was the King Edward Hotel.  Wayne told us that this building used to be the center of Jackson society and was once the most elegant building in downtown.  When the south got integrated, the owners said they’d close the doors forever before they’d let blacks in to their hotel, and that’s what happened.  That happened decades ago, and nothing had ever been done with the beautiful building; instead it sits in the middle of town as a “monument to bigotry”.  Just over a year ago, after probably a dozen restoration ambitions have been abandoned (over the last 40 years), the hotel is finally being remodeled by a NFL player from New Orleans.

Wayne also took us by 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Dr.  This was the house where civil rights activist, Medgar Evers was assassinated in 1963, just about 2 months before Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.  The bullet went through Mr. Evers, through the living room window and through an interior wall all before it richoceted off the refigerator and came to rest on the kitchen counter.  It was weird to see the dent in the fridge.

Dr. Perkins started the week saying that he was pleased with a couple states in how they handled the issue of racism, Minnesota being one of them.  If there’s any truth to his perception of our state, that might explain how shocking some of the situations we learned about were to us.  A lot of us were asking questions we never had to think through before:
-Why does this whole town celebrate Jefferson Davis‘ birthday (he was the president of the Confederacy back in the 1800’s) on the same day the rest of the country celebrates Martin Luther King Jr’s?
-Why is there still a large divider that runs through the middle of that town that seperates where most of the white people live from where most of the black people live?
-Why are there so many confederate flags still flying in front of homes and businesses down here?  Is there something I missed or wasn’t that the flag that hundreds of thousands of soldiers followed into battle to try to keep black people as their slaves?

Through the stories and lives of some of the people we talked with, we encountered a hate as powerful as it was illogical.
But there was something Beautifully ironic about it all.  I feel like it’s safe to say that a lot of us listening and learning today were moved to anger with those who had perpetuated this ugly system that oppresses, degrades, and marginalizes our brothers and sisters.  But whenever we’d hear from Grandpa Perkins, Medgar Evers or Mrs. Skiffer, it was obvious that hate itself was their enemy, not other people.  Their example calls us to the unconditional love of Christ, which the bible says makes no sense to the foolish.  We should always pray against foolishness, ours and others.

Wayne took us to a lunch spot near Mendenhall for fried catfish, fried chicken, fried okra, mashed potatos, and all the goodness you’d expect to find at a buffet in the most obese state in the country.

Somehow, I think it was all the exact same food you’d find at Old Country Buffet, but somehow it was delicious since we were in Mississippi.  I just love the looks you get from restaurant managers when 30 high schoolers walk in to their buffet.

We went swimming tonight too.  Here’s Devin, Steven and Ryan frolicking in the local resevoir.  I doubt they would have looked this peaceful had Wayne not waited until later to tell us that he and his friend caught a 12 foot aligator in this water.  Turns out it’s pretty hard to find a large body of water that doesn’t have it’s share of gators in it in Mississippi.
(disclaimer to parents: we didn’t go here out of wreckless ignorance.  This is like the White Bear Lake of Jackson.  We shared this place with tons of swimmers, skiers, and jetskis and have been told it’s plenty safe.)

Today was our first full day here, but the last day we’re gonna get to sleep in.  Starting tomorrow, the majority of our time will be scheduled by the people at the Perkins Foundation.  Normally, any group that comes here for the week spends their Sunday going to church with Grandpa Perkins, but today he had to speak at 4 different services around town.   We did, however, go to New Horizons International Church - the 11am service.
I would imagine if you asked any of our students what their thoughts were on the morning, the first they’d share is that it was long - even though they all said it didn’t feel like we were sitting in there for 2 and a half hours.  Something else they might remember is that the worship was likely the livliest they’ve ever seen.
There’s a story Donald Miller tells in his book, “Blue Like Jazz” where he says he never liked jazz until he was walking down a street in Portland and saw a man playing a jazz instrument.  The man never opened his eyes the whole time he played his song; he felt his music.  From that point on, Don Miller liked jazz.
I had that same thought this morning about interpretive dance.  Two of the 4 women who danced this morning ended up with tears all over their faces, and a good number of the congregation had stood up to worship by the time the song was over.

I keep forgetting that Woodland Hills is as unique as it is.  Most of us have been there for quite a while, and I still get surprised when I visit another church and realize we’re not all saying the same things.  When we got back from church this morning, we had a group discussion about some of the good differences we noticed from New Horizons, and some of the more challenging differences.  If you’re one of the parents of these students, it might be an interesting conversation for you to ask your child about their experience this morning.

Katie Van Sickle joined us today.  She flew in from Denver to the Medger Evers-Jackson Int’l Airport.  Tomorrow, we’re going to visit the house where Mr. Evers was shot.  The people at the Perkins Center recommended we watch the movie “Ghosts of Mississippi” that tells the true story of his murder and the quest for justice 30 years after the first trial back in 1963.
Also, tomorrow will begin our work projects with the Perkins Center.  We’d appreciate your prayers for our safety and our attitudes in the heat.

Today we finished off the 1,047 mile journey to Jackson, MS.  We started the morning at around 7 and were pulling into our first Starbucks by 8 - made me wonder how our youth pastors back in the 80’s and 90’s ever tolerated us that early in the morning with no Starbucks around.

For those who weren’t there at the church when we took off, we drove two vehicles down here: a 15 passenger van and another one that seats 12.  We have a total of 27 people on this trip, so I wondered how we’d all last with such little free space for two days.  But somehow, the trip may have been the best road trip that I’ve ever been on - definitely didn’t feel like 19 hours of driving.
There were nothing but good times all the way here.  Here are some of the best quotes from the conversations I heard in my van, at least:
-Tseganesh: Missouri looks surprisingly like Iowa

-Devin Wiggs (when talking about the pollution problem): Who cares? I’ll be dead before it gets real bad.
Steven Ricci: Plus, one day they’ll find a cure for all that and we won’t even have to breathe oxygen anymore anyway.

CHARLIE SPOTS ONE OF THE LOCAL CELEBRITIES JUST BEFORE WE LEFT ST. LOUIS THIS MORNING

We arrived at the Perkins Center in Jackson at around 6pm.  Soon after we got our things put away in the house across the street, Dr. John Perkins (or “Grandpa Perkins” as he wants us to call him) came over to make us feel welcome.  He talked to us for about 20 minutes, and I could tell that there was something inspiring about sitting in a room with the same person we had all been reading about in his book, “Let Justice Roll Down.”
He talked a little bit about the differences between how states like Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, and Northern California have processed the issue of race differently than a lot of states in the south.  He said that places like the northwest (or the midwest) find their identity in things that they love; like the seasons, the terrain or the activities they’re drawn to in their different regions.  He said that when a peoples’ identity is defined by things they love, they approach most things in life with a greater capacity for love (as a culture), and are more likely to begin at a place of acceptance.
He said that in places in the south (Mississippi and Alabama, etc.) a lot of people still identify themselves first by the things they hate: “I’m a democrat in the south; I hate republicans,” or, “We First Baptists don’t take too kindly to Southern Baptists around here.”  When a large part of a culture identifies itself first and foremost with things that they stand against, those tendencies keep them from approching human beings with an attitude of love and acceptance.

He hung out with us for just a short time, but already, it looks like there’s a lot we could learn from him.  One prayer request we have is that we could all approach this time as students first (meaning we let ourselves be taught by those disciples here that have walked some tough roads before us).  It still feels like some of us feel like, primarily, we came on a mission trip - that we could help those less fortunate than us.  But it’s feeling more and more like it’s Grandpa Perkins that could help us learn what it’s truly like to walk with the broken and carry the burdens of an often depressing world.

NOTHING MAKES YOU FEEL AT HOME (OR FEEL REALLY HEALTHY) BETTER THAN LITTLE CEASAR’S PIZZAS

We started out our journey today just before noon.  Normally, you can expect a trip in church vans to be kinda rowdy all the way to your destination.  But today we realized that that rule only applies on trips about 3-4 hours.  When students know they’re gonna be driving all day just to get half way across the country, a calmness comes over them…and we like that.

We stopped for two meals today, and for gas a couple times too.  Already, we can tell that most of the students are opening up to others on the trip that they might not have known too well before we left.  Since it was our first leg of the trip, we split the vans up into the small groups we’ve been meeting with in the weeks leading up to now.
Tonight, we had an evening meeting where we all talked about how this group really made an effort to stick to the covenant we made at the church before we left - a commitment to foster loving & inclusive relationships with the others on the team.

Seth took turns riding in each van, and put in a message that he downloaded from Don Miller (Author: Blue Like Jazz) where he talked about the concept of having God write your story.  It was a great message that we all kind of revisited later on tonight in our meeting.  Tomorrow, students will hopefully start their morning writing in their journals about what kind of things they’d want God to include if He were writing the story for how this week will go.  And what kinds of things can we do so that we are the kind of characters that God wants in His story?

If you’re able to join us on this site, please also join us in prayer that God breathes His hopes into our hearts.  And that if we came with any expectations for this time that are less ambitious than God’s high hopes for us, that ours would melt away, making room for Him to act in our lives.

SETH KEEPS WATCH WHILE THE GIRLS PICK OUT THEIR SPOTS ON THE CHURCH FLOOR HERE IN ST. LOUIS