In the news

We made the paper in Massachusetts! check out the article and pictures...

http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_152012156.html

Ka`Cheney

My time on this trip has had it`s ups and downs.Mostly up I enjoyed doing something that made a differance in our world. What i really liked was spending times with the girls at Esperanza they really loved what we did for them. It would be great if we were to keep this wonderful thing and experiance going. When I saw how greatful they were just because we planted some flowers ,it made me want to keep BANA alive.So i just want to thank Rev.Jane for letting be apart of this spectacular jublulent experiance. This mission trip really changed my life.

Jeroid

My time up in these different states were great because we got to work with great people and make new friends .

Monday AM

Today is Monday June 2. The kids are still asleep and Faye, Lina, and Malcolm have gone to wash our shirts for the trip home. Yesterday we spent the day with the BANA Fellows of Massachusetts. We began in Lynn , MA at St Stephen's. Lynn is a working class, traditionally immigrant city with multiple drug and gang problems. St Stephen's has a long history of being a diverse parish with a commitment to youth and to building community. Interacting with the young people there gave our kids and opportunity to hear the stories of what life is like in the intercity. Brother Ruffin and I vested and participated in the service and the kids all went to Sunday School Episcopal style. That means doughnuts and orange juice for all. We sang at the offertory and everyone was amazed. I even tried to clap and sway at the same time. LaShonda said that I did well. She is my choir buddy.

After the service we all went upstairs to another service. This one was in Kiswahili. The preaching was a whole lot more animated, but we did not understand much of what was said. Dorothy figured out that we he said "Alleluia", we were supposed to say "Amen" so we were able to join in! We learned to say "Jambo", which means Good morning and "Amani" which means "Peace". After the service we had a meal prepared by the Kiswahili congregation. It was everything from meat pies to mashed up black-eyed peas, to white sweet potatoes, to goat meat. The kids and adults chowed down and thoroughly enjoyed it. No kidding the kids really did not only eat it but thought it was very good. A change from pizza!

After dinner we went to another church in wealthy, mostly white Marblehead, MA. There we helped the BANA Mass kids set up for a fund raiser. They had planned an art shoe (for sale) and a talent shoe for entertainment. Let me just say that they were amazing. Our kids got into the music and dance and had a wonderful time. We were there until about 6 and than drove some of the BANA Mass kids back to Lynn. The laughter from the back of the bus filled the air with the joy of kids getting to know one another and sharing dreams for what America can be without prejudice, privilege, and misuse of power. Jason Cruz, the leader of BANA Mass said it all when he called out Who are we? And the kids, black , white, and brown – Episcopal, Baptist, and whatever, northern and southern, girls and boys - thundered back in one voice across two thousand miles of difference "We are BANA"

Now I have filks upstairs who are wondering where I am and who want to head out to meet Bishop Bud and go to the Museum of Science. I apologize for not having more entries from then kids but internet access is spotty. I am in the Clinical Lab where I used to work right now and kids are not allowed in here. On the way home we will get them to write and I will post it upon our return.

Thanks for journeying with us. God's Peace be with you.
Jane+

On to Boston

It is Saturday morning and our first day to sleep late. Kids have worked hard (adults also!). The end of our service at Esperanza was joyous. Bishop Gayle Harris joined us for the late morning as we put the finishing touches on the picnic table. The garden is lovely. The 6th grade class prepared an ethnic lunch for us that we delicious. The BANA Fellows sang and we showed some slides of the Gulf Coast. Then out to the garden for a blessing. Bishop Harris sprinkled life sustaining water on the garden and all of us and we celebrated together the transformation of a dark, dingy place into a place of beauty. Neighbors came out to admire and to help. All in all it was a powerful experience for us all. At the end of the day the teachers took all of the kids for a softball game and gave the BANA adults and hour of free time. That too was great!

Last night we moved our crew to Cambridge MA and Youville Hospital. Our quarters are cramped and the showers are few but we are making it OK. It is supposed to rain on our parade today but we will do the tourist thing anyway!

Everyone is waiting for me and as I have to come to a coffee shop to get on line, so I better close this off and get back. We are safe. We are happy. We have had very few disruptions. As Sunday approaches we will hold you all in our prayers, I hope you will do the same for us. Please pray also for my Bishop (Bishop Shaw) who has gone to Zimbabwe to stand with the bishop there in the face of governmental threats to slaughter the Anglicans in Zimbabwe for opposing his oppressive government. He is witnessing to oppression in that part of the world.

God Bless,
Jane+

Pictures and More Pictures

Tomorrow is our last day at Esperanza. It has been "wicked awesome". Today we planted the last of some 60 plants, loaded the last of a 10 foot pile of dirt and rocks, and painted another area. We also finished doing laundry. Two unexpected encounters happened. Early this AM the person living in the house next to Esperanza come out. He had been watching our work for two days. He joined us in the alley, picked up a shovel and began to clean up with us. Making things beautiful is contagious! Then this afternoon an Indian gentleman came over and asked us what we were doing. LaShonda and I talked to him for a while and his eyes welled up with tears. "I have lived here for ten years. I have never seen anyone come to help us." We went back up stairs and when we returned to work he showed up with a plate of brownies. He could not thank the kids enough. Our scripture lesson tonight was the Mustard Seed.

All of our encounters have not been as pleasant. We have had a store owner slam the door to the coke case and explain that people hide bottles under their shirts. We have been charged more than the price on the product and then when we questioned it been told that the price was wrong on the package. We have even had an encounter with a Rhode Island State Trooper in which he was about as rude and inappropriate as a police office can be. This was actually a serious incident and so I want to share it in its entirety.

After leaving DC we were delayed in traffic around NYC. As a result we found ourselves in Rhode Island about 6 PM and hungry. We stopped at a Wendy’s. They were out of several products but we got enough to eat and sat down. Then three Black teenage girls came in and went to the counter. Soon we began to hear raised voices. Our guys wanted to stand up to see what was happening but we encouraged them to finish eating. Then out of nowhere two state troopers came in from either side of the restaurant. Then two more came in. Then a fifth came in and approached one of our young girls. He wanted to know who she was and what she had done. Her answer was polite and accurate – his sarcastic. By the second sentence I had crossed the room and inserted my body between the officer and my youth member. I introduced myself and offered to answer his questions. He wanted to know why I came over and I said “Because I do not want you to talk to my children.” Upon which he told me that he would talk to whomever he pleased. Then there was a sort of standoff. I did not say anything but I did not move either. The officer finally walked away and Lessie and the others ushered the children out of the door and onto the bus and we left.

Once on the bus and settled we talked for a long time about what happened. The young people were able to see the role of prejudice and power in the encounter and to name the ways in which the officer had acted inappropriately. They also named the way in which the other girls at the counter were rude and aggressive. I have never been prouder of a group of young people. They acted with poise beyond their years. The next evening the adults had time to do some process also. One of the learnings is that experiencing what it is like to be singled out, profiled, and intimidated is not familiar to white people in the same way as it is for people of color. We shared the fear and the anger together and it just made us more committed to the work that we are about. I have not ever worked with a more dedicated, wise, and compassionate group of adults. And the kids are pretty cool also.
I know that we will have much more to talk about in the weeks and months to come. For now we are looking forward to building a picnic table tomorrow and meeting Bishop Gayle who will bless the garden. Then it is on to Cambridge and Boston for the weekend. Tomorrow a couple of the guys will add their posts. Thanks of for reading our stuff.
Jane+

Brianna's Blog

My Experience

My experience on this trip has been amazing. I have met people I have never met before and got to know them very well. The trip to Washington, D.C. was very interesting. I was happy that I got to go back because I haven’t been there since I was two years old. I saw the White House including the snipers that were watching people from the roof of the White House. I also had the opportunity to ride on the Metro (I was kind of scared). I got to go up to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The most amazing thing about this trip was I got to meet a group of girls. I went to their school called Esperanza Academy of Hope. These girls and I have created a wonderful friendship and I am going to be very sad when we have to leave.