Mission
On a
by Father Kevin Wittmayer, school Chaplain
This summer the Upper School mission trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma followed record flooding in the Tulsa metropolitan area. One of the goals of the 2019 Summer Mission Trip was for our students to be more actively involved with the clients of the ministries we served. The first work day of the mission trip was spent with a local non-profit, Power of Partial Improvement, cleaning up the baseball fields and concession stand of a flood damaged park. On the second day of our mission week students assisted Irongate Ministries. Irongate is located in downtown Tulsa and serves breakfast and lunch to many of the city’s homeless. Students also assisted the Northeast Oklahoma Food Bank by filling food boxes for distribution. On our last day of ministry we took a tour of the Greenwood Cultural Center after working the morning with Night Light Tulsa preparing for our Thursday evening activity. The Greenwood Cultural Center educates people
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about the worst race riot in American history. In 1921 the Greenwood area of Tulsa known as “The Black Wall Street” was burnt to the ground and resulted in numerous deaths. In the opinion of many students who participated in the mission trip, Thursday evening was the highlight of our trip. Night Light Tulsa served a hamburger cook-out to approximately 300-400 homeless and working poor. A meal, however, was not the only thing offered to the homeless that evening. The approximately 100 volunteers were divided into teams to serve in a number of different ways. Volunteers gave away books and clothing. Some volunteers painted fingernails and others entertained children in a play center. Three ladies offered free haircuts. Some of our students joined the prayer team and one station offered to wash the feet of the homeless. The entire week was a life-changing experience for many of our students and set a high bar for future mission trips.
“I don’t realize how fortunate I am until I’m put in an environment where I see others struggling. Whether they are struggling with their faith, struggling financially, or with
family. The time I had in Tulsa serving others lead me to encourage the others around me
12 | TORCH
to take a moment to see God’s LIGHT in the DARKNESS!”
Conley Cavender
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