Stand Up For Those Without a Voice

by Sarah Jones

My day started the best it ever can, a voice saying “We are going to go get coffee. Would you like some?” You don’t need me to tell you my answer. So on a very cheery note my day was started.

We started the mile walk to where we were meeting to start our service project and met a wonderful lady named Emily who led us to our lunch spot. (This was at 11:30.) I got to have some more wonderful ethnic New Orleans food (shellfish free!) and enjoy some time with other people. Our group was blessed to have a lady from Texas sit with us and we got a chance to learn more about her. We ate at this restaurant because the very room we ate in was used for the slave trade and that was part of the topic of the day. After that we took a short walk to a nearby hotel. We listened to a talk by a local Pastor about slavery and other issues with the church. He wanted us to know about all the people that are powerless and how we can speak up for them. I really enjoyed his talk. He brought up a lot that I had never thought about. After that we took another walk to the Civil War Museum where the woman there talked to us about the times in the Civil War as well as her story from Katrina.

One thing that I have not mentioned yet is this was our service day. Each group got to do a service project while they were down here. When you think of a service project you, like we did, think physical labor. For example, building a house or helping rebuilding a park. What I learned is that is not all there is. God called us to do something a little different. As you listened to what we did today you did not hear anything about physical labor. What we did is learn about problems that face our world today such as human trafficking, crime, and poor education. Our service is about our town, Coeur d’Alene, how we can go back and stand up for those with no voice and no power to have a voice. When was the last time you went to a city council meeting? The last time you went to a school board meeting? In these meetings, our city is formed. Yet we sit back and don’t get involved and then we complain about what is going on. We need to stop just saying what is wrong in our town and in our country as well. We need to stand up and say something about it. God gave us all great power and we just need to use what he has given us for the better. So, yes, we did not get to do a physically demanding project, and yes, it was disappointing, but just think of all the good that is going to come out of this way of thinking. Some of us are 18 or about to turn 18 and we can vote. That is a huge power and can be used greatly if the time is taken to care. So that is the wonderful knowledge that God chose to reveal to us today, and I am very thankful for. I want to be able to go home and with God's strength, be able to speak for those who can’t.

The best thing is our day does not end there! Our group then split into two. Pastor Dave, Nicky, and I went to the convention center. Why you may ask? BECAUSE I WON A PRIZE!!! I donated change yesterday and was entered into a drawing and won! I won a snuggie. That is a blanket with sleeves if you did not know. The other group went off to dinner (don’t worry, we ate, too). We met at the Superdome for our speakers and music. One speaker stood out to me. He had been a child soldier. His story was very touching. He was only five when they invaded his town and took him and the other kids along with his friend Kevin. They loaded them up and took them to the camp. They slit his arm and rubbed in brown-brown. For those who haven’t heard, it is a mixture of cocaine and gun powder. This makes your mind go crazy. Then they put a blindfold on his eyes and a gun in his hand and told him to shoot. Now only being five he could not hold it all by himself so one of the men helped him. They put his finger on the trigger and yelled “Shoot, shoot!” so he did. They took of the blindfold and on the ground was his best friend Kevin. Then they told him about how he was a killer and his family would never want him back. When they went to raid his first village though he ran and ran and ran as fast and long as he could and he got away. He tells this story not to make us feel bad but for us to have hope and to help those once again without a voice. So what I got from today is how we may feel powerless but we aren’t. We hold the power and right now at this very moment we are wasting it. We need to speak out and stand up for what we know is right. That is my goal and when I get back I hope you will stand by me and others as we take a stand.
God’s Peace,
Sarah