Week 52 - Clemson Homecoming
It is homecoming week at Clemson. Some say I might not understand irony, but I would say it is ironic we find ourselves back in Clemson during this special time. A few weeks ago, John, the pastor of our college church, Christ the Redeemer, reached out to us. He shared they're embarking on a new building project and could use extra hands and energy to kickstart it. It was an easy decision for all of us to return and help out.
Cain, Davis, and I are all from different states, but our paths converged during our time at Clemson. We also share a connection with Christ the Redeemer, the church we all went to in college, and would typically go do a fun activity after church – sauna, make up games at Y beach, or hikes to waterfalls. Returning to this familiar place, which we all once called home, was truly special and brought back memories of when we first met there. We are so used to going to new restaurants and using maps for everywhere we go, but this week it was fun to know all the local spots and know how to get there… most of the time.
With Mr. President of Clemson - Jim Clements
Christ the Redeemer is an amazing church, although it did set an exceptionally high bar for churches in my post-college experience. My friends and I appreciated many things about it, making it the ideal church for us in our college years. It is on the smaller side, where you recognize most faces in the congregation. The church is inviting, and basically everyone knows your name, thanks to the nametags everyone wears. The church boasts a diverse mix of backgrounds and ages among its members. I always felt refreshed and encouraged leaving Christ the Redeemer on Sunday.
The church has been seeking to engage with the surrounding community, and the upcoming building will distribute food boxes to several nearby low-income neighborhoods. We helped by gutting the building, preparing it for renovations. Demolition is an awesome task to ask three 25-year-old guys to do. After completing this, we tackled a project Cain started during our college years. We installed pavers on the church's patio around the firepit, finishing up the project originally started years before.
Working on the patio with a few helpers - Zak Maghsoud, Sam Jones, Gibby, Dwight
Bryce Dalrymple came in for demo
On our first day of work, we had the pleasure of meeting Dwight. Dwight lives in the trailer park located between the church and the new building. When he saw us working, he approached and asked if he could lend a hand. He had been searching for employment to make some money and offered to assist us for the remaining days of our stay, working alongside us from Tuesday through Friday. Dwight's presence was a true delight, brightening each day. Following are a few things worth noting about Dwight. He's very skilled at pool and Candy Crush on his phone. He has two children and a remarkable 14 grandchildren. The youngest grandchild, a 2-year-old, is quite the chatterbox, but she falls asleep every night by gently rubbing her grandpa Dwight's face (something he never let me do before bedtime). He's not shy about removing his dentures in front of us, although Davis would get very shy when Dwight had them out. Lastly, he doesn't allow me to daydream for too long; if he catches me lost in thought, he's quick to "help" me snap out of it and get back to work.
Meeting people like Dwight has been a big highlight this year, and it is something I will genuinely miss. These encounters have connected me with people who are very different than me – our appearances, origins, ages, and communication styles all vary significantly. Yet, these differences are what bring us together, we both have so much to offer to each other and learn from each other. What's even more exciting is as we prepare to move off the bus we'll have the opportunity to continue building new relationships in Charleston, and this time, they won't be cut short after just a few days.
I asked Dwight for his thoughts on the bus, and he had a few words he was willing to share on the blog:
“The bus is awesome. The bus is REAL awesome. Ain’t never seen one like it. Go everywhere around the world in it. You can park it wherever you want to. You can park it and relax it and enjoy yourself. Only thing you don’t have is the shower. (I explained we can do an outdoor shower). Now that’s what I’m talking about. That’s amazing there. I don’t have to sit in a house. I can just go in it and park in the shade and relax it. (pause and goes a little off topic) The hot water felt so good on my shoulders last night in the shower. I didn’t want to come out.”
This week, we had the opportunity to share our journey with a lot of different people, through many different ways. Given that it was our homecoming during homecoming week, it made for an exciting story to tell. While we haven't had much publicity this year, this week more than made up for it. We were featured on ABC 4 news, Clemson World, the Seneca Journal, and had the chance to speak at Clemson Young Life Leadership and at Christ the Redeemer. Looking back, it feels like a lot, but the great thing is that it's a fun story to share. I'm proud of what we've accomplished this year, and that makes it easy to talk about. We have so many different stories to choose from, so we can mix it up each time we share. Apparently, some folks thought it was "inappropriate" for me to discuss scooping horse poop on live TV – sorry, Mom!
To end the week, we enjoyed a home cooked lunch at John and Kathy Hall's home (we even had dessert). During our college years, John served as the pastor at Christ the Redeemer. He has transitioned to a role of assisting priest, while Luke Rasmussen has assumed the position of lead pastor, bearing the title of Rector. These moments are always special, providing a perfect ending to a week of working together. As we were about to leave, John shared a prayer from St. Brendan, the navigator who embarked on a daring journey across uncharted waters. This story of faith, exploration, and discovery has resonated with us as we have faced the unknown this year. It was a great encouragement for us and I hope it will be for you as well.
“Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown.
Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You.
Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me.
I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand.
Tune my spirit to the music of heaven, and somehow, make my obedience count for You.
AMEN.”
