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Vanguards in Mississippi

A Domestic Immersion Trip Recap

By HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development

April 11^th, 2023

On the road again...

12 Days

10 Vanguards

2 Leaders

2,520 Miles Traveled (give or take...)

Our main destination: Canton, Mississippi

Vanguards and leaders partnered with In His Steps Ministries (IHS) for Vanguard's yearly cross-cultural immersion and missions trip. While one part of the Vanguard cohort traveled to Costa Rica, the other half of us explored the southern US. Pressing into topics like the complex history of slavery in the United States, the civil rights era, and the ramifications those chapters in history have on present-day culture and life in the United States.

Vanguards wrestled with significant questions like:

How do we engage challenging issues/topics that are pertinent in society without polarizing the conversation or inciting more division?
As followers of Jesus Christ, how do we enter into conversations of reconciliation?

A handful of Vanguards from the 2023 cohort : Davis Dunlap, Joseph Kruse, Caroline Housworth, Libby Gerhardt, Joseph Thar, Owen Nordstrom, Joseph Huseby, and Ryan Tsai

The Vanguard crew and leaders on a tour of New Orleans.

The trip group stops for one last group photo while at In His Steps in Canton, MS.

But first, Tennessee!

Leaving in the early morning from HoneyRock, we traveled 15 hours to our first destination: Memphis, Tennessee.

Immediately upon entering The National Civil Rights (NCR) Museum, the atmosphere was distinct and heavy. We were in the same location where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968. We had prepared for our trip for a few months; reading, discussing, and planning. But while walking through the museum, many of us realized that planning for and discussing topics about the history of racism and the Civil Rights movement in the US is very different from going to where these events occurred.

When talking with Sharlotte White (Vanguard ‘23) she reflected on the experience and shared, “The National Civil Rights Museum hit me with a series of mixed emotions. Emotions of anger and grief were prominent. Having grown up in the States and going through its school system, the questions I kept coming back to were: Why is it that I don’t know more about these things? Why have I not been taught more about these events or chapters in my country’s history?”

The museum helped open our eyes wider, connecting us with the complex parts of U.S. history, much of which has far-reaching effects on today’s society.

Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, the location that MLK was assassinated.

Vanguards and leaders inspect a plaque at the Lorraine Motel.

Joseph Kruse, Vanguard 2023 examines the "We Are A Man" exhibit.

The Vanguard crew and leaders head towards the National Civil Rights Museum.

A plaque in remembrance of MLK with the flowers marking where he died.

Welcome To Beale Street

Next Memphis stop: Beale Street

As soon as we entered the neighborhood, we were in a perpetual state of awe! We saw Black history come to life, with the live jazz musicians’ melodies spreading throughout the street. Historical architecture and buildings lined the famous street. Eventually, dinner time rolled around, and we enjoyed some classic southern dishes, great conversations, and even got in a little bit of dancing to live jazz music.

Signs cover Beale Street celebrating its famous name.

Vanguards take in the colorful and beautiful Beale Street in Memphis, TN.

Vanguards of the 2023 Cohort, Joseph Thar and Joseph Huseby enjoy the vintage advertisements of Beale Streets' history.

Learning How to Walk In His Steps

And just like that we were piling back into the vans and on the road again. We headed towards our next and main destination of our trip: Canton, Mississippi.

We partnered with an organization called In His Steps (IHS), which began as a ministry focused on juvenile remedial care. Over the last several years, IHS has branched out, providing a multifaceted program that works with the entirety of Canton’s community.

“While working alongside IHS, Vanguards gain a greater understanding of what it means to build and connect with the body of Christ. Throughout the trip, students get the opportunity to wrestle with the racial history of the US and how that connects to our present day. By serving locally and building relationships with IHS students and staff, Vanguards get to see God at work in a whole new context.” Rachel Nichwitz, Guest Group Program Manager.

Cole Nelson, a Vanguard Program Coordinator (OAL '23), shares a conversation with Carolyn Bacon at In His Steps.

Libby Gerhart and Caleb Ledbetter, Vanguard 2023, share a few laughs while weeding the garden.

Vanguards from the 2022 cohort also played a role in helping maintain the IHS garden.

Sharlotte White, Vanguard 2023 posses for a photo with two students in the after school program at IHS.

A Week in the Life at In His Steps

Quick details of our time in Canton:

Helped with IHS’s afterschool preventative ministry, working with elementary and middle school students
Worked on maintaining and developing an IHS property that is shaping up as a site for summer camp opportunities for the local community
Toured the town of Canton and gained insight into the local history and community dynamics
Engaged in purposeful dialogue and learning with Jasper Bacon, the Executive Director of IHS, and Carolyn Bacon, the Director of Personnel/Volunteers

Ryan Tsai, Vanguard 2023, plays basketball with a kid from the IHS after-school program.

Joseph Thar, Vanguard 2023, replants new shrubs for the entrance of IHS.

Caroline Housworth, Sharlotte White, and Libby Gerhartt, Vanguards 2023 learn from Carolyn Bacon (IHS).

“I was inspired by the Bacons’ Christ-centered approach to their ministry: they never lost sight of the importance of discipling and sharing the gospel with their students, and I thought this was remarkable.”

Owen Nordstrom, Vanguard 2023, does art with the kids at IHS.

Caroline Housworth, Vangaurd 2023 spends quality time with students at IHS's after-school program.

Owen Nordstrom, Vanguard 2023, and a student at IHS work on his homework during the after-school program.

Going back to School

A specific area of In His Steps that we worked with was their afterschool preventative ministry. Local students are welcomed into an environment that is encouraging and structured. A typical afternoon looks like helping the students with their homework, listening to a devotion (in our case, giving one), playing games outside (a lot of basketball was played), and having fun conversations with students. no time at all for us to connect with the kids. Vanguards took turns sharing a devotion each day with the students, which created a really incredible experience for us as students to share God’s Word with them.

Reflecting on her experiences in working with the students at IHS, Caroline Housworth (Vanguard ‘23) shares, “I worked closely with this one 5th grader while we were at IHS. On the very first day there, this particular student shared that their cousin had recently been injured in a shooting. It was really profound; regardless of this tragedy, this 5th-grade kid was still joyful. This made our interactions and time together really special. This particular student’s courage and pure joy really inspired me and it will be something I take with me long after the trip."

Sports and games had an unexpected effect on our relationship with the students at IHS. It created a unique level of bonding that helped us get to know them quickly in the short amount of time we had to be with them. The joy and invigoration would spread throughout the whole community when someone made a basket or kicked a home run.

Ryan Tsai, Vanguard 2023, plays basketball with a student from the IHS after-school program.

Vangaurds and students at IHS play basketball together.

Joseph Thar, Vanguard 2023, cheers as he catches the ball getting the other team out in a game of kickball.

Owen Nordstrom, Vanguard 2023, plays basketball with a kid from the IHS after-school program.

Sharlotte White, Vanguard 2023, and a group of kids at IHS pose for a photo.

Camping in Canton

IHS is in the process of expanding its ministry. It is underway in providing outdoor and camp experiences for the youth in Canton.

While they hosted their first summer this past summer, there is still work to do on the property. That’s where we were able to jump in and help make some progress. We split into two groups: one cleaned a historic main building on the site, where interns will stay during their time in Canton, and the other group worked on demolishing a beaver dam that had caused flooding on the property.

In His Steps also maintains a vegetable garden, offering its yield to locals at an accessible price. The relationship between the work we were able to do at the campsite property and in the garden gave many of us a tangible learning moment: we recognized that our work is not in vain and it will have a positive impact on the local community in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Yes, the work we were able to do provides assistance to IHS’s ministry, but IHS is there to maintain and sustain the work we helped them accomplish in the long term. Serving this way at IHS required us as guests and co-laborers to reorient our posture towards service and humility: the work is not about receiving praise; it's about creating space for belonging.

Vanguards from the 2023 cohort help pull weeds in the IHS garden.

Caroline Housworth, Vanguard 2023, trims the branches with Carolyn Bacon, the Director of Personnel/Volunteers.

Joseph Kruse, Ryan Tsai, and Joseph Huseby, Vanguards 2023, clear up a beaver dam to prevent flooding on the campsite property.

Caleb Ledbetter, Vanguard 2023 smiles for quick photo in between carrying weeds to the compost.

Ryan Tsai and Davis Dunlap, Vanguard 2023 pick up sticks and debris to allow the grass to be trimmed.

Libby Gerhart, Vanguard 2023 flexes for the camera her gains from all the weeding she had been doing.

Joseph Huseby, Vanguard 2023 wheels sticks to be collected to clear the lawn.

Joseph Thar, Joseph Huseby, Ryan Tsai, and Joseph Kruse (Vanguard 2023) pose with Cole Nelson, Vanguard Program Coordinator over the dam they will soon clear out.

Jazz and Beignets

Everyone back in the van!

Next stop: New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Whitney Plantation.

At the tail end of our trip, we went all the way south for a brief tour of The French Quarter in New Orleans. Our tour of the French Quarter brought the city and its history to life. The French Quarter was pretty surreal and breathtaking in many areas. In the evening, we enjoyed some classic New Orleans cuisine: Café Du Monde. We all enjoyed way too many beignets, and we were all pleased to be able to enjoy New Orleans in the evening.

Vanguards entering Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, LA.

Libby Gerhart and Sharlotte White (Vanguard 2023) and Rachel Nichwitz, Guest Group Program Manager read the list of slaves and mortgages of the plantation.

Pre-Civil War United States

After Visiting New Orleans, we traveled north-ish along the Mississippi River to the Whitney Plantation, a former sugar plantation in Edgard, Louisiana.

The plantation is now a museum dedicated to educating the public on slavery in the United States and the injustices enacted on enslaved people. Walking through the plantation stirred up feelings of anger and sorrow. Even though it was only early March, we noticed how warm the sun felt. Coming from Northern Wisconsin, this felt pretty nice. Someone pointed out how hot it must actually be in the summer and early fall months. Our tour guide suggested we imagine what it may have been like to be working in the fields, harvesting sugar cane, living life as someone else's property. Setting foot on an actual plantation helped all of us come to a better understanding of what slavery was like in the southern United States.

Traveling to an actual plantation exposes all of your senses to the horrors and tragedies that were enacted on human beings. This is way different than reading about it online or in a textbook. This experience helped pave a way for a higher form of learning and new understanding of racism and social inequality.

A Reflective Return to HoneyRock

After 10 days of travel and some 2,000 miles logged in the van - we headed home to HoneyRock.

On the long drive back, I reflected on our trip and all that I had learned from it. This trip provided us with the space to learn and grow in our understanding of current issues involving race, equality, and justice. It was powerful to travel to these historical sites and learn from those who live in communities where the effects of our nation’s past have a lasting impact. I felt deep gratitude when I reflected on serving through In His Steps.