Youths get life lesson at Lydia Patterson Institute
By Holly McCray
After dark on the mountain top, the youth group could see the interlacing lights of two cities: El Paso, Texas; and Juarez, Mexico.
The teens and adults from Ardmore-First church were gathered there for devotions after a day of volunteer work at Lydia Patterson Institute (LPI) in El Paso. The high school that bridges the border is a ministry of The United Methodist Church.
Fernando Rivera directed the group up the mountain that June night. A Lydia Patterson graduate, he is now enrolled at Oklahoma City University. Rivera previously had spoken in Ardmore on behalf of LPI at a First church mission festival, recalled Adam Ricks, associate pastor in charge of youth ministries at the church.
"We could see Juarez and El Paso together; all the lights, all put together. Up there, you can’t see the divide; it’s all lights. Each light represents a person, and God loves each of us. That was a pretty neat experience," Rev. Ricks said about the nighttime service.
Ardmore-First offers numerous mission opportunities for young people, he said. The emphasis is on urban missions.
"What made LPI significant was we got to do so much interaction with the people there. We did a lot of painting and minor repair work, but we didn’t just do construction things. The kids got to interact with those from a different culture. A lot of them spoke only broken English; our kids had to learn to discuss things using motions."
The 15-member team, including adult leaders, stayed in a house next to the school. That created lots of fellowship opportunities after the workdays ended.
The teens’ first job was in the school’s art room. Ricks said some initial grumbling—"How are we serving Jesus by scraping paint off the floor?"—was transformed when the Ardmore youths learned LPI students regularly perform maintenance work to cover their tuition. The volunteers were truly helping their peers maintain their school.
"They realized it doesn’t matter what you’re doing for Christ, as long as you’re being faithful. God will use that to make an impact," Ricks explained.
The young missioners also heard news reports about eight murders in Juarez during their mission in El Paso. "Those other kids lived in Juarez and went across the border each night. Then they’d get up, catch the bus, cross the border, and come to school. Our youth group saw these fun, relaxed kids at LPI had to pay attention as soon as they crossed the border," he said.
One teen described, "We’re so much alike. Yet now I see these kids, that are my friends, in a way risking their lives every day, going back and forth across the border."
The teens found common interests in televised sports, board games, and food. They traded host duties, preparing special meals for one another. After returning to Oklahoma, they’ve continued to stay in touch via the Internet.
Ardmore-First also has sponsored adult missions to LPI.
"That school is the pride of that neighborhood," Ricks described. "LPI is pristine and clean; the people in the community take a lot of pride in that school and what it means to their kids. They also show a lot of respect to those who help out at the school."
