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<h5 align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big><big>Buffalo, New York, Workcamp, June 20 - 26, 2010</big></big></strong></font></h5>

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<h6 align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#006633"><strong><big><big><big>Theme: Undeserved --<br>The Story of the Prodigal Son</big></big></big></strong></font></h6>
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<BR><font color="red"><B><I>Click on any face in this photo to pull up all the photos from the Group Workcamp thumb drive that the person is in.</I></B></font>
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<P><font size="4"><I><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big>A little about Buffalo:</font></big></strong></I>

<p>Buffalo originated around 1789 as a small trading community near the Buffalo Creek. The Erie Canal opened in 1825, with Buffalo as its western terminus.  This put Buffalo on the path of a trading route between the Midwest and New York City, and Buffalo quickly grew and became a major port city.  By 1900, Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the country.  It went on to become a major railroad hub, the home of the largest steel-making operation in the world, and the largest grain-milling center in the country. General Mills still has a plant there, where they make Lucky Charms, Cheerios, and Gold Medal flour.  The latter part of the 20th century saw a reversal of fortunes: Great Lakes shipping was rerouted by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1957, and steel mills and other heavy industry moved to overseas locations where there was cheaper labor. With the start of Amtrak in the 1970s, Buffalo Central Terminal was also abandoned, and trains were rerouted to nearby Depew, New York. By 1990 the city had fallen back below its 1900 population levels.

<p>Today, Buffalo attracts visitors from around the world to Niagara Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. Near these majestic falls, however, there are many families who struggle to make ends meet — especially during the bitter-cold winters. It’s not unusual for a family, unable to afford heat, to close off the upstairs and sleep huddled together on the main floor just to stay warm. Buffalo is consistently ranked as the 2nd or 3rd poorest city in the country, with more than 40% of its children living in poverty. 

<P><font size="4"><I><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big>Our week together as a youth group:</font></big></strong></I></p>


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<font size="6">←</font><br>
We met in the St. James' parking lot at 11:30 on Saturday (June 19) and packed up the cargo van with our tools, clothes, air mattresses and sleeping bags, had some administrative announcements and a prayer and took off for Buffalo.  More views of the scene at St. James' are <a href="2010_leaving.htm">here</a>.
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↑ We stayed Saturday night at Calvary Episcopal Church, 20 Milton Street, Williamsville, New York 14221 (web: <a href="http://www.calvaryepiscopal.net" target="_blank">http://www.calvaryepiscopal.net</a>), and attended their 8:00 am service on Sunday. Williamsville is a suburb of Buffalo, so this was very close to the camp. 
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<font size="6">→</font><br>
After the worship service at Calvary, we went to Wehrle Family Restaurant (29 Wehrle Drive, Buffalo, NY 14225-1021) for a wonderful big breakfast, then to WalMart for some supplies (= toys for the boys)!
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<font size="6">←</font><br>
On Wednesday afternoon, we went sailing on Lake Erie on a 73-foot square-rigged topsail schooner, the <a href="http://www.spiritofbuffalo.com/" target="_blank">Spirit of Buffalo</a>.  Pics of that two-hour <a href="2010_spirit.htm">sail along the Buffalo waterfront are here</a>.  The Spirit of Buffalo is a modern reproduction of the two-masted schooners that used to carry grain from the midwest to Buffalo, and steel from Buffalo to other parts of the country.  We learned a lot about the late nineteenth-century trade between the midwest and New York that made Buffalo a thriving port city, and we built small boats out of popsicle sticks and tin foil and had a contest to see whose boat would hold more weight before sinking.  'The Toaster' won!
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Well, shiver me timbers!  After working up a hunger on the sea, we found the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery (76 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, <a href="http://www.pearlstreetgrill.com" target="_blank">www.pearlstreetgrill.com</a>) just a few blocks from the Spirit of Buffalo.  Located in the Buffalo Erie Canal District, the building was built in 1841 and originally housed a dress factory.  In those days, this area was unaffectionately called “The most evil square mile in America.”  (It's changed now.)  Of note on the ceiling: an intricate pulley system bringing power to all the ceiling fans.  The restaurant had a diverse menu, ample seating, lots of historical artifacts, and big-screen TVs everywhere so we could see the end of the World Cup game (Germany vs. Ghana). Arrrggghhhhhhhh! It was perfect! <a href="2010_pearl.htm">Pics of the Pearl</a>!
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<font size="6">←</font><br>
After camp broke up on Saturday morning (June 26), we went to a McDonald's in Buffalo for breakfast and drove up to Niagara Falls for a refreshing ride on the <a href="http://www.maidofthemist.com/en/" target="_blank">Maid of the Mist</a>. The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge, and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls.  Don't worry, they give you blue ponchos to wear!  <a href="2010_maid.htm">Pics of the falls and the boat ride are here</a>!  Next, we drove south to Altoona, Pa.
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↑ On Saturday night we slept on a very hot dance floor in the parish hall of St Luke Episcopal Church in Altoona, Penna. (806 13th Street, Altoona, PA 16602-2486, <a href="http://www.stlukesaltoona.org" target="_blank">www.stlukesaltoona.org</a>).  After attending their 8:00 am service on Sunday, went for breakfast at Prime Sirloin Buffet (501 Municipal Drive, Duncansville, PA 16635-8416, <a href="http://www.primesirloin.com" target="_blank">www.primesirloin.com</a>), and then we drove back to St. James'.

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<p><b><i>
<font color="red">Things we remember from our trip:</font>
<blockquote>
meeting new people and our crews
 - evening programs
 - being together with the youth group
 - meeting the resident
 - getting close to God
 - working with my crew
 - sleeping in a gym with 200 other guys and no A/C

 - helping our resident
 - dancing to "Get Down"
 - waking up at 6:45 to a real live trumpet
 - writing care cards
 - spending time with friends
 - getting a gift for our resident
 - having fun with everyone
 - "because it's like five little hugs"

 - listening to my resident tell stories
 - reading care cards
 - bonding with my crew
 - meeting new people during free time
 - learning more about God
 - singing in the car
 - meeting people from around the country

 - OOOHHH How He Loves Us
 - bonding with new people
 - having a great crew
 - worship in the evening programs
 - my loving resident
 - growing closer to my youth group
 - "I Get Down (and He lifts me up)"

 - devotions with my resident
 - sleeping on the floor of a hot gym with 150 other girls and their noise machines
 - getting to know myself
 - singing
 - being closer to Jesus and helping people who need help
 - huddling with my crew under a tent made with drop cloths to keep dry
 - seeing my residents cry with happiness

 - last day group hugs with my crew
 - caulking windows 20 feet high
 - becoming closer to God
 - hiding under the half-built porch with my crew
 - being awoken to "The Final Countdown" on trumpet
 - learning how to caulk
 - talking about our devotion theme with the resident's son

 - wearing a Tyvek suit to scrape old paint
 - receiving my "undeserved" ring
 - priming the walls and getting giggly
 - becoming more aware of God's love and my relationship with Him
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<P><font size="4"><I><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big>Crews we worked on:</font></big></strong></I>
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<BR>If you were with the St. James' Youth Group and have pictures of your crew and worksite that you would like to see here, send them to me at <IMG SRC="../../bjaddr.gif"> and I will make a page for your crew.  Be sure to tell me your crew number!</I></FONT>

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    <TD><!-- <A HREF="2008_crew_xx.htm"> -->  <IMG SRC="any_crew_title.jpg">  <!-- </A> --></TD>
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<P><font size="4"><I><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big>Our week of worship:</font></big></strong></I><BR>

   <TABLE border="2">
   <TR class="T"><TD align="center"><B>Day</TD><TD align="center"><B>Daily Theme</TD><TD align="center"><B>Scripture</TD></TR>
   <TR class="T"><TD>Monday</TD><TD>Myself</TD><TD><B>Jeremiah 1:5.</B> “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
      Before you were born I set you apart
      and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”</TD></TR>
   <TR class="T"><TD>Tuesday</TD><TD>My Friends</TD><TD><B>John 15:13.</B> "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."</TD></TR>
   <TR class="T"><TD>Wednesday</TD><TD>My Family</TD><TD><B>Proverbs 17:6.</B> "Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged;
      parents are the pride of their children."</TD></TR>
   <TR class="T"><TD>Thursday</TD><TD>My Faith</TD><TD><B>2 Timothy 1:9-10.</B> "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time — to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News."</TD></TR>
   <TR class="T"><TD>Friday</TD><TD>My Future</TD><TD><B>Jeremiah 29:11.</B> "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."</TD></TR>
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<P><font size="4"><I><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big>The Workcamp Stats:</font></big></strong></I>
<ul>
<li>number of youth groups: 14
<li>from this number of states: 7
<li>number of youth participants:  ~350
<li>number of adult participants:  ~80
<li>number of workcrews: 71
<li>number of worksites : 60 homes
<li>volunteer hours of service (30 hrs x 429 participants) = 12,870 combined hours!
</ul>


<P><font size="4"><I><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="red"><strong><big>The Wrapup:</font></big></strong></I>
<BR>Here's a <A HREF="workcamp2010_presentation_v01_auto.ppt" TARGET="blank">presentation</A> we made to our church congregation during the services on July 11, 2010 to show them what we did and to express our thanks for helping us make this trip.  (This is a PowerPoint presentation, about 17 MB.)


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<P><I>Page updated:  July 11, 2010</I>

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