Dear Trinity Ambler,

This is a hostage email just to let you know that we are holding your Rector and mission team hostage at St. John's Episcopal Church on Pine Island, Florida!  Slingshot and jelly bean ammo is readily available! Someone better start working on a sermon for Sunday! No ransom will be accepted!!!!  Don't worry, they do have clean clothes!

Seriously, I just wanted to let all of you know, before your tired and weary team returns on Saturday; may you welcome them all back, embrace them in love, and tell them all, "servants, well done!".

St. John's is a small Episcopal Church, with an older congregation; and we have loved having the "Spirit-filled" energy of your mission team "in our home".  So many of the scenes at the busy church this week were flashbacks to last summer and the "way we looked" while being a post-hurricane shelter.  Yet, these were "good" remnant scenes--not people in despair and broken; but, people from afar (Philly) here to help and so full of good.

Pine Island is much better today than a week ago---your mission team has made that possible.  They have touched lives of migrant farm workers.  They have lifted hope and spirit for an elderly couple, incapacitated with health issues.  They have embraced and been embraced by a mighty little Episcopal Church.

They have seen first hand the life cycle that God gives to each of us. They became the "adoptive children" of a founding member they never had the honor of knowing personally, lovingly put to rest in the church memorial garden.  A garden that was given new life, with the care and creative talents of new soil, new plants, and new hearts.  "Aunt June" is smiling on these lovely young people and beaming.

Thank you, all, for supporting this trip.  In the course of day-to-day life in weeks and months to come; when there is a "teenage flair-up" be patient. Remind yourself, what your child, your church member, did this past week. I am so proud of all of them; and they have worked hard.  You all are raising beautiful young people.  Take care of them, cherish them, nurture and support them.  These are the future of our society, of our church.

Thank you for the "adults" that made such a trip possible.  Support your clergy, your lay ministries for they have worked hard, too.  Sleeping on office floors probably got real hard about day 1-1/2!!!!!!

May God continue to bless and look after all of you!  Give all of these tired folks a big hug and look at them a bit different.  They are different than they were a week ago---Christ has been in their eyes, hearts, hands and feet--alive and well!  May the Holy Spirit continue to guide and be a part of these young lives, no matter how old they may actually be on their birth certificate!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  What a gift you all have shared with Pine Island, St. John's and one vicar.

God bless,

The Rev. Ann McLemore
St. John's Episcopal Church Pine Island
Florida

"There's good tired and bad tired!"  Harry Chapin  (You have some 'good tired' folks!)