Oklahoma is More Than OK!

Oklahoma is More Than OK!
Chapel Choir Mission Tour 2024
by Virginia Blackman

This year, the Chapel Choir Mission Tour went to Oklahoma City, OK. This was my first year to go on a Chapel Choir Mission Tour, but I can't imagine previous tours being better than this one! Our goals for the eight days of ministry were to plant the seeds of the Gospel in Oklahoma City and allow the local churches to grow and continue to nurture those seeds. We had countless encounters with a wide variety of people who came from all walks of life.

Day 1
On the first day, we went to a warehouse that housed The Kaleo Foundation. The Kaleo Foundation provides food and supplies for families in Oklahoma City. Sam and Pam Walker are the founders of The Kaleo Foundation, and they were ready for our arrival. While we were there, we packed food and supplies into bags for distribution. For Mission Tour, all of the students are divided into "Family Groups." My family group packed over 167 bags alone, and the overall total of bags packed by all of the family groups was 1,200 bags! At the end of our time there, we gathered together and sang some songs for them. The last song we sang was The Blessing. You could see tears and streaming down Sam’s face as we sang to him and his wife. I never knew how powerful that song was or how it could impact people until watching Sam that day.

After we left The Kaleo Foundation, we headed to The Collective Kitchens. In a way, it is very similar to the Pizitz Food Hall in Birmingham. My friends and I ate some of the best fried tacos that we had ever tasted! At one point, my friend Gabby, and I met two little girls named Isaiah and Isabella. We asked them some questions about Jesus and the Gospel. They didn't know much about Jesus except that he had died for our sins. Gabby and I gave the girls our story bracelets, which we use to help explain the story of the Gospel. Beaming, Isabella said, “I am going to give my bracelet to my mommy!” In that moment, I realized that meeting them had not been on accident but an opportunity for us to share what Jesus had done in our lives. And I also realized that you can share the Gospel anywhere, even when you are enjoying the best tacos ever!

After lunch, we departed for Grace Rescue Mission, which provides emergency shelter for homeless men. Our job there was to paint. We painted everything from inside rooms to the outside of buildings. Brother Scott, the campus pastor at Grace Rescue Mission, told me and some of the other girls I was working with (jokingly), that he now felt the confidence to put his name on the sign out front because of the great job we had done. Soon after everyone was finished painting (and covered in paint), we performed a concert for the residents who lived there. The parking lot was boiling hot.

During that concert, we sang many songs that moved the men. When we sang the song One Day, I could see that some of the men were visibly touched by the lyrics of the song. The song lyrics include: "When we all get to Heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory." That song took on a new meaning for me, especially knowing how much of an impact it had made on people who have never heard the Gospel before. What an incredible way to end a hot and productive Day 1.

Day 2
On Sunday morning, we woke up very early to lead worship at Southern Hills Baptist Church. The church was beautiful. It reminded me of Dawson because of the people at the church. The members of the church were very welcoming and so kind to us. One thing that stood out to me there was that they celebrated wedding anniversaries on a slideshow before the service began. People who were celebrating anniversaries from 55 years all the way to one year were included. This was a sweet way to celebrate the healthy relationships that God has given to his people. After we sang at Southern Hills, we headed to our four field day sites. Over the next three days, we would be spread out over four locations where we would be hosting a kids camp for children in the area. When we arrived, we walked around the park and prayed for our field day ministry there and the kids we would encounter. Once we finished praying at the sites, we drove to a place called Hope Is Alive, a home for recovering addicts.

At Hope Is Alive, we performed a concert for the men who lived at the facility. Before we sang, they held a time where some men could celebrate the number of months they had been sober. It was very encouraging to see how the men celebrated and encouraged each other. As we sang, shouts of joy and amens could be heard from the residents. A fellow choir member later shared with us, “My God moment was at Hope is Alive. As we were singing One Day, there was an older man who started to cry. Seeing a man that age show such vulnerability touched me and led me to pray for him and any burdens he carries. As we were singing 'One Day we’ll be free, free indeed,’ I prayed that blessing over him.” Some of the men sang along to the songs even though they didn't know all of the lyrics. When we finished singing, we found some men to talk to after the concert. One man named Jacob told us, “Listen to your parents. You never know what God has planned for you. I am still realizing that now.” While we visited there, we saw firsthand that HOPE IS ALIVE!

Day 3
On Monday, we had our first field day. At my location, we started off the morning by walking around the neighborhood knocking on doors and asking people if they had or knew of any children in the neighborhood who would like to join us. When my group got back to the park, it was swarming with kids, from ages two years old to even a few teenagers. We had over 65 people on the first day! That day I got to hang out with a kid named Elias. We played with the parachute on the playground, and we even played some soccer. I also got to explain to him what the Gospel was as I used my story bracelet we were handing out to everyone. Elias said that he had never heard the Gospel before and that surprised me. Growing up in a church, you hear the story of Jesus so much that it just becomes normal, but to Elias, it was a new story, a new adventure. He gladly took the bracelet and said, “I will keep it forever.”

After the field day we headed off to The Vine. The Vine is a place where mothers who have been in toxic or abusive relationships can go and live safely with their children. We hosted a small camp for the kids that afternoon. They did arts and crafts, recreation, and face painting. I was in charge of a crafts station. At my station, the kids got to color some felt bags and create scratch art. Each kid had a student buddy who hung out with them the whole afternoon. It was cool to see how engaged the kids were with their buddies. After the camp was over, we invited the kids and their mothers (who had not been with them at kids camp) to enjoy dinner and a concert with us. The kids and moms enjoyed watching the puppets and listening to the Chapel Jazz Band perform various songs. They were so engaged and joyful that night, with claps, cheers, and even a conga line! When it was time for us to perform our songs, John Woods, Dawson's Music & Worship Pastor, invited the kids to the front and told them to clap, dance, and sing along with us. At one point, he told them to stand on the risers with us as we sang Swinging with the Saints. There was so much happiness on the kids' faces when they got to sing with us. Each child found their buddy and was enjoying every second of the time that they had with them on the risers. They sang and danced their hearts out. It was very moving to see how each kid treasured their time with us, even though we spent only a few hours with them.

After the concert was over, one of the residents came to the front and shared her testimony with our group. She told us how she had been through life's ups and downs and that she had questioned whether she should even stay at The Vine. She then told us about a dream she recently had where she saw the word STAY seven times in red letters, followed by the phrase, “And I will multiply your blessings.” She said, “and I have been here ever since. God has called me to minister to the women here, so that I can provide encouragement to them while they go through their hardships.” This reminded me of the importance of listening to God—especially when we think our plan would be best.

Day 4
On the second field day I hung out with a young girl named Tang and her sisters. We played tag and swung on the swings. Another girl told me that her kid was most excited for Bible study. The seeds of the Gospel were growing at our field day site after only two days! After our activities were over, we went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. At the museum, we learned about the bombing of the government building in Oklahoma City. Some of the most moving things I saw at the museum were glass chairs that had the names of those who died on the day of the bombing. There was one chair that had a woman's name on it along with the words "and her baby." One of my friends shared, “I noticed a connection: the bomber ran away from the destruction while the helpers ran toward it. In the same way, Satan plants doubt and then runs away, and Jesus runs toward us every time.” When we sang The Blessing at the Survivor Tree, it made me think about all of the people who lost their lives that day. I also believe that God had a plan and a purpose for this tragedy and even through the loss, the goodness of God is still alive.

Day 5
On the evening of the fifth day, we hosted a block party at Vintage Church. We had invited the children from each of our field day sites to come to a block party. Our hard work really paid off, because there were over 1,000 people that came that night! We had face painting, gaga ball, bounce houses, balloon animals, and so much more. After the fun, we sang for everyone there. John called a woman forward who had been at his field day site. He then told us that she wanted us to sing I Shall Wear a Crown. When we started singing the lyrics, "I shall see His face, I shall see His face. When it's all over" tears started to roll down her face. After we finished singing the song, she came around and hugged each and every one of us saying, “Thank you. God bless you.” The gift of song and the way God used us to glorify Him was so evident in that moment.

After the concert was finished, we handed out the bags we made at The Kaleo Foundation on our first day. So many of us thought that Pam and Sam would hand out the bags to the families, but we were given the joy of handing them out to each family who came to the block party. The people who came said that they were so blessed to have food to make meals for the next few weeks, as many of them had no idea where their next meal was coming from. That was a first for me, since I have never had to worry about that. Throughout this experience, God has taught me to be more grateful for what He has given us. Many people at the block party came from underprivileged backgrounds and were grateful for just one can of food. Seeing the joy on the kids' faces when we gave them the bags full of food was worth it all.

Day 6
On Thursday morning we went to a special needs facility called Wings in Oklahoma City. There we sang and talked with the residents. Each resident enjoyed dancing and clapping along with us. They truly enjoyed every second of the performance. After the concert we had the privilege of connecting with the residents. Some other freshman girls and I got to know a woman named Aubro. She told us about her favorite TV shows, what she was having for lunch that day, and all about her family. It was a special time, and we enjoyed being able to connect with the residents of Wings in such a unique way.

This Mission Tour showed me what an honor and privilege it is to be surrounded by a community of believers at such a young age. I have heard the stories of how Jesus walked and lived with His disciples. I have learned the songs we all sing as children, and have even memorized Scripture, but so many of the people we encountered this week had never heard of the redeeming story of our hope. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and planting those seeds of faith were the most rewarding parts of the whole experience. I'm not sure how the next three Chapel Choir Mission Tours could ever top this one, but I'm excited to see what comes next!

Virginia Blackman is a rising 10th grader at Mountain Brook High School. She is the daughter of Eric and Lindsey Blackman. Virginia is involved with choir at school and is looking forward to being in leadership of Chapel Choir this year.