Noelle's Summer Vacation
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle A
Noelle was an attractive strawberry blond who grew up in southern California. She enjoyed being out of doors in the fresh air. She spent her summers on the beach with the sun beating down on her. She never seemed to tire of being at the beach. She always had a great tan. Noelle was very popular, having many friends.
She chose a college in southern California, because she did not want to be too far from the beach. While at college Noelle made friends with people from other parts of the country. Her new friends were different from her old friends; it took her several months to realize how they were different. Her new friends had a strong faith. Her friends told of how they wanted to help other people, an idea that was totally foreign to Noelle. She never gave much thought to faith either. She was always amused at stories in magazines or on the evening news where people claimed that their faith made a difference in their lives. "Yea, right," she would think to herself. Noelle would be hard pressed to name any of her high school friends who even attended church. "None of my friends back home did the church scene," she explained.
While she was not sure of her faith, she did want to help other people. Her new friends' enthusiasm was contagious. So the summer after her second year of college found Noelle and several of her friends living in Camden, New Jersey, in one of the worst neighborhoods in the United States. The area where she spent the summer had one of the highest crime rates in the country. Violence would erupt over seemingly nothing at any time of the day or night. It was a neighborhood where it was never safe to walk the streets alone, day or night. She vividly recalled being shocked by what she saw the first day as she and her friends drove to the place where they would live. Across the street, a liquor store drew a steady stream of drunks, drug dealers, and prostitutes. There was graffiti blanketed across every wall within sight. That first day she wondered what in the world she had gotten herself into.
Noelle explained why she volunteered to live among the poorest people in the nation: "I feel like I was just really blessed, and I wanted to give something back." She had nothing in common with the youth she wanted to work with; a couple of them even made fun of her southern California accent.
That summer she persuaded one teenager to give up his gun and stop dealing drugs. There were times that she felt like giving up, but she kept plugging away. One night Noelle showed up at the youth center with a roll of brown paper and markers, hoping the group would draw a mural. At first only two boys showed up. Others stood around in the back of the room mocking her. She paid no attention to them and continued.
Gradually, one by one, some of the others began gathering around the table.
That night as the youth left, one troubled teenage girl remained and spent the next two hours talking with Noelle. This fourteen-year-old girl had experienced more than her share of heartache and problems in her young life. Noelle listened and offered words of hope, encouraging her to make some needed changes in her life.
Noelle and the other young people were able to offer the inner city teenagers something they had never had before -- hope. This would be an experience Noelle and her friends would never forget. They made a difference in other people's lives and in the process they were also touched.
Noelle came to faith on her own during her last year of college.
She chose a college in southern California, because she did not want to be too far from the beach. While at college Noelle made friends with people from other parts of the country. Her new friends were different from her old friends; it took her several months to realize how they were different. Her new friends had a strong faith. Her friends told of how they wanted to help other people, an idea that was totally foreign to Noelle. She never gave much thought to faith either. She was always amused at stories in magazines or on the evening news where people claimed that their faith made a difference in their lives. "Yea, right," she would think to herself. Noelle would be hard pressed to name any of her high school friends who even attended church. "None of my friends back home did the church scene," she explained.
While she was not sure of her faith, she did want to help other people. Her new friends' enthusiasm was contagious. So the summer after her second year of college found Noelle and several of her friends living in Camden, New Jersey, in one of the worst neighborhoods in the United States. The area where she spent the summer had one of the highest crime rates in the country. Violence would erupt over seemingly nothing at any time of the day or night. It was a neighborhood where it was never safe to walk the streets alone, day or night. She vividly recalled being shocked by what she saw the first day as she and her friends drove to the place where they would live. Across the street, a liquor store drew a steady stream of drunks, drug dealers, and prostitutes. There was graffiti blanketed across every wall within sight. That first day she wondered what in the world she had gotten herself into.
Noelle explained why she volunteered to live among the poorest people in the nation: "I feel like I was just really blessed, and I wanted to give something back." She had nothing in common with the youth she wanted to work with; a couple of them even made fun of her southern California accent.
That summer she persuaded one teenager to give up his gun and stop dealing drugs. There were times that she felt like giving up, but she kept plugging away. One night Noelle showed up at the youth center with a roll of brown paper and markers, hoping the group would draw a mural. At first only two boys showed up. Others stood around in the back of the room mocking her. She paid no attention to them and continued.
Gradually, one by one, some of the others began gathering around the table.
That night as the youth left, one troubled teenage girl remained and spent the next two hours talking with Noelle. This fourteen-year-old girl had experienced more than her share of heartache and problems in her young life. Noelle listened and offered words of hope, encouraging her to make some needed changes in her life.
Noelle and the other young people were able to offer the inner city teenagers something they had never had before -- hope. This would be an experience Noelle and her friends would never forget. They made a difference in other people's lives and in the process they were also touched.
Noelle came to faith on her own during her last year of college.
