WAIT Interstate Trip: Atlanta, GA Report

Report by Kate Tsubata, WAIT Director
See more photos here

At the suggestions of Insung Harbour, one of our WAIT year of service members, our team traveled to Atlanta to so a WAIT Training for the Georgia community. As it is a 12 to 13 hour drive, we left on Thursday, April 8, traveling first to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we met with some old friends: Uncle Don, Uncle Klaus Schick, and Uncle Asa Pascal. To our surprise, Bruce Sutcher and his daughter Hana were also there, visiting the University of North Carolina. Despite the late hour, we shared some songs, talked a bit about our work, and then ended our day with a decision to visit the memorial of Jin Joo Byrne, a girl who has been both an inspiration and a source of determination for the WAIT team members since her untimely death through violence just one year after WAIT began.

With Uncle Don, we traveled to the memorial, which is now in a lovely park on the edge of Charlotte, along with memorials for many other victims. We spent moments in meditation and prayer, and then sang the song “Reach Out” for our beloved sister. We offered a bow to her, honoring her life and her heart of love for humanity and heaven.

We got on the road to Atlanta, and made good time, thanks to the driving being shared by Sun Jae Smith and Aunt Kate. At 2, we were at the Atlanta Family Church, able to make preparations and consult with Naomi, Uncle Jack, and Rev. Kimura. By 5, nearly 30 youth had gathered, and we began to share a bit about WAIT. Quickly, the team was teaching them the skit, much of which they had performed once before, trained by Insung.

After the skit, we shared some WAIT rules, a bit about the general plan for the training, and ate a taco dinner. We then taught the opening segment of the dance “Desert Rose” and we finished the night with a short reading and prayer.

The next morning, we rose and ate a nice breakfast, then began with stretching to James Brown soundtracks! We taught them the song “WAIT for me” and then Aunt Kate gave the in-depth powerpoint training on HIV, FirstAIDS. The Atlanta youth were very responsive, asking questions, giving many answers, and showing a solid understanding of biology.

After a small snack, the trainers began the talent sessions. In smaller groups, kids learned the singing and dancing, and some instrumental training too. This continued after lunch, and by 3 p.m. we were ready for one of WAIT’s best traditions: Fundraising! Because we perform as we reach out to the community, this is a chance for WAIT members to explain what we do, and to practice their songs and dancing in shops, offices and public areas. We did a very short run: about 45 minutes, with parents driving and helping out. The youth came back bubbling with their experiences, which we shared in a spontaneous testimony session upon returning. Dinner and more practicing ensued, followed by a massive cleanup of the church in preparation for the next morning’s Sunday service.

Rising a little later, the young people had plenty of time for eating and some last minute practicing. Then, to begin the service, the congregation viewed all their accomplishments: the skit, two songs, and the full dance of Desert Rose, which had several parts that were created by the trainers and trainees together. The reaction of the congregation was heart-warming. They offered donations to the work of WAIT, but additionally, came out to see us off, and shared several exciting ideas for even more ways to reach the entire nation and world. Due to our tight schedule, we had to get on the road, facing the entire 600 mile journey in one day. We left Insung there to help the new team begin their work, and picked up David Goni, an Atlanta homeschooler who has jumped several years ahead in his studies, and wanted the intensive service learning experience of our Washington headquarters for a few weeks.