Field Trip: And God Walked With Us       

What is prayer? Why pray? Does it matter? Does God listen?  A thousand questions may elicit a thousand different answers, some true, some not. No matter what the questions are, we need to pray. Our spirit reaches out to be embraced by God’s Spirit; it is a constant yearning and when we pray we touch God, and he touches us. And if we pay attention, we are well aware of it.

Some years ago, I prepared to take my fifth-grade class on a field trip, which involved traveling by public transit through some of the worst areas in New York City without chaperon assistance. So, I prayed, I prayed a lot. I prayed that it was the right decision. I prayed for safety, guidance, and the presence of God beside us, all the way from beginning to end. I asked the Blessed Mother to intercede and to watch over those children because they were her children. I prayed and everything was granted. God was with us and we knew it by the peace and joy that filled every moment of that field trip, which I would like to share with you in this article.

The year was 1983, and the place was Bushwick, New York. The school year had just begun a few weeks ago, and winter was around the corner. The class wanted a field trip and I wanted to give it to them. There was not enough funding in the school budget that year to give them the type of field trip they deserved; that is, providing transportation, adequate supervision, and paid entrance fees to any of the marvels in New York City from its museums to the Statue of Liberty. I could not and would not disappoint them, so I devised a simple field trip: a day in the park via public transportation. School lunches were available, and a park picnic became the plan.

Obtaining adequate supervision was a problem. I had a class of thirty-four students and thirty-four to one was not a good ratio on a field trip, especially in the city using public transportation. No volunteer parents came forward, to this day I don’t know why. And the school could not afford to take any teacher assistants out of class.

I prayed (a lot); I talked to the principal. The next day after he had prayed concerning my request, he gave his consent. I felt confident that I could control the students outside of the classroom and the principal agreed with me but asked that we return at least 1/2 hour before class dismissal. I agreed; the plan was set. The students were excited and so began a very interesting experience.

If I thought well of the students before the field trip, my affection for them increased amazingly during and after the trip. The quality of the trust they had in me was profound and made me feel blessed. I began to understand clearly and perhaps for the first time the relationship between love and obedience. Our Lord tells us repeatedly in sacred scripture that: “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:23, New Jerusalem Bible). And: “Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me.” (John 14:21, New Jerusalem Bible).

Those children obeyed me beyond expectation; they wanted to obey, and they were showing their feelings for me through their obedience. For example, on the way to the park, we had to travel on three different trains. If you have ever used the “subway system” in a big city, you know how critical it is to enter and exit in a timely manner. If you miss one train or one-stop, it’s very easy to get lost or confused, and traveling with a group, especially a group of children can seriously compound this potential problem. I was responsible for thirty-four students, ten and eleven years old; even if only one got on the wrong train or missed his/her stop…

Before we left the classroom, I divided the class into squads and appointed a squad leader for each group. Also, they had to “pair up” and always stay with their partner-even to the restroom, and never leave the group without first checking with the squad leader. We all agreed, and I felt that it would work, and it did work, better than I expected. They were amazingly alert and obedient.

The time spent in the park was short but delightful. We ate; they played and enjoyed the outdoors on a warm October day. On the return trip, I was informed that most, if not all, of the students, had “pocket money” and they wanted to stop at McDonald’s. At first, I was hesitant because this involved a slight detour. But I said, “yes,” and all went well, once again beyond my expectation. We arrived before the 1/2 hour before class dismissal; the principal gave us a head count and his approval. We waited in the open lunch area until dismissal and this ended another blessed day in the Bushwick jungle.

In retrospect the events of that day remind us of a familiar parable given to us by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?

Learn from the way the wild flowers grow…If God so clothes the grass of the field…will he not so much more provide for you, O you of little faith?…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. (Matthew 6:25-33).