Last month, Elisabeth Sepulveda, a 14-year-old TPS student, spent eight days campaigning for state representative Ian Emery.  She and 51 other teenagers worked with TeenPact to get Republican candidates elected in Maine.  During her time on the campaign trail, Elisabeth kept a day-by-day log of the trip, which she was kind enough to share with The Cracked Pot. 

 

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Tuesday, October 31st

 

So…I'm here. I can tell that this week is going to be tiring and hard, but fun. After we arrived, a man named Bob Emrich came and spoke to us about the challenge that we're taking: 52 teens campaigning for the Republicans against thousands of adults campaigning for the Democrats. This is a hugely Democratic state, and the GOP party is taking a big step by using us—teenagers—as the campaign this year. They’re putting all of their campaign money and funding here to see what we have. We're feeling very pressured! Mr. Emrich encouraged us with examples of David and Daniel from the Bible who went against the flow, as we are doing. And if they could do it, then, with God's help, we can, too.

 

The program director gave us an overview of what we'll be doing and how to do it: knocking on doors, waving signs, and calling people on the phone. We practiced door-knocking, with the staff acting out scenarios that we may come across. Our main quote for this week is going to be "Duty is ours, results are God's" so we keep in mind that he is in charge of everything. Tomorrow, we split into 3 groups. I can't decide if I'm excited or scared.  I guess I'll see when the time comes.

 

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Well, today we headed off to our different locations. I'm in Machias, Maine, which is up north.  After we arrived and settled in our cabins, we went to "phone bank." They gave us a script to read off, directions, and then we prayed. Since nobody wanted to go first, we agreed to dial at the same time. I was so scared, but my first call was a busy signal, so I marked "B" beside the name and telephone number (so we knew to call back later). After the first few calls, they became almost automatic and I sort of felt like a professional telemarketer. I did get some strange responses: "Dude, the party's at my house," "You're selling what?," "Excuse me, what is an Emery?" A few people said "God bless you," but most said the opposite. One of the students started crying after a sheet of rude responses and we all sympathized because it’s definitely not unusual for us to get yelled at or hung up on. We're learning to not take things personally, however.   There's a contest of who can get through the most phone sheets, and hang ups help us to go faster!  After phone banking, we had worship and a devotional on the verse "unless God builds the house, we labor in vain." It was a great reminder to keep him first and to rely on him for our strength this week. Door-knocking starts tomorrow—will it go well? I wonder…

 

 

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Well, today was our first “real” day. We started the door-knocking, which I was nervous about, but it’s not too bad. For the first street, I went with another girl to get used to it. Mrs. Simmler (a staffer) drove the car up the street to make sure we were all safe.  Whenever we needed more papers, which we call "literature or "lit," we went to the window for another stack.

 

The town we went to today was the north-eastern-most point in the United State—we could see Canada right across the water! Despite the nice view, it was frigidly cold, windy, and pouring rain, so our fingers could barely move. It wasn't the best campaign weather, to say the least. We wrapped the papers in plastic bags, exchanged tips for keeping our fingers intact, and kept moving. One of the places I went to had a huge boat supported by boards. A man actually lived in it, and it was interesting climbing up a ladder to hand literature to him! Since this is a "depressed area," we're basically deciding if the house is abandoned or lived in, and if there are any "democratic dogs" (which we call the dogs that attack us). This is easier in the way of handing the papers to people, but more exhausting, since we're running from house to house for 7 hours. Now I'm not so surprised that the Republican Party decided to send teens to do it!

 

For dinner, we went to the church, and were all a bit embarrassed because we were dripping water everywhere. We met with Mr. Emery as well, but thankfully he understood why we were such a mess.

 

Now, we're basically exhausted. It seems like we're getting burned out in a day, but we still have 5 more days ahead. The one mom here has her husband in Iraq, and her children at home or in the 2 other locations. She "crashed" today, and so we're trying to hold together. If we stay sane, it’s because of God.

 

Friday, November 3rd

 

No time for a write-out. I'm sooo tired. I'll just write the schedule

 

6:00- Woke up. We all wanted to sleep in—we're girls! But there's only one shower. And, as I said, we're girls.

7:00- Breakfast, made our lunch, and had our devotionals.

8:30- Met with the boys to discuss the plan, filled the car at the gas station.

9:00- Started houses. Apartment complexes are the best! We knocked on 60 doors in 30 minutes.

11:30- Lunch. We tried to be camera-happy and take pictures, but the cold forced us into the car.

12:00- Houses again. I was totally and completely exhausted. I looked in one house and saw a cat sleeping on the sofa. I would have done anything to be a cat right then.

1:00- We're hitting more than yesterday! We passed the 200 houses mark. In one of the apartment complexes I had, the man was drunk. Thankfully he just took the papers, and I ran to the next house. I was a little scared.

4:00- Met with the boys. We're going to their cabin to meet Mr. Emery again. He's going to bring pizza for supper.

5:00- Ate and met our candidate’s family. He has 2 adorable children, and we played with them. It gives us some inspiration to know the person.

6:00- Phone banking. We feel used to it now. Someone swore at me, but I'm becoming almost numb to that kind of thing. Now I can switch into personas incredibly well. We're all telling each other next time a telemarketer calls, we're going to be sugar-sweet, and talk to them if they want us to. Same goes for door-knocking. We have way more respect for those people now. I don't think people have any idea how much just one nice person can make our day! Tomorrow, we have the night off—no phone calls!

8:30- Hung out on the deck for a few minutes. It was nice to have some free time to talk with everyone. The boys tried to copy my gymnastics moves on the icy porch. They stopped for fear of their lives.

9:00- Devotional and worship. We also had a group prayer, and then we girls drove to our cabin.

10:00- I'm incredibly tired. I don't want to get up tomorrow.  I wish that we could sleep all day. I never knew it was possible to sleep standing up. Now I know that it is. God is good.

 

Saturday, November 4th

 

Too tired to write much. Went to Eastport today—most people were nice and receptive. At one point, the day warmed up enough for me to take off my coat! We didn't have any phone banking, so the guys came over here and we played "spoons," "ghost," and a few other games. A man from the church came over to give us the devotional, which was great. One incredible thing about being here is all of the Christian fellowship. I'm growing so close to all of these Godly people, and I'm learning to rely on God for everything—even things that we take for granted, like staying awake. We pray all of the time, and I've been spending most of my time reading His word, or talking to Him. It seems like, the less I have to give, the more God gives to me.

 

Sunday, November 5th

 

Today we didn't have any door-knocking. I couldn't believe it.

 

The day of rest has never been more restful then this.

 

We went to Sunday school and the morning church service. The sermon was about the choice we all have to make about going into the Promised Land. God has the best plan for us, just like the Israelites, but, when we are content with our lives as they are, we settle for second best. If we just give our lives up to God and trust that he knows what's best for us, then we will be living our lives for him.

 

We went home, but didn't change since there's an evening service, as well. Bethany, the program director for our group, as well as the other program directors in Presque Isle and Livermore Falls, were ordered to take a nap, since they stay up until 12 or later typing in the results of our phone banking.

 

At around 5:00, we went to the church service. They were having homemade pizza afterwards, so we stayed and told people about our campaigning.

 

Somehow, in our tiredness, we ended up at Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins. I ordered bubblegum ice cream, and the workers were staring at us. I admit, it was a little crazy—three hyper girls ordering ice cream at 11:00 at night when it was below freezing outside.

 

Now I'm tired, even though I haven't been door-knocking all day. Thank you, God, for this week, and for everything.

 

Monday, November 6th

 

Today was our last day of door-knocking!

 

6:00- Woke up to a power outage. It came back on right after I finished taking a shower in the house down the street.

8:00- Started doors in an extremely rural area. One of the houses belonged to our candidate, and, without knowing it, I gave the papers to his wife, who answered the door. She looked at them and then we found out. I was a little embarrassed.

9:00- We drove up to one house, and, before we came out, 3 dogs ran up and tried to jump on the car. We skipped that house.

At another, there was a squirrel right next to the doorstep, and, when I walked on the step, it didn't run away. I thought it might have rabies, so I tried to be cautious. The girls in the car thought that I was afraid of it and we all started laughing.

11:30- Since we were dropping literature in the neighborhood of the boys' cabin, we went there for lunch. The staffer let us put empty bottled-water containers in their sleeping bags for a practical joke. We also put the cookies in a bag in the breadbox, but left the wrapper. We always make sure that we have enough laughs to keep us having fun. Thankfully, the boys don't mind.

12:00- More houses near the ocean. We have almost as small of an amount as the first day. So far this week, we've always hit more houses then the boys' car, even though we have 2 less people. Maybe we'll win again.

4:00- Since we've had so many free meals, we're under budget. So, we went out to eat at a restaurant. It was a nice change, and we were happy to take a break from Subway and pizza.

6:00- Phone banking. One person said that they saw some well-behaved teenagers running around their neighborhood. They were going to vote for the opponent of our candidate, but, seeing teenagers involved, they changed their mind.  Yay!

7:00- We received a phone call from the "base camp". The director was in a wreck, and his car was totaled after he spun off the road into trees. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt.

7:30- Rude phone calls peaking. Some people are saying that we lost their vote because we bothered them by calling. Others are yelling at us.

7:45- Another call from the base camp. An assistant director was driving, and nearly missed crashing into another car. We're shocked—almost 2 car crashes within 1 hour.

8:00- We're all at the end of our nerves. I feel like we're walking on a string that could break at any minute. We've knocked on few doors and made fewer phone calls. We're discouraged. There's just an incredible feeling of spiritual warfare, and we all recognize it. We had a group prayer, asking God to put a hedge around us in this time and to show us what to do. I'm just praying and praying and praying. It's all that we can do.

10:00- I flipped open my Bible, and it went right to Job where Satan is asking God for permission to heap troubles on Job.

11:00- Thank you, God, for giving us these things to overcome, and for stretching us and testing us. Thank you for showing us not to react like the world, but, instead, to lean on you in the midst of this chaos and to continue to bless your name.

 

Tuesday, November 7th

 

Today is Election Day!

 

6:00- Woke up.

7:45- Went to the boys' cabin and took pictures by the ocean. They "thanked" us for the empty water bottles in their sleeping bags. They missed their cookies.

9:00- Started calling on the "track phones" (cell phones) to all of the supporters to remind them to vote.

10:45- Gathered "Woodcock for Governor" signs for sign-waving.

11:30- Started waving signs. The truck drivers are usually supporters, and we tried to get them to honk because their horns are so loud. We got the finger, and started getting "thumbs down," especially near the end. Some people honked and held up an "I voted" sticker, so we cheered for them. It’s fun, because we try things like "the wave," and us girls did the "cotton-eyed Joe" while holding the signs.

12:00- Our candidate ordered a 3-foot sub for us from Subway. We didn't have the heart to tell him we'd been eating Subway for the past 6 days, but it was actually good. At least we had fun taking pictures with it.

1:00- Just as we were about to leave, a man who had a food-cart came up and asked for a sign to put on his cart. We were happy that he had the will to jeopardize his business for what was right.

2:00- After a stop at Dunkin' Donuts, we started calling again. We're calling through the list 2 times. Every hour, we take a break and play a game for a few minutes.

4:00- Calling through the list one last time. I had to call in the car, because there was no quiet place in the cottage. One woman was incredibly mad at me. I didn't think that it was possible for any two sentences, no matter what they said, to make someone that mad.

7:00- Headed over to the pastor's house for dinner, and to watch the results. They decorated the house red, white, and blue, and made a big meal. We're laughing at everything because we're so tired.

9:30- After playing games and talking, the pastor gave a great devotional. We took some pictures, and then headed home.

10:30- Packed to go home tomorrow

11:00- I was falling asleep when Bethany came in and asked us if we could come and pray. The results weren't looking good, and the Republicans were taking a bigger blow than wa expected. We just sat on the bed and prayed, right from our hearts. I listened as Bethany cried out to God, and everyone asked Him for His will to be done. We left in complete silence, on the verge of tears.

11:50- As I was trying to fall asleep, I thought through every scene from the past week. I prayed and asked God "why?," and I almost heard the answer "you of little faith." The last thing that I remember was an incredible sense of peace.

 

Wednesday, November 8th

 

Today was our last day.

 

Bethany took us aside after we woke up to tell us the results. Our candidate won by 152 votes. Woodcock lost, making Baldacci governor still again. That was a blow.

 

I was reading Psalm 136, and it was just an encouragement to be reminded that God was in control of everything that happened over political figures in that time (kings), and still now. Also, in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything.

 

We drove back to the base camp and met everyone. All of the shyer students had completely come out of their shells, and the outgoing ones were still more outgoing. It was exciting to watch! We were just so excited to share our experiences about phone banking, door-knocking, sign-waving—everything. It was so fun, because we are this bunch of home-schooled teens, just getting together because we wanted to make a difference--because we cared. The Republican politicians put us in the place where grown-ups usually are placed. And we were able to take it and make one big fun experience with tons of new friends and an insane amount of inside jokes.

 

The program director spoke to us and told us what had happened. Out of the six people that we were campaigning for, four won. One was the governor candidate, the other was a representative. Some of the Republicans expected some to get in, so those people didn't campaign. We were sent to campaign for those that didn't look like they were going to win. In order to take the majority, we needed to have the ones that we thought we would have for certain and the ones that we didn't think we would. Those in our group did our job. The other group of candidates who thought that they were fine really weren’t and didn't do their job. The Republicans are taking a second look at us. They may even do it next election year, with a different strategy plan.

 

We're encouraged by that. We had a "victory party" with….pizza! They gave out certificates for "87.3 hours of political science," and we taped signs on each other’s backs where we wrote nice things about each other. We were crazy and dressed up with bandanas and sunglasses and wigs that one guy brought along. We played ping pong matches and air hockey. We exchanged emails, inside jokes, and tons of hugs and high fives.

 

I'm sad to leave.

 

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I don't know what to say now that it's over. I feel a sense of relief and accomplishment. I feel a sense of sadness and a sense of thankfulness. My relationship with God has been strengthened so much, and I've grown so much in so little time. I've made great friends, and I've made an impact. Now I want to do more.

 

Most of the teens that went to this didn't want to be involved in politics. It sounds all boring and complicated with those grown-ups in business suits, and you have to be smart. You get criticized either way you go and it's all just not what most teens want. Maybe when they grow up and have kids, they'll vote or something. Who wants to spend so much time getting a week ahead in school and knocking on doors and calling strangers? I don't have time! What do I get out of this?

 

My mindset was worse than this before I went to my first Teen Pact class at the capitol. That completely changed, and I wanted to get more involved. When I heard that this "student project" was something that they thought up, I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew I'd knock on doors and wave signs, but I didn't know how much work it would take.

 

I'm so glad that I went, and every single person who went was, too. The boys, who were mad because their parents made them come and miss a week of the hunting season and football games, wanted to stay longer. The girls, who hated getting their hair wet in the rain, waking up incredibly early in order to take a shower, and breaking their nails all of the time, were making the program directors promise to do it again.

 

It's a pretty cool way to spend your time. I mean, we totally changed grown-ups’ minds. Because of us running up to a house in jeans and a sweatshirt and just knocking on a door, some adults voted opposite of what they were planning. We made an impact. People respected us for standing up where most teens would shrink away. And we were just a group of regular teens who wanted to make a difference. We did, and we learned so much, grew in our relationship with God, and had the experience of a lifetime.

 

This was the first time ever that an organized campaign came to the New England area, and, even though there isn't always one, we now know that it’s possible to get involved just by calling up candidates.

 

Seriously. I don't know what to say.

 

It’s not just worth it.  It’s way more than worth it