Tuesday, March 26,
Alright, real talk: our ASB trip is intense. No, I don't mean intensely difficult, even though all of us are exhausted from a long day of service. I'm not talking about our intensely competitive mafia games that we've played the past couple of nights either. This trip is intensely real; we have been given a rare glimpse into a side of life that most people never think about, and we are learning more here than in any classroom. Today, we returned to Love in Action Outreach to continue providing older men and women with food. Later, we journeyed to APEX Youth Center, a great organization that provides middle school students with food, fun, and safety. It would be virtually impossible for me to tell all of the stories our team shared during reflection time, but a few really stuck out.
One was from Taylor, who talked to a man at Love in Action Outreach while helping him carry a box of food to his vehicle. During the conversation, Taylor explained the purpose of our ASB trip to him. His response was "I'm 65 years old, but I hope I'm around to see you and your friends change the world."
Another was from Kyle, Logan, and Emily, who enjoyed a conversation (also at Love in Action Outreach) with a lovely "young" (as Miss Gail would call her) lady who had come to the food pantry. She was incredibly nice, Southern Hospitality at its finest, and shared her story about surviving Katrina. Like many Orlean-ians, she was very reluctant to evacuate the city even though the storm was on its way. She left most of her belongings in the city, thinking that she would be able to come back for it within a few days. It was much later than that when she finally returned, and when she did, she discovered that she had lost everything, including her son, who stayed behind. Gwendolyn never needed assistance before the storm, but even though she was now living in far-from-ideal circumstances, she remained thankful. She told the three team members that she still felt blessed: "Even if I only have a little, I always have enough to share."
During the second half of our day, at APEX Youth Center, we enjoyed playing knock out and four-square with the children, reminding some of us of our complete lack of athleticism. Talking to the APEX staff was an incredibly eye-opening conversation; many of these kids have felt the effects of more violence than most of us will encounter in a lifetime. They have very little, and are stuck in a cycle that is very difficult to get out of. They long for permanence in a world that is constantly changing around them; when we left, they asked if we would be returning tomorrow, and we unfortunately had to say we weren't.
Finding something positive and permanent to hold onto while maneuvering through some of life's harshest circumstances is incredibly difficult. Through it all, these people have remained the epitome of "love thy neighbor." Everyone we helped was so kind, so gracious, so thankful, not just to us - one woman cried when Tia refused to take the money she had offered and explained that we were here simply to help - but to each other - Miss Gail treated every single person she helped like a dear friend, and made them feel like they were receiving food that was specifically gathered for them. Today, the soul in the air felt like love.
Love is permanent. It may come in the form of a bunch of college students playing Uno with the children of APEX one day, or it may come in the form of an anonymous donation that the children will never know about, but as long as people are helping other people it will be there. Even if there is only a little, there will be enough to share, and that will change the world – one "thank you baaaaaby" at a time.
No comments:
Post a Comment