As we climbed into our two cars, we weren't sure what to expect from each other. We had pre-conceived notions about each other. We had the Greeks, the over involved, the uninvolved, the non-greeks, the vegetarians and meat eaters and the introverted and extroverted and everything in between. We climbed into our packed cars with snacks and McDonald's coffee not knowing who each other really were. Two days later after hundreds of (awkward/fantastic) selfies, getting lost in Dallas, some very frustrating car moments, Tink-A-Taco, one very confusing conversation, a random parking lot dance party, an India dinner, and three VERY intense games of mafia, we have become more than just people going on a service trip together, but a family.
On our first day of service, we didn't know what to expect. We knew we were going to The Children's Shelter, and we knew there were going to be kids there, but that was as far as our knowledge went. So we grabbed our Starbucks coffee and our gumby attitudes and walked into our site to serve. We were met by our fearless leader Karen, who had only been working there for a year. She had stories that would make your face smile and your heart frown all at the same time. Looking around the room at everyone's wide eyes and open minds, that's when everything set in. We knew this week was not going to be physically draining, but emotionally as well. We knew our hearts would break when we met the kids and we knew we could never look at these kids and understand exactly what they had gone through to end up in The Children's Shelter. After being split into three groups of four, we got to work.
The first group went to an office room and labeled clothes with a marker. Every child that comes into The Children's Shelter is taken to Old Navy and is given $300 to spend on clothes for themselves. They pick them, they wear them, and they keep them when they leave. All brand new, just for them. We bonded over deep conversations about who the kids were and what they were doing. We would never get the answers.
After lunch, the first group teamed up in a very small, cramped room with group two. We were sorting clothes that had been donated to the shelter and placing them on shelves. After bumping into each other hundreds of time and trying on every piece of clothing, we were somehow not frustrated at all. The close quarters pushed us closer and closer together until our comfort level was through the roof and our personal bubbles were officially gone. At the end of our first service day, our empty shelves were filled with clothes and you could see the walls and floor of the room. We also could see that we had over 2,000 pairs of socks that were a terrifying tower willing to fall to the floor at any minute.
While we were sorting clothes, the third group was hard at work unlabeling and relabeling shoes at The Children's Shelter Thrift Store. They attacked a monumental tower of souls (both the shoe kind and the person kind). The people they worked with at the Thrift Store were filled with happiness. Their entire goal was to create happiness, giving us 50% off just because we helped them so much. At the end of the day, they told us the work four of us did in one day would take their staff a week to do.
While we didn't work with kids today, we still worked with some amazing and humble people. People who are all abut serving others no matter what the cost. I believe they somewhat model for us what Mizzou Alternative Breaks is all about. They embody passion, love, happiness, pure joy, and such an inspirational persona. You can't help but enjoy folding clothes for hours on end with your service family.
Until tomorrow. San Antonio two, out.
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