Brandon Pilas
The fact that 12 people with such diverse backgrounds could come together and make a difference in a community that no one really thinks about is absolutely incredible. From the long car rides to only getting 3 hours of sleep a night because of reflection, I have created friendships that I would have never made unless I participated in this program, and I know they will last a lifetime. Couldn't have asked for a better time on my first Mizzou Alternative Break Trip. Billings, Montana will always have a special place in my heart. Already, I can't wait to visit again!
Erica Tello
Erica's reflection can be found on her personal blog: http://wandereatloverepeat.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/asbillings/
Kylee Groon
Billings, Montana was such an odd place to go for service, I had originally thought. Little did I know the impact that city would have on me. Working with the homeless and impoverished community there was extremely eye-opening and I will forever cherish the memories I made working with the children at Head Start Inc. and the adults at The Hub. I was able to really see the need in the community, especially when I was staring it right in the face. I learned that every person, no matter what income level or state of mind, is worthy of love. They are worthy of being noticed and appreciated as a human being. In fact, it is crucial for each of them to have that real love and respect in order to strive for better "things." I learned that even the most simple act could do a world of difference in the eyes of someone suffering to feel accepted in a community where they most often are not accepted. The people I met taught me so much about compassion and vulnerability, to the point where I am now completely willing to make a change in the way I treat anyone I come in contact with. With the help of the #ASBillings crew, I came out of this trip with a new found passion for serving others, 11 best friends, and a true love for the community of Billings, Montana. I miss it so much already.
Luke Blackburn
MAB has been so incredible, and I've love being immersed in the program for the past 2 years. As a site leader, all of the participants made this trip so easy by being open to any little curve ball Sophia or I threw at them. The best part of the trip, hands-down, was being able to serve a community with so much need, but that has an equal amount of hope. Billings has truly taught me that you can never assume what a person's background is and that if you don't stop to appreciate the little things, your life just might be focused on all of the bad. This place, these people, this community, and this trip have all touched my heart this week!
Sophia Mullineaux
Being one of the two site leaders, I have known since the summertime that I would be leading a group of students to serve in Billings. I have been so excited to introduce new friends and volunteer sites to Mizzou Alternative Breaks and the week did not disappoint. I formed deep connections in the span of eight days, and as much as I love Columbia, I know a part of me is left in Billings. The populations we helped have real hurt and experience the pain of homelessness and poverty on a daily basis. Trying to put into words the things I learned in Billings seems unjust to those who were so open to sharing their stories, but from the children at Head Start to the adults at The Hub and Montana Rescue Mission, my life has been touched. When we served, we all became more knowledgeable in how to love, a direct relation to the principle we tried to embody on our trip- communicate love. Carman at The Hub asked us to remember who our support system is and make sure we take care of them. She also told us that everyone we meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something, and if you get to know what those somethings are, you've become friends and can guide that person out of darkness. We all kept this in mind throughout the week and allowed ourselves to get close to the children, allowing them to likely impact us more than we impacted them.
As sad as it is, Spring Break is only one week. We're back in Columbia now and our group is realizing that coming home is hard. In many cases, the people we have come home to want to understand. Some people around us are begging for stories with the "Tell me everything. No seriously, I mean everything." line, but it's hard because they weren't there when we realized Elijah's situation, or when we learned a hard lesson from two hours at Montana Rescue Mission, or when we took a bus tour of the roughest part of Billings. But, there's a blessing in that. When coming back home, we have 11 people that we feel connected too, regardless of the fact that we found ourselves coming together in a place 17 hours away. And after all of the circumstantial things we have in common (classes, campus, Columbia community), we have this trip. Coming home is hard, because managing your expectations of people is hard. Coming home is hard, because changed people means changed relationships. Coming home is hard because explaining the events that changed you is harder than I'd initially imagined. And coming home is hard because it presents a challenge to encapsulate and explain why everyone needs to experience the power and love that takes place on an Alternative Breaks trip. From four trips worth of experience, I cannot recommend it enough.
Thank you, Billings, for changing our lives. We will never forget it.
And, while we were in Billings, we made the news! Check us out here: http://www.kulr8.com/story/25105040/students-from-university-of-missouri-volunteer-in-billings?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Thanks for following along on our journey!
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