T'was eight-thirty in the brisk of the morning when JackAttack departed for Nemours Children's Hospital to begin service day three. The morning air was misty and filled with humidity; the perfect Florida weather participants had been so excited to leave Missouri for…maybe not, but the light rain showers refreshed members and kept them on high alert to serve to the best of their abilities. Upon arrival at the Children's Hospital, participants were given the service task of refurbishing an outdoor area near the hospital called The Labyrinth. This particular area was created by a boy scout as his scout project, but sadly the young boy passed away from cancer and the area is now in memory of him for others to enjoy. Participants had the pleasure of planting a few flowers around the main stone and began to glue sayings onto stones that will be put in the ground on Friday morning to finish the project.
To give all participants a break from their service work at The Labyrinth, members were given a phenomenal tour of the Wolfson Children's Hospital. The hospital has one of only two pediatric cancer programs in the country recognized for outstanding achievement by the American College of Surgeons. The clinic is one of a set group of institutions nationwide with a blood and bone marrow transplant program. While on the tour participants got to see Nick utilize his foam hand sanitizing fascination, along with four different floors of the hospital. One of the rooms encompassed a Tim Tebow Room; this specific room provides patients a chance to change out of their normal hospital atmosphere into a fun environment with T.V. and games. JackAttack's favorite part of the hospital that really stuck out to group is the finish line checkered flag. The flag is signed by all patients that complete a bone marrow/stem cell transplant. "For the brave and strong, never give up."
Directly following the tour, JackAttack relocated to the Gem and Mineral Society to knock out their second service project for the day. Upon arrival participants were provided a delicious homemade lunch that consisted of chicken salad sandwiches, oranges, vegetable salad, a vast variety of chips, and last but not least, mouth watering-right out of the oven-homemade-chocolate chip cookies. After scarfing down the fantastic lunch made by the members of the society, participants got put to work serving in a variety of ways. The group split into two types of service; one landscaping outdoors and the other doing heavy duty lifting of furniture to the second floor of the building. The landscapers encountered many interesting obstacles, one of which was a slippery, slimy, sneaky snake. I should note that all of the members who were landscaping were women, with the exception of Matt. Now Matt was proving himself to all the ladies on how strong he is by carrying the biggest logs and giving one hundred percent the whole time while serving, but as soon as he saw the snake he began screaming bloody murder while the unexpected happened, graceful and charming Kohri went right on over and picked the little feller right up in her hands. The participants working indoor were concerned when they heard the bloody murder scream, but were told there was no need to worry it was just "Floor Matt" freaking out over a baby snake. Side note: Matt got nicknamed "Floor Matt", Nick got named "Saint Nick", and Cedric got named, "Cedric the Entertainer" by one of the members of the Gem and Minerals Society. #NameGameStrong
The heavy lifting crew got to utilize their critical thinking skills when it came to the struggle of carrying excessively heavy objects up a flight of narrow and curvy stairs. Members also had the opportunity to grow in relationships and proved that #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork! Shout Out to the wagon squad, you all "mulched" that obstacle when everyone thought it was impossible!
To conclude JackAttack's service day three, participants departed for their second evening with L'Arche families. All participants enjoyed spending time with the core members and assistants in each of their homes. The conversations that were had and relationships that were made created a huge impact on all participants in a very positive way. Members enjoyed the evening dinners with their families and all the fun events that occurred. The smiles that group JackAttack brought to the core members faces were immensely mutual. #L'ArcheFamForev
Prayer House- Maude & Nargiza
Highlights of Prayer House
• Dealing with resentment "Be content with what you have"
• Hearing Mary talk about how much she loves cheese and wants it, but knowing she still cannot have it.
• The name "Prayer House" came from the first two gentlemen who lived there. They were two priests and all core members had prayer time with them.
• Having the opportunity to listen to the core members read books or articles with meaning and discuss the values.
Peace House- Brittany & Maggie
Highlights of Peace House
• Viva's kisses on the cheek.
• Prayer time.
• "Can you whistle?"
• Nail painting.
Nouwen House- Kohri, Matt & Cedric
Highlights of Nouwen House
• "What, what, Why?"
• Witnessing Robert's first time getting care from a physical therapist.
• Tom's long lasting hug to Kohri *Matt laughing the whole time*
• Robbie waving at Matt with a pearly white grin across his face.
• The realization that the core members were so happy for the group to come back for dinner.
Sunflower House- Lexie & Nick
Highlights from Sunflower House
• Just Dance
• Sweet Ann turning to Angry Ann when she gets COLD
• Prayer time consisting of "murmuring until Michael yells "AMEN"
Grateful House- Caroline, Sophia & Heather
Highlights of Grateful House
• Ribs that fall of the bone, mashed potatoes, stuffed pork and fruit salad
• Caroline's piano playing with Kathy's singing
• Craft time
• Candyland and Chutes and Ladders with Dino
• Bambii
• Learning about Germany
Until next time lovelies,
JackAttack :)
Daily Highlights
"I think I have sweat in my eye balls" - Matt
"Shout Out to Matt for working his *long pause* …butt off" - Lexie
#ChinzfortheWinz
#WagonSquad
Relocated Junk
Coffee deprivation REDEEMED
JackAttack: "Teamwork makes the Dream Work"
March 24, 2015
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