Hello Friends, Family, and MAB Supporters!
MAB Little Rock has had a fantastic three days together down here in the Natural State. We were the very last trip to leave Columbia on Sunday, March 28. Many of our participants commented on the drive down at how surprised they were to see such a mountainous area so close to Missouri. This state really is a hidden gem with a wealth of natural beauty.
We are lucky to have great housing hosts at Lakewood United Methodist Church in North Little Rock. Here, we've got everything we need for a great stay, including precious hot water for showers! Our contact at the church, Cindy, has a daughter and son-in-law who are Mizzou alumni, so she has a special place in her heart for the Tigers. She and her husband are being kind enough to host all 11 of us for dinner at their home on Thursday evening. We have felt so welcome here and are excited for the remaining nights we will stay.
Now for the important part- our service. We are serving at the beautiful Arkansas Children's Hospital, located right in the center of the city directly across the street from the capitol dome. The hospital is state-of-the-art, and it is obvious from spending time around the facility that their priority is and always has been the children and families who are receiving treatment there. Each aspect of the hospital seems perfectly designed to create the most inviting, comforting, and safe place for patients who may be facing complex and challenging illnesses.
Each day, our volunteer coordinator, Melissa, places each of us in our assignments for the day. These include helping with preparations for the hospital's annual Easter egg hunt, working to put together mailers for donors and volunteers of the hospital, and our personal favorite, spending time with children visiting the hospital's clinics and doing arts and crafts as they wait to see their clinicians. It is so rewarding to see how such a simple activity can liven up a child's day after a long wait for a visit to the doctor (not to mention getting to here about one of our young male toddler's 35 girlfriends).
To those reading, thank you all for your support of our alternative spring break trip, and for your support of Mizzou Alternative Breaks in general. Without you, these trips wouldn't be possible, and without these trips, Mizzou students would miss out on the opportunity to visit a new place, make new friends, and spend a week performing meaningful service and learning about the complex issues faced by the families and communities around us.
This blog will be updated throughout the rest of our week together, so please keep up with us as we continue to serve here in Little Rock!
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