MAB Weekend - Jefferson County

On the first day of service, my service site gave to me…

3,000 barrels of dirty dirt.

100 bottles of water.

11 games of Mafia.

10 4-H Bluebirds.

9 matching outfits.

8 hours of working.

7 accusations of Stacy being Mafia.

6 people to lift a stone table.

5 wooden splinters.

4 home cooked meals.

3 broken shovels.

2 people shooting blanks out of muskets.

1 unforgettable experience.

And a lot of ivy.

MAB Weekend - McDonald County (Student Nurses Association)

10 easy steps to have the best MAB trip of all time:

1) Score killer housing like the River Ranch Resort, who graciously gave us a cabin with 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and huge living room and kitchen overlooking the Elk River.

2) Beautify a nursing home courtyard so the residents have somewhere cheery and safe to go; make a frog friend while you're at it. 

3) Get all your groceries at a locally owned place, like Harps, and say hello to all the locals asking why you're wearing matching pink shirts

4) Hold a health clinic for the Burmese population screening blood pressures, BMIs and teaching on handwashing and good nutritional habits and...okay, mostly just ask them their 'story' and play with their kids :) 

5) Attend a yummy dinner hosted for and by volunteers at the Senior Center so you can see how service extends through a lifetime and experience firsthand small town community pride

6) Be in three states (Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma) at once by standing on the Southwest City cornerstone and taking plenty of selfies

7) Stuff yourself until you're almost sick at a breakfast buffet made by gracious parishioners of the United Methodist Church

8) Clean up, ride on and maybe fall in the Elk River when you Big Elk Camp gives you canoes and a view in exchange for picking up a tire or two (a little easier said than done...)

9) Powwow and reflect on your opportunities any time you can with each other to figure out what's going right, what we could do better and where we should go from here -- and always have plenty of snacks while doing so

10) Take a long nap in the car ride home and think about how "little by little" the relationships and impacts made in McDonald can be built upon in order to bring the MAB message back to good ol' MO

MAB Weekend - Morgan County (Theta)

Hi everyone! We are the women of Kappa Alpha Theta, and we spent the weekend in Morgan County. This was our first MAB trip as a sorority, but we hope to lead a trip every semester going forward. We come from different pledge classes, socio-economic statuses and hometowns. But as we traversed through the windy roads beyond Jefferson City, verging on car sickness, we never expected that the families in Versailles, Missouri would teach us so much.

We found our home for the weekend in Loving Hands Preschool and Daycare (a vague rendition of Sunny Side in Toy Story 3). Even more exciting than the Disney decals on the walls, was the abundant collection of VHS tapes. We even had the chance to pop in Sleeping Beauty for an afternoon catnap on Saturday.

On Friday night, we had the chance to go with the local 4-H club to buy groceries for families in need. Additionally, we met Sheila. Sheila was our coordinator for the weekend of service, and her story is phenomenal. She is one of the most giving, selfless people we have ever met. She will do anything for her family and her community. At the grocery store, she even saved extra money to bless a family in the parking lot with a $50 gift card. Just to give you an idea of her character, we'll tell you about one of our favorite parts of the weekend. She only bakes her famous "50 lb." lasagna once a year. When she found out this weekend was prom night, she concocted this wonderful homemade meal for us. She even went out of her way to invite us to her daughter's after-prom bonfire.

She taught us what it means to be a leading woman in your community. Later on Friday night, she took us to deliver food to a local family. This family had six children and no income. One of the girls wants to be a police officer and earn a living. Sheila encouraged the family to bring their daughter to 4-H and even offered to waive the participation fee for the young girl. This is what a leading woman is.

For the majority of the weekend, we served Sheila's daughter, Leah. Leah lives near her mother, but she has two children, one of whom is partially deaf. We served Leah by painting her house and assisting her with re-decorating.

Parts of our service were very tangible. We physically brightened the rooms with each layer of green and blue paint. Our work was unveiled before our eyes as the house turned into a lovely home.

But parts of our service were not so evident. The majority of our weekend was spent listening to Leah and addressing her needs. Leah is a victim of domestic violence, and she now has several disabilities due to her injuries. Although she is a very introverted person, we witnessed her bloom before our eyes as she shared more of her story with us and lit up when the sun came through the windows onto her newly-painted sand dollar walls.

On Sunday morning we painted the infant room at Loving Hands Preschool. We loved being able to give something back to the wonderful people who provided housing for us for the weekend.

Overall, our time in Morgan County was simultaneously very rich and extremely raw. We ate wonderful food, and Sheila's wonderful family never let us go hungry. We tickled and chased Leah's boys around their backyard. And we even sang "Happy Birthday" to one of our own in a Mexican Restaurant while the waiter smeared whipped cream in her face.

And yet, there were moments that were extremely hard. We were exposed to human suffering and pain. We met a family in Walmart that didn't have shoes for their son. And we learned about PTSD and sexual violence.

But then we met people like Sheila who care for the people of Versailles, Missouri so much, and we realized that wherever there is suffering, there is also hope. Wherever there is fear, there is also love. More than anything, she taught us to communicate love with our hearts and our hands. And for that, we are extremely grateful.

MAB Weekend - Scott County

Our MAB Thoughts:

1) The biggest takeaway from my first MAB trip is the power of teamwork. We were able to accomplish all of the projects we did today because we did it together. It is amazing to see what coming together can accomplish. #sikedforsikeston -Simon Capp

2) Today we helped out at a community garden. Although I was nervous because I am notorious for killing any plant I come in contact with, it ended up being a success. From picking weeds to painting tables, it was a really fun and rewarding experience. -Alexandra Larson

3) I love small town America. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone wants to make you feel like you're at home. Serving at the community garden, and getting to know Mike and Maude, really made me realize how beneficial something so seemingly small can make such a big impact on a group of people. -Emma Smoczynski

4) I Thoroughly enjoyed learning new efficient ways of gardening. Specifically including tilling, and planting. What a rewarding experience I had visiting with the wonderful citizens/family of Sikeston. The hospitality was beyond expected. #throwinRolls -Zachary Tallevast

5) If you're considering going on an MAB trip, go! I was hesitant to go, but I am so thankful I went. It was incredible to serve alongside a group of selfless peers I wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet without MAB. It was so awesome to see how much can get done when we all worked as one unit. -Molly Arand

6) The best part about today was the multiple connections we made within the MAB family and the residents of Sikeston, MO. The amount of love and appreciation we received was unreal. Definitely can't and won't forget Maude and Mike fersure. Lastly, It was really cool getting to see how teamwork can knock out days of work in some hours. Shoutout to the team! -D'Anthony Carter-Marshall

7) My MAB experience surpassed my expectations by teaching me that not all service needs to yield results right away. We may not be around to watch all of the benefits our service will produce, but the small steps will continue to make a tremendous difference in Sikeston's community. The church and community leaders were wonderful and welcoming, and I feel honored to have met them and been able to do some good for the home that they cherish so much. -Jamie Bachman

8) After my first day of service on an MAB trip, I couldn't be more pleased with how the day went. We accomplished so much in such a little time and the people we encountered were so grateful for our service. I was able to learn so much about community gardens and was inspired to attempt to plant my own garden! -Meghan Stuckel

9.) All throughout our service, I realized how passionate Maude and Pastor Mike were about their service to the community. After serving at the Nutrition Center, Lisa Hicks, Maude and Pastor Harris continued to express how appreciative they were to have us serve them. I loved how so much love was reciprocated between each MAB participant and our service contacts which made serving a lot easier and more enjoyable. Serving in Sikeston this weekend was definitely an experience of a lifetime! -Dionna Williams

10) I especially liked the community aspect of the trip. Everyone has worked to serve each other and to try to give back to each other and the community. A lot of times people forget that we are all here to serve each other and get caught up in our individualized lives. Instead, we tried to serve in any way we could, and thought about other people's needs. MAB's principles remind us of this and I would recommend an MAB trip to anyone! -Rokeith Daley

11) I absolutely loved seeing everyone serve today. Their willingness to do various tasks was incredible to watch and I couldn't have imagined spending this weekend serving with any other group. We accomplished so much, learned so much, and loved so much. The things we saw and learned today have left a permanent impression. I will forever be thankful for the opportunities MAB provides, the relationships we are able to forge as a result, and the service we are able to complete. Today was an incredible day of service. -Karen Patterson

MAB Weekend - Saint Louis County 2 (College of Education)

Alligators & Tigers,

Our College of Education partnership returned to Adams Elementary in the St. Louis Public School District for its second alternative weekend trip since last year. For most of us in the group, it was our first time at the school, and those of us who were returning were excited to be back. We were welcomed with open arms and lots of Alligator spirit!

We spent Friday and Saturday completing bulletin boards to brighten up the computer labs where students will be taking the MAP test (a statewide assessment) next week, painting a mural of Dr. Seuss’s Lorax, packaging snacks and headphones for MAP testers, and labeling reading levels for books. We were able to spend extra recess time with tons of wonderful students on Friday and work with some in the community garden on Saturday. On Friday, we watched the pep assembly to get them pumped up for the MAP – complete with a visit from the Normandy High School Marching Band and performances by all of the different classes. Four of us acted as judges to decide winners of the competition for best performance – it was a very tough call, ending with a tie.

Our favorite part was getting to interact with the amazing students and faculty at this school. The feeling of support and community was extremely evident, from the kindness we saw between students on the playground to the way that staff seemed to know all the students’ names, even if they weren’t in their classes. In just the two days we were there, we learned a lot about the environment we want to create and what kinds of attitudes we want to take back into our classrooms. The importance of a positive and caring community is something that cannot be overlooked. The challenges students face are real and the challenges a neighborhood school in an urban district faces (lack of funding, teacher retention, enrollment) are real. The love and the hard work that the people at this school pour out each day is just as real, too.

As a group of future educators, we reflected on our own perceptions of urban public schools and the way they are frequently perceived in general. Neighborhood schools in public districts especially (as opposed to magnet schools or charters) are often perceived more negatively – parents may be less likely to keep their children in them and teachers may be less likely to want to work in them, even when perceptions don’t align with reality. We hope to change the conversations in our classes and within the College of Ed about urban education, and we hope to continue to strengthen ties between MU and Adams.

To the Adams Family: Thank you so much for welcoming us and showing us what a great school looks like and what a difference you are making for each other. Thank you for showing us outstanding leadership and what it looks like to be really in it for the kids. Thank you for sharing your community.

We wish you the best of luck on the MAP (we KNOW you’re ready), but we know your hard work is paying off in ways more important than that.

MAB Weekend - Jackson County (College of Education)

Starting Friday afternoon, we served at KIPP Endeavor Academy, a Charter school, in Kansas City. Through their preparatory program, KIPP motivates their middle schoolers to attend college. So far, we have served KIPP by talking to parents about enrolling their kids and cataloging books to help them start their library system. We can’t wait to serve more tomorrow!

Kasey Green
“KIPP Endeavor is reinventing how schools should be run. Students have extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to succeed in school. The passion the students and teachers share is exciting and contagious. I will forever be thankful for this experience.”

Logan Taylor
“One extraordinary part of KIPP Endeavor is how their students greet each of their guests. Every classroom door we knocked on had a designated greeter that came out to introduce himself or herself, explain exactly what they were learning, and asked us why we were visiting their school. It was highly impressive to see the school instilling this communication skill at such a young age.”

Elise Murphy
“KIPP Academy is the most welcoming school that I have ever been at and when you walk in the door every single person has a smile on their face, ready to greet you. Their focus on wanting every child to succeed and pushing them to do the best that they can is a school-wide challenge that every student is prepared for. The students know their expectations and do what they can, to be the best that they can.”


Katie Paul

“Every classroom focuses on 10 Power Standards to help guide the students on what they should accomplish by the end of year. The students have cards on the wall that display the standards they have mastered and the standards they are still working on. I really love that KIPP does this because it empowers students to take ownership over their education. Instead of learning blindly, KIPP students know exactly where they are and where they are going.”

Kaitlyn Agan

“KIPP Endeavor is actively working to expand their campus to serve more students. In the fall, they will grow to include K-4 grades on their middle school campus. The amount of growth that KIPP: KC is experiencing will serve more kids of low-income families in the community, a very significant step in urban education. In addition to adding more grades, the school is working on building their library system. As of right now, classroom libraries are the only option. Hopefully within the next few years, KIPP Endeavor will be able to serve even more kids from all over Kansas City to prepare them for college.”

MAB Weekend - Osage County (Laws Hall)

April 15, 2016
Our trusty vehicle rolls into First Baptist Church of Linn. The evening sky is a Monet painting of burnt orange and grey, as if the embers of our past lives have drifted heavenward to mix with the celestial bodies to watch as we emerge from the car like phoenixes entering a new world of service, hope and all-around Gumbyness. After introductions and setup, we head to Wal-Mart where we roam the aisles in mobile chairs, moving like a herd of robotic bison who are intent on their next meal... namely bagels and Scooby Snacks. Checkout proceeds with a minor wrinkle (a six pack of cream soda was confused with a six pack of inebriating liquid) and then it is back to the church so we can gather around a bonfire for s'mores and bonding. Our conversations last deep into the night, wandering from anecdotes of clogged toilets and farts in faces to confessions of roads less traveled. And then, as if to mark the sentence of the day with glistening, optimistic period, a lone comet streaks across the sky. Shrieks of "Make a wish!" rend the contemplative silence and we close our eyes. In the still darkness, the only sounds are the crackling of firewood and the whisper of twelve pairs of hands grasping one another. Unspoken lest superstition steal it from it's course to the listening ears of God, one unanimous desire rises from the depths of our hearts: I wish this never had to end.

April 16, 2016
We awake and feast upon cream cheese bread halos. And coffee. Always coffee. We pile into the Millennium Falcvan and drive into a horizon of playful yellow and baby blue. Our bodies gradually uncoil from their sleeping positions as our minds also stretch to greet the possibilities of a new day... our first day! And then, tragedy strikes. The Good Shepherd Center, a notable food pantry and focus of our afternoon service, greets us with the warmth of a mother bear awoken from her hibernation. In other words, we are unable to get even one foot in the door. Everything is locked. In the words of Gandalf the Grey, "The way is shut." But we fear not, for our intentions are as flexible as our Gumbylicious spirits. Several phone calls are made and we divert our attention to the Food Bank of Northeast and Central Missouri. As if to acknowledge the promise heard in the changing winds, a black alley cat approaches and moves through the group, his tail brushing cheeks to dry tears and his reassuring purrs whisking away any worry. The remainder of the day is spent in sweaty, smiling glory and for every plastic sack we fill with granola, we feel our souls spill over a bit more with joy. We finally retreat to the church to wash several windows and, the glass as clear as our consciences, we drive to a local restaurant (BJ's) for a night of reflection and jubilee. Full and satisfied by our BJ's, we retire for one more night together and, as we drift into the content slumber only offered to those committed to the grind, murmur sweet nothings to each other until we are empty of loving words. There is not regret; We all know that this is it.

MAB Weekend - Knox County

There's something about getting into a car with 12 near-strangers to serve that's an experience like no other — an experience centered on learning, growth and development. Serving in northeast Missouri — primarily in Knox County — this weekend was an eye-opening experience for us Foxy Knoxys. We learned a lot about the communities in which we served and were able to make small but noticeable differences at the places we visited.

After a solid drive Friday evening through rural Missouri, we arrived at the Kelly family's household in Kirksville. We are incredibly grateful for the kindness, generosity and hospitality of these two Mizzou alumni. We loved talking with them and their children (one who's a freshman and the other who's a senior and future Tiger — truly a Mizzou family!) and playing with their dog, Drake, in our free time after service.

We kicked off the weekend Saturday morning at the Helping Hands Mission in Kirksville, which, among other services, provides free lunch to community members, runs a thrift store and assists community members with various services. It was very evident from every interaction we had how meaningful their work was to the community. About half of our group worked with Deb to sort clothing to put in the thrift shop. Deb was so kind and knowledgeable about the community and the service focuses Helping Hands addresses. Jay and Caylin created price tags for the items; Tara swapped out winter clothes with spring and summer ones in the thrift shop; Martise, Jessica and Gabrielle vacuumed for a while; and Emily and Ashley organized the pantry, alphabetizing the items. 

Ali and Katie washed windows and talked extensively to one of the mission's founding sister. She told them how the mission came to be and about various services they provide, including giving books and school supplies to children, holding women's meetings and teaching people how to do their taxes. She also talked about the people Helping Hands serves, who include people who are homeless, people who have recently gotten out of jail and African immigrants.

After a quick packed lunch in the car, we traveled to Scotland County and began service there at a clothing depot in Memphis, where we swapped out fall and winter clothes for spring and summer ones. (Several people in our group loved hanging up the tiny baby clothes.) We really liked how accessible the clothing was to community members; anyone could get clothing there for 10 cents per item, but if someone weren't able to pay, the depot would give them the clothes anyway. While we sorted clothing, we learned a lot about the city's history, especially from MU Extension's Chris Kempke, who served alongside us the rest of the afternoon.

Our next stop was the Scotland County Courthouse, where we painted the room in which people (including the Kellys' daughter) take their driving tests. We made the room look brighter and cleaner with the fresh coat of white paint. This was a very "poco a poco" service project because it was something the MAB fall weekend group was going to do but didn't have enough time for. It was really cool to be able to pick up where another MAB group had started and continue to build our relationship with that county!

Then, we cleaned a train depot in Scotland County. This is where we first learned of Ella Ewing, a giantess who was more than 8 feet tall. She's quite a pride point for Scotland County, where she lived and built a house with 10-foot ceilings.

That night, we bonded over cooking Mexican food and playing Headbands, a game where you had to guess a word on a card on someone's forehead.

After a great night's sleep, we served at the Knox County Historical Society, helping the volunteer members box and move items to its new location a few blocks away. We all loved looking at the cool, interesting historical artifacts: clothes, photos, newspapers, written records and even an old record player. We were honored that we were trusted to handle such important items to that community, and we enjoyed learning about the history of Knox County. Brent and Don from the historical society, who led us through our volunteering, kindly bought us lunch, and we enjoyed talking with them about Edina's history. All in all, we had a great weekend and were so glad we served with them!

MAB Weekend - Nodaway County (Pre-Dental Club Partnership)

This was the first time that Mizzou Pre-Dental decided to partner with Mizzou Alternative Breaks and site lead a trip for our members. We were very weary at first on if this would work, but we gave it a shot. We selected our 10 participants and I don't think we could have selected anyone better. Our members amazed us on how willing they are to be flexible and participate in anything they were asked to do this weekend. We were selected to head to Nodaway County, which is also considered Maryville, Missouri. If you didn't know, this is the hometown of Northwest Missouri State so we had the chance to stay on campus at the Newman Center! We would like to give a huge shoutout to the Newman Center for allowing us to stay there for the weekend.



We started off our service weekend at the Ministry Center, which is Maryville's local food pantry and clothing store. We met Merlin Atkins. He is on the Board of Directors and has grown the pantry from ground up. While there, we helped do deep cleaning that they don't have time for during normal hours. After serving, Merlin started to tell us the story of how the Ministry Center came to be and how much they impact the community. He told us that they have provided over 365,000 pounds in 2015, as well as 30,150 backpack buddies with snacks for elementary school students.



We then headed over to the New Nodaway County Humane Society. We started off by taking out all the dogs to get playtime. It was so enlightening to see the dogs' faces light up with excitement to be able to get out of the cage and play outside. After the fun, it was time to get down and dirty. We started cleaning the cages by pooper scooping and mopping each one individually. Our members were also cleaning out old cat holding rooms as well as washing out dog/cat bowls that needed to be sanitized. Being able to see the reactions from the full time volunteers assured us that we helped out in such a big way. After all was said and done, it was great to sit with our baes, Mitty and Bahama (cats at the humane society)

Our last service was the one that I think hit home for everyone. We went to Parkdale Manor Nursing Home and played games with the residents for the night. It was nice to see the faces of the residents light up when they were told we were here for the night to be with them. We played scrabble, pitch, and a homemade dice game that they created (which is actually very competitive among the residents). We had one student who became best friends with one resident, and they talked for the full two hours that we were there. When the activities director, Marilyn, came back from taking her back to her room, she said she couldn't take the smile off the resident's face from our member taking the time to hear her story. Thank you all for allowing us to spend our Saturday night with some of the best people in Maryville.

We believe that from our experiences over the weekend, this has made an impact on not only our members but also the citizens of Nodaway County. We are so thankful for the opportunities we are given each day, and it was eye opening to take a step back from our daily lives and give back to the state of Missouri. Pre-Dental Club would like to says thanks to all of our service site we went to over the weekend as well as Mizzou Alternative Breaks for allowing us to get out and give back! (Oh and we just got a thumbs down from a Kansas resident because of our tiger tail hanging from our van… MIZ)

MAB Weekend - Pulaski County (STRIPES Partnership)

The STRIPES fam has been having the best time on our MABweekend!




We spent our Saturday at the Special Olympics in Waynesville, Missouri. It was amazing to see a small segment of the world's largest sports organization operate. The Special Olympics has over 4.5 MILLION athletes worldwide in 170 countries, and there are 16,500 athletes in Missouri alone. In the morning there were team skills competitions and we had a great time cheering on the athletes and handing out awards. We made some great friends including a boy named Trevor who danced with our entire group to "Let It Go" and made people show him their whip and nae nae skills (but obviously he was the best at it).




In the afternoon we helped adjudicate and operate an individual skills competition. There were dribbling, passing and shooting skills practices and all of the athletes were amazing. It was so incredible to see how happy we could make people just by giving them high fives and cheering them on.

Saturday evening we practiced our "Be Gumby" skills and instead of having a cute picnic Bennett Springs Park, we played some sportsball in the church gym and had the most adorable easter egg hunt. Our teams tied and miraculously no one was injured considering how many times we were diving to get an egg before the other team. After that we gorged ourselves on snack foods and watched a movie in the youth center of our housing - the First United Methodist Church of Lebanon (p.s. they were amazing and opened the entire church to us and there was SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES).

On Sunday we served at COPE, a domestic violence shelter in Lebanon. The executive director was the coolest person we have ever met (she casually told us that she went to the UN last week and she's been basically all over the world). We helped out by cleaning up the yard, cleaning the bathrooms and kitchens and retouching paint. We packed lunches but the executive director Judy bought us pizza and when we told her we had lunch she goes, "But do you have to eat them now?" so at least now we have dinner!




After our service we headed to our site leader Jessica's cousin's place where we got to play with goats and also kayak (regardless of the 40 degree weather). She fed us (second lunch is the most important meal of the day), and they were so welcoming. Everyone we have met has been so incredibly nice. 




We are so glad that we got to participate in an MAB partnership trip. STRIPES volunteers are always family, but it was such a neat opportunity to spend time with each other in a new capacity. We are so excited to return to Columbia to tell our friends about our adventures and to spread the MAB love.

- Pulaski county/STRIPES

MAB Weekend - Monroe County (UNICEF Partnership)

Greetings from Monroe City and Paris, Missouri! I think its safe to say that our little group has had a blast this last weekend. Since we probably had the world's smallest MAB group (4 people total), we weren't able to make monumental changes, but we did what we could for the small towns of Monroe City and Paris. Our journey started on Friday, when we arrived to greet the wonderful people who work at the food bank in Monroe City. Once we got the keys, we left to go get groceries at the famous Monroe City C&R Market, and headed to the houses we were staying at over the night.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to start cleaning up at the food bank. After many hours of cleaning freezers, pulling weeds, and wiping off countertops, we eventually called it a day and left to go back to our host families. The boys played soccer and had a pretty intense ping pong tournament, while the girls played with peacocks, watched Disney channel, and napped.

As Sunday rolled around, we headed to our next service place, a 4-H center in Paris Missouri. Right when we got there, we pulled on the yellow Mr. Clean gloves and got to work scrubbing chairs and tables, dusting off fans, and mopping the building. Long story short, the place looks spotless. After our fair share of cleaning had been done at the 4-H center, we packed up and headed back to good ol' CoMo.

It goes without saying that our small group had a blast helping around in these small towns in Missouri. We got to meet great people, taught a Mexican restaurant what tax exemption is, and even had a run-in with the law due to our poor navigation skills. We are all thrilled to be able to say that we have made our contribution to help these small towns. This weekend was a great opportunity for our group to show that they care about helping others, and how we will go the extra step to do so.

See you later, Monroe County!

MAB Weekend - Andrew County (SHP Partnership)

This weekend I got the opportunity to travel to Andrew County with Mizzou Alternative Breaks and the School of Health Professions to do service. It was an incredible experience to say the least. I have never felt so much love and appreciation from people who were complete strangers just days before this. We were able to visit a retiring home and spend time with the most hilarious elderly people. They liked to goof off and tell us jokes and stories. We also were lucky enough to wallpaper a food pantry. Yes, I did mean to put lucky. All of us were forced to break out of our comfort zones and try something new and we were able to do it as a team. The friendships I made on this trip will not stay within this weekend but continue on to be life-long friends. I hope I can come back to this county again and be a part of the great programs they have instilled here.
-Shelby

After weeks of planning, our trip has finally happened…and it was amazing! The church we stayed at, Savannah United Methodist, warmly welcomed us with open arms. Friday night we spent some quality time with local high school students who were looking to have their college questions and concerned answered. We played spoons and hung out with them, which was very entertaining for us. Saturday morning we had the opportunity to speak with a woman about global health in Mozambique. She was so knowledgeable and passionate about improving the health for women and families in Africa that we were all wishing we could spend the whole day with her! After that we went to a rehab facility, which provided us the chance to visit with elderly residents. They were so happy to have people interested in their lives and we were willing to listen. Later we visited a food pantry and ended up wallpapering a room! We were nervous about it at first, but when we were done we decided that we were so good it could be our back-up careers! Later in the evening we helped serve dinner at a 4-H fundraiser. The families running the dinner were so gracious that we took their spots and allowed them some time to sit and relax and enjoy their children’s accomplishments. The whole weekend we felt like we were hanging out with our family and we just knew that all the small things we were doing were making a big impact on this community. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to plan this trip and see the community built between our participants and with our sites!
-Sidney

MAB Weekend - Sullivan County

Today the nine of us moved the Milan Food Bank from the Milan Court House to a new facility. When walking in we did not completely know what to expect. We knew there was a lot of work that needed to be done and we were all ready to serve. As the day went on we got closer as a group, and realized that a lot of us had similar personalities. This made moments like getting stuck in a door or falling down carrying a box of stuff funny and enjoyable rather than stressful. We carried boxes together, we laughed together, and we even ate really great local Mexican food together. We were all so happy to serve in Sullivan County!