Reflection On A Mission Trip To Lynn Massachusetts

in 2014 the United Nation’s refugee agency reported that the number of society forced to escape their houses across the global had outstripped 50 million their times since the World War II Crisis. The leader of Salvation Army territorial Ollie and his wife were listening to the report about refugee on the radio then they decided that they wanted see the refugee. Next Monday the local newspaper ran a story saying The Salvation Army was receiving donations of clothes for refugees, even though Christine did not ask for that. She and Ollie only found out when a TV station phoned to ask how the clothing appeal was going. That was first they heard, they said “we felt this was God’s way of saying to use that we must care about the refugees.

Catonsville emergency food ministries (CEFM), which provides food, and household supplies to the homeless and needy population, is where I did three hours of my service hours. All though this was not my first choice, as I thought I could not learn anything from it, and it would be boring and not engaging. I was wrong; I didn’t know the work and knowledge that went into planning, for the day to day operation of a food bank. The building itself was small, and lack adequate space for storage, and working. The week prior they lost all of their meat supplies due to a freezer malfunction, which left a slight death smell in the building. The volunteers were very nice and helpful in showing me around, and answering question. I was actually surprised that one of the volunteers was 16, and was doing it just to get out of the house.

Every Wednesday and Friday, I served with the Last Call 4 Grace ministry. I helped provide meals for people who barely have a roof over their heads. First, the other volunteers and I formed an assembly line. Then, we packed food in to go boxes. On Wednesday of the first week, we packed pizza and brownies. On Friday, we packed hot dogs, potato chips, and cookies. During the following week, we packed burritos for the first day and rice with broccoli for the second. In addition to the main meal, we also provided bread, Halloween candy, and other sweets.

The shelter was at capacity within 45 min that night and there was at least 20-30 people who didn’t make it in, who would be sleeping outside on the sidewalk or grassy area; so after dinner was served, Michael and I, and one of the police officers went outside and handed out sandwiches and hot coffee to the people who were turned away. This was the breaking point for me. It broke my heart to hear these people who were going to sleep outside say, “god bless you” or tell me they were going to pray for me.

Bill Mehlinger shares how he learned to accept the refugees. His grocery store business was doing poorly. With help from one of his employees, Hong Diep Vo, Mehlinger got the idea of making his grocery store fit the needs of the refugees. He got all kinds of ethnic food and started selling them in his store. It was convenient for the refugees because they do not need to go very far to get their food. Then his business was doing better than before. This shows how something new can change your life forever. It proves how diversity serves the goals and interests of everyone. ‘ “If it wasn’t for the refugees knowing us and knowing we go out of our way for them, we’d be gone,’ Mehlinger said” ‘ (175). Furthermore, the old Clarkston Baptist church undergoed the same experience. ‘ “ We realized that what the Lord had in store for that old Clarkston Baptist Church was to transition into a truly international church and to help minister to all these ethnic groups moving into the country,’ he said” ‘(176). As the cliche, “what comes around goes around” greatly applies to this experience. The church was on the verge to becoming broke and there was less people going to church. Then the noticed that they needed to cater to all the refugees in Clarkston. And in turn, the church was filled with people. They believed that the church was a place for everybody and they embraced the new

This past summer, I acquired an internship at Baldwin and Lyons, an insurance company in Indianapolis. Every Wednesday during my internship, a couple of employees and I would participate in a prodigious community service project, Meals on Wheels. Throughout the three months that I worked at Baldwin and Lyons, I got acquainted with some of the individuals whom we delivered to. These inspiring individuals were so grateful and appreciative that we took time out of our day to volunteer to do such a service. One elderly woman who we delivered to would sing to us as she came to the front door “good meals, good meals, good meals.” She is one woman that I will never forget. First going into this, I was elated knowing I was I getting out of the

I have this thing for windows. I love windows. Windows all alone, windows together, windows with good views, windows with bad views. I especially like the old, square, wood framed windows from the colonial times. On top of that I love the history of how America was formed and hardened in the American Revolution. So you can imagine that when I found out that I was going to Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, the courthouse where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and countless bits and pieces of history, I was pretty excited.

Always, I was told from parents and elders that anyone can achieve their dreams through arduous work and dedication. Surprisingly, I hadn’t pondered this until I observed a shivering homeless person standing at the corner asking for help on one snowy, frosty winter day. This affected my life greatly. On the way, I just started thinking about the life of homeless people and how they are not fortunate enough to get their own place to live, their choice of delicious food to eat and several other amenities that we all enjoy in our everyday lives. An incident, like this, sparked an enthusiastic sense of compassion and empathy in me. Along with my family, I started thinking deeply and my thoughts to help the homeless expanded to other areas and I wanted to start helping the community around me as much as possible.

This took place in Los Angeles, where we handed out food for those in need. This service has left a deep impression on me because although these people

Waves of people arrived with arms full of canned foods; I was simply amazed at the altruism and benevolence those people possessed. The groups of people formed a semicircle and the same coordinator who I was first introduced to earlier began speaking about the event. She proclaimed that the purpose of the event hosted today was to not only provide assistance to those in need today but for many years to come. She continued by giving her countless thanks to the groups who gave a helping hand and donated their time to the Jubilee Center, as well as the event. As I looked across the crowd of people, I noticed that there were some who were very young, some still in elementary school and others who appeared wise and sagacious. Despite the difference in age, there was one thing that grouped all the people there in common: they all shared a passion to support those in

It gave me the chance to vanquish my fears while also realizing that it is God’s plan for me to help out my community. However, I am not surprised that there are still unanswered questions in my head such as: Why is there such a big hunger problem? Why is this problem not spoken about more often? Is there any other way I can help stop this problem? This service has made me more knowledgeable and aware of my community. In addition, this service project has made me take matters into my own hands. Currently, every time my family goes grocery shopping I make sure they get at least five canned goods for donating. As more of my friends volunteer and more donations come in I think we can end this fight for hunger in southern Louisiana. In addition, I believe that we should all take a step back and be thankful for all that we have because some people don’t have such luxuries. God is omnipresent, He would not want to see His children starving. Finally, I see it as a mission that we volunteers get more people involved to volunteer for the greater

My second cultural immersion event was a life-changing experience. I have seen and experienced poverty, but never once I was homeless. This experience was not a gathering with a group of older individuals who are homeless but the engagement that took place between me and a single homeless individual outside of Walmart, a well-known supercenter all across the United States. This experience occurred about two weeks ago on a Tuesday morning. Days prior, I contacted the Salvation Army Emergency Shelter in Tampa, Florida to find information on whether I can come visit and interview one of the residents. I was told yes and to come in the morning during breakfast time when most individuals are present. I was also told to call, the Human Resource (HR) department before my arrival, on Monday I called HR yet no response. After the third attempt, I left my name and number hoping for a callback. The call back never occurred but on Tuesday morning I decided to drive there anyway, I attempted to call again still no response, halfway there I decided to go back home.

Coming home from the mission trip, I try and show this sympathy to everyone just like Jaston showed us. I learned to put other people’s needs above my own. Helping my siblings with their homework and baking cookies for my seminar are just a few, small ways I’ve tried to be giving. The next year I returned to the reservation, I didn’t have to wait for something to happen to start loving the kids and shaping my own character. This experience taught me to live for others and always be kind and sharing. I will always remember what Jaston said, and because of that I plan to always be

I chose to volunteer at a Christnet Rotating Shelter Program that was at the time located at a local church. This program does not have a permanent location, rather, various accommodating churches host the program. Additionally, this program offers not only daytime programs, but also nightly shelter. However, for this assignment, I opted for an observation of the program’s participants at nighttime. Moving on, I showed up more than an hour early before the sign-in sheets would be distributed to individuals seeking shelter for the night so that I could assist the other volunteers with adjusting the layout of the room and assembling the tables and beds in order to accommodate the needs of the guests. Afterwards, people began to line up outside the church’s door about 6:15 p.m. even though

At church, in addition to my participation in the worship services, I volunteered at our church’s soup kitchen, medical camps and elementary school for underprivileged children. These experiences opened my eyes to the deprivation of love and care in the world and a dire need of God’s grace for people at large so they could receive forgiveness, healing and restoration in their lives.