Day 4: Here we are ...

Today's entries in the blog come from two of the youth members on our trip:


One of the most amazing aspects of our mission trip has been the sense of community we all feel when we help each other to grow as individuals and as a group. We came together as casual acquaintances and by midweek, have become the closest of friends. It’s amazing how fast our friendships have been formed, and under such interesting conditions. Bonds were formed in the ninety-plus degree over tiling and painting and installing trailer doors.
--Jenn


There is a funny thing about being home; everything is pretty much the exact way that you predicted. It is only the second day here on the job; however, I feel as though I have already learned so much. As Christians we try to obey the Ten Commandments as an outline of principles that we hope to live by in a lives with Christ. Personally, I often beat up myself about simple thoughts that go through my mind, and can easily occupies my thoughts for several minutes, hours, or even days. A little tedious and pathetic, I suppose, but I cannot help but lose some personal respect with each judgmental idea. Here in Alabama, my mouth has appropriately remained shut but my thoughts have been many. The other day, as we picked up a few things in a near by convenience store, my attention turned to a young family whose children were not wearing any shoes on the filth covered floor. I suppose that the known, “No shirt, no shoes” policy does not always apply to other places outside of my daily life, or even other states; however, I could not help but find this to be somewhat appalling. Guilt overcame and so I came back and looked up prejudice verses in my bible. One annotation clearly stuck out at me: “Love means acting to meet the need” (Luke 10:27-37). This spoke to me perfectly and I have continued to read this over and over in my head. If one thing has changed in me even so early on in this week, it is that my first impressions of people and original thoughts about others have all been incorrect. Just because someone looses patience from time to time does not make them a bad person, if someone is uncomfortable speaking to a group of strangers, this does not make them cocky or rude, and if someone needs my help or cannot pick up their lives by themselves, it does not make them any different from me. I may not physically be at my home right now, but I am home in the comfort of being with others and feeling blessed and courageous in my faith in God. “Here I am Lord, is it I Lord, I have heard you calling in the storm, I will go Lord, if you need me, I will hold your people in my heart.”
--Joan