Mid-Week Updates

By Wednesday Night, all the SBA groups had checked in! Here is a brief update from the trips that called in yesterday:

Boston: Kayla and Matt checked in last night after a great afternoon serving at the Paulist Center in Boston. This downtown church cooks and serves dinner every Wednesday night, and our group was able to help prepare, serve, and then join their homeless guests for a meal. They loved the opportunity to hear their stories and get to know them a bit. They shared that all of their sites have been really powerful, and clearly needed their help. Its good to hear our students are making an impact in the lives of the homless in Boston!

New York: John and Marysa called from their Hostel in NYC, sounding a bit exhausted, but loving the work they are doing. The group is breaking up into smaller groups and crossing the city to serve at different soup kitchens and agencies. They said it is difficult to see the number of homeless and hungry people that need their help, but they are glad they can do even a little to make their lives a bit easier. They are looking forward to spending tomorrow with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal at their shelter and joining them for prayer and dinner.

Appalachia: Sam and Morgan are having a great week, split between two renevation sites working with different families in this rural region of Kentucky. They have enjoyed the culture of Appalachia at a blue grass jam Tuesday night, and kicked up their heels dancing with the locals! It doesn't get better than that!

Fuller: Erin and Mark say the group is having a great week, bouncing between 7 or 8 Fuller Center worksites. They said they were initially dissapointed they werent building a house, that they could walk away from seeing progress at the end of the week, but they are so thankful for the way things are going because they have been able to get to know 7 or 8 families who will be living in these homes rather than just 1. They are learning great life lessons about being present to the people in the community, and doing whatever they ask of them. (They've heard that parents have been asking for more stories...so they are supposed to report to me today with a story the group chose to share! hope to be in touch with more soon!)

D.C. : Kelly and Chris have been all over the Capitol volunteering through The Pilgrimage. They have done everything from food banks, to cleaning an elderly couple's home, to handing out sandwiches up and down the National Mall. The group met a woman who was begging for a pair of shoes, and the group desperately wanted to stop their service and go buy her a pair...its a tough lesson to learn when there are hundreds of men and women just around the corner craving something equally as simple, and realizing that you can't provide for everyone. The group has been learning that tough life lesson, but is empowered by being on Capitol Hill and realizing that they need to advocate and be a voice for these homeless men and women of D.C., only inches from where all our laws are made.

Mississippi : Sarah and Jon sounded incredibly enthusiastic despite working long, hard days cleaning up the camp and working in the food pantry. In one day, they put together enough food for 432 families in Aberdeen, which would normally take their volunteers a month! How awesome is that! They also have been chopping down trees, raking fields, and cleaning things up for the kids at Glenmary Home Missioners camp this summer. They said despite the service being more indirect than other sites, the group is completely invested and sees the value of their hard work already.

Great work, groups! Your service inspires us all.

-Joycelin