Alternative Break

Bay Pines Florida VA Hospital

This year I went on my very first Alternative Break through Central. Needless to say, this trip was AMAZING. On this trip I experienced a week full friendship and growth, and I also gain more perspective of the healthcare system. During the time we served at the VA hospital we were broken into smaller groups that had separate tasks. Some of the tasks included escorting patients, organizing gifts and a Christmas dinner food drive, and helping out in the extended care facility.

Although completing the tasks we volunteered for made an impact, I felt like the largest impact came to the patients when we interacted with them.  I was able to thank many brave men and women for serving our country in one of the most sacrificial ways possible. During these interactions I heard stories of WWII and Vietnam, of love and tragedy, of injury and healing, of family and lost ones. It seemed that every time I would sit down to talk with a patient the minutes would turn into hours, and my perspective was broadened greatly.

One of the most captivating  stories came from a gentleman who was receiving physical therapy for a knee replacement. He had served in the marines during the Vietnam War. During his tours he gave up four years of his life and still suffers from PTSD from the war time brutality. As I was thanking him for his service he started tearing up and shaking his head. He shared how strange it was that I was thanking him for his service in the war, because he faced such opposition when he returned from the war initially. He shared that he and his troop all had to take off and hide their uniforms before reaching American shores because they would be mobbed by people protesting the war. He explained how he was spat on in public because protestors recognized the military hair cut and boots, even without the uniform. Personally, I was blown away at this story. I have learned in my history classes of the protests of the Vietnam war, but hearing it from a personal perspective gave my previous knowledge much more depth. This patient  taught me, unknowingly, a lesson of a life time: Although I may have knowledge, others can teach me much more than I will ever be able to learn on my own, and thus service, collaboration, and perspective gaining are the cornerstones to a successful society.

 

 

Ultimately, this trip was filled with stories that left me both laughing, and tearing up. It was filled with learning, as a group and individually. I became more familiar with a the Veteran’s Affairs Health Care System, and what it takes to be a part of this type of facility. I left this trip with more perspective on the world around me, and a refreshment of my drive to become a Physical Therapist at a veteran care facility (with high hope that the facility will be Walter Reed).

Setbacks and Strides Forward

Last year around this time I reflected on my journey of joining the CMU Running Club. I was nervous, and quite reluctant at first, but I ended falling in love with the sport all over again. Coming into the fall 2016 cross country season I was ready to meet up with my team and take on the sport in stride….but that did not go as intended. Last year training for the half marathon I became injured and didn’t stop to give my body a rest. Determined to finish the half marathon I kept running, pushing myself, and ultimately making my injury worse (typical of any strong willed runner). Starting off this season I had to go through a knee surgery that end with adverse complications. In total, I was readmitted to the hospital, developed blood clots in my leg and both lungs, underwent another surgery, had a device implanted by my heart, and racked up many hours of physical therapy. So what was a girl supposed to do? Keep going.

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Following all of the unforeseen events I was left exhausted, upset, and with broken spirits. Returning for the fall season was out of the question with fresh stitches and soon to be scars. Yet, that didn’t stop my teammates from being my team of supporters. I still went to social events, attended elections, and ultimately became the team’s #1 fan (as did they for me). Once I got clearance from the surgeons and physical therapists to lace up my running shoes I was determined to get back to practice…. yet fear kept me away from something I loved so much. Fear of re-injury, fear of lost progress, fear of disappointing myself. So I began secretly training on my own in attempt to hide my recovery process from my team, yet once a team ALWAYS a team. Before I knew it I was convinced to come back to the track. With a lot of vulnerability at practice I was back running painfully slow times… yet having a blast. My team supported me, encouraged me, and pushed me to get back in the groove. Who knew that a Register Student Organization (RSO) could mean so much to me? Moral of the story: You can’t do everything on you own, no matter how headstrong you are. Sometimes you’ll need someone to help you along the way, maybe even a small army at times, but there is no shame in leaning onto another to accomplish something so much greater than yourself.

So where am I now? After a lot of laughs, sweat, ice packs, and memories I was pushed by my teammates to sign up for the NIRCA National meet. I once again slipped into the maroon jersey with apprehension. I proudly wore Central Michigan University’s flying “C” across my chest. I laced up my spikes with reoccurring fear from the beginning of the season and competed like I ever thought I would again. I ended the meet by running a semi-decent time in the 1500m and earned an All-American title in the high jump. My team couldn’t be more proud to bring a few All-American titles home and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the abundance of  joy this team has brought into my life. FIRE UP CHIPS!

Pre-Physical Therapy Club

This year I was honored to hold an Executive Board position as the Vice President of the Pre-Physical Therapy club. In this position I had the privilege to contact Doctoral programs around the state of Michigan, and sometimes nationally, to connect our 200+ members with Physical Therapy representatives. This year the club made visits to Wayne State University, Oakland University, Grand Valley State University, Central Michigan University, and University of Michigan:Flint. In each of these settings the students learned what requirements the school held to enter the application process of their Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. In addition, I coordinated opportunities for the club members to visit each campus to help their decision making process before they applied. Overall, my main focus in the position of Vice President was the success of each member.

Since I joined this club my first year of college I’ve watched it evolve and grow. Each year the club members and E-board bond further, which builds the success of not only the club, but each member individually. Because of this we have watched many of our members apply and receive acceptance letters from prestigious programs across the country. I too strive to be a part of this club’s success story as I enter the application pool this year. But ultimately, my hope is that as I step down from my E-board position in a few weeks and train the next Vice President, the club only continues to grow in numbers, bonds, connections, and successful futures.

{Click here to read about my service as the E-Board Volunteer Coordinator}

Leader Advancement Scholars in Detroit

LEAD Team:

At the beginning of this year I decided that I wanted to bond with the underclass men of the Leadership Advancement Scholarship program because I understand the importance of mentorship. I was fortunate enough to have people and opportunities to shape and mentor me during my first year of college, and I thought serving on the trip that jumpstarted it all would be a great place to start! {Click here to read about my experience on this trip in 2015}

First things first: FACILITATION

This trip was mainly focused around the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy(JRLA). We met with students enrolled in their leadership courses of their high school and taught them how to facilitate different leadership activities. We discussed community standards, what it takes to be a leader, and the different types of leadership styles that were used. Through this my role was to use the facilitation skills I’ve learned over my college years to teach the LAS freshman how to facilitate. The LASers then took their new skills to the JRLA high schoolers and taught them. Our goal was to create a living and learning community, which was exactly what happened.

Second step: ServiceThe next day the 45+ LAS students the LEAD team and I were in charge of woke up ready
to serve! We worked with CASS community in different facets of service. Some people worked on recycling, some worked with the soup kitchen, and some worked on making products out of recycled material to sell to the community. We spent a couple of long and laborious hours with this organization and really got to know the community members. We learned that each of the employees were once part of the homeless population of Detroit and all of their stories merged together when they joined CASS community. This organization gave them job, education, and opportunities to give back to the community they came from. Overall, the students in my facilitation group fell in love with the service, mission, and people of CASS.

Third…. was a little bit of fun!

As the LEAD team coordinators we made sure the LAS students had a little fun along with their hard work. We planned a trip to Quicken Loans, where we toured around the facility and were informed of their forward thinking business outlooks. Whether those outlooks included dog-friendly workplaces, basketball hoops, slushy machines, or even colorful paint we learned that the workplace can be a place of fun that cultivates creativity. By the end of the visit we had multiple people scheduling interviews for summer internships with the company. Lastly we were off to the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA). This trip was purely for fun and the LAS students loved spending time with their cohort learning about the importance of art and the culture that surrounds it.

So what?

During this trip all I wanted to do was to be a mentor to the underclassman LASers. Did I accomplish this goal? YES, and so much more. I connected with the students in ways that I could have never imagined, but I also learned so much from them. Their different passions showed through as we served along side of each other and I truly felt like these people were the leaders of today, the ones who were going to change the world in ways no one could have ever imagined. So, yes I was a mentor, a leader, a member of the LEAD team…. but ultimately I was a friend, fellow server, and a step toward a brighter future for Detroit.

On the Run…again

CMU’s Running Club

Seven years is a long time…. a little over 1/3rd of my life to be more precise. Considering 1/3rd consisted of me learning the basic functions of being a human{eating, speaking, walking etc.} and  another 1/3rd learning how this thing called life worked {red means stop, an hour is 60 minutes, poison ivy makes you itchy etc.}, I’d say the last 1/3rd has been extremely significant. If you know anything about me, its that I spent those 7 years running competitively and I couldn’t be imagine my life any other way. When I came to college I hung up my running shoes, determined to close that chapter and find a new passion that could impact the world. Yet, I’ve found out that, ‘once a runner, always a runner.’ Although I stayed away from the sport for almost two years I found my old running shoes and I’m back at it…again.

Running: The Sequel… After I graduated high school I never seriously considered returning to the sport where my passion laid. I used the excuses that I was “too old” or “too busy” or “exploring other passions” in order to avoid running competitively again. To be honest, I was antsy and ready to run something everyday since my last race, but I suppressed it because I wanted a brand new beginning when I came to college. BUT, here I am as a second semester sophomore with a maroon and gold jersey, new running shoes, and a team that has my back.

How in the world did I end up here???After some coercion for the last three semesters from friends on the running club, I decided to join. I was just going to test the waters to see if it was something that I might possibly be interested in and from the first practice I was hooked. Before I knew it I was signing up to run a half marathon at the NIRCA Nationals in Indiana. So much for finding a new passion!

Old passions die hard for a reason… That reason is simple, my passion for running is true and I’m not done with it yet. Although it seemed as if joining this Registered Student Organization (RSO) was a step backwards in my new journey though college, it was quite the opposite. Joining this team has amplified and added value to my nights at CMU. I get to spend  2 hours with some of my closest friends, stay physically active AND do something I love! All of these are wins to me and I can’t believe that it took me this long to figure it out. Through running I’ve had the opportunity to touch many people’s lives by building meaningful relationships and establishing a strong work ethic. I honestly believe that I’ve grown just as much as a person in a pair of running shoes as I have in the classroom, and that for me reveals the meaning of my passion.

The Tides have Turned….

Me? A Mentor?

As a Leader Advancement Scholar at Central Michigan University, I’ve had the opportunity to be accepted into a unique and complex group of individuals that soon became my family. I was welcomed by my very own mentor, Becky DalSanto, and she was welcomed by her’s, Dakota Hard…. and so on and  so forth. This year, as a sophomore, it was finally time for me to accept someone new into the family. This someone new just so happened to be my bundle of joy, Kylie Zellner.

Eagle Village: Round Two!

As an incoming freshman  I spent the weekend at Eagle Village with my Mentor and now I had the chance to go again with Kylie! {Click here to see her take of the experience} I’d have to say, the trip was a giant event foreshadowing the rest of the year. We experienced a lot of laughs, challenges and overall bonding. We entered the camp as complete strangers and left as family, and as the year progresses I couldn’t have asked for a better mentee.

Thats just how we role…

Going into this experience I hoped to have a relationship with Kylie that I’ve seen past mentor/mentee pairs have. That is, best friends that do everything together and seem to be a match meant to be by the universe. However, Kylie and I don’t quite have that type of relationship, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Instead, I’d describe our bond as unfaltering and independent, which matches both of our personalities. Kylie and I are able to go extended periods of time apart from each other, yet we know that we have each other’s backs. If she where to ever have a problem or a question, I’d be the first one to through myself in the way to help her sort it out. Through the tough and scary things, the happy and exciting moments, and the everyday ups and downs our relationship will be firm, enduring and unfaltering without having to spend every waking moment together. Thats just how we role…

So what…

Throughout this experience I’ve loved my role as a mentor and each time that I see Kylie the excitement is still boundless. Whether she realizes it or not, I feel extremely proud to not only have I gained an amazing friend , but also a sister that I get the privilege of watching grow into who she really is meant to be. Each time I hear from her and see her around I have this unending joy as I see her personality and confidence evolve. As she continues to push herself academically, try new things, and take on more predominant leadership roles around campus and beyond I will never stop being a proud mentor.

-McKenna Mathis…finally a sister

 

YoungLives

Young Life meets Teen Moms: YoungLives Addition

The first three weeks I served at Timber Wolf Lake approximately 1,500 high school students came to camp to have the best week of their lives and to hear about Jesus. The third week our Young Life camp was shaken up to serve some babies in addition to the teens, in a program called YoungLives. YoungLives gives teen moms ages 12-20 yrs. the opportunity to come to camp and experience the fun, messages, and growth that other teenagers have while giving them a break from parenthood. In essence, the teens get to become teens again while daycare providers come in to take care of their children for them

Just like any other week at Timber Wolf, the campers had the best week of their life, I did my part, and bonded with the campers. Yet this week was by far my favorite one because I had the opportunity to experience something completely new AND adorable babies were everywhere I turned! Although this week had many of its own challenges and adjustments, it turned out to be even more impactful than I ever thought.

As soon as the mothers arrived, it was time to remind them they were teenagers, just like us. They had the chance to experience the fun and excitement that YoungLife camps provide even if they were mothers.  They did all the daily activities that campers in the prior weeks did, and I was surprised at the result. I saw teen mothers sink back into their roles of just teens. It was strange, but the realization hit me that most of these mothers were younger than me. I had been subconsciously holding them to a higher standard than normal campers because they had one or more children of their own. Once that barrier broke from my mind my eyes and heart were open to treat them as such, my peers.

We could talk about the latest music, our celebrity crushes, make-up tricks, and even our favorite memories of high school. It was as simple as that: teens moms are still, at the root, teens and would love to be treated as such. This moment was defining and it taught me how to interact in challenging situations where I felt uncomfortable at first.

The moms themselves bonded and grew together by listening to each other’s stories and sharing some of the most difficult times they’ve every experienced. I was luck enough to be a part of that. I was honored to show them that their lives mattered despite the shame they received from the outside world. I was happy serve them for a week and see the both sides of motherhood and teen-hood converge, and respect them more than words could ever describe.

“Tying You Closer Than Most”

It’s the People You Meet

Memories fade, gifts wither, and emotions settle in the shuffle of everyday life.  Luckily, every once in a great while certain experiences and people can outlast this natural and monotonous cycle. Somehow, I was able to find this type of connection not just once, but multiple times over the past year in the ever shifting waters of the world. One of the most striking encounters has shone itself at Timber Wolf Lake when I had to say goodbye to my Summer Staff crew that were at my side (literally always there) for every second of the whole month of July.

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These people in the video are not just my Summer Staff co-workers, they are my family. They gave me the gift of more- more laughs, more encouragement, more joy and more memories than I ever thought possible. I was lucky enough to learn a little something from each of them to take back home with me and cannot help but smile when I think back on the crazy conversations and events of the month. The people that I served with made the month exciting, fun, and worth wild. We lifted each other up when we were down-emotional, spiritually, and even physically every once in awhile. We were always there to lend a helping hand for eachother, whether that was lifting something heavy, taking over someones job to give them a break, or to just be a travel buddy so no one was ever alone. In all actuality, it was the people I served with that got me through the assignment and will be there to get me through the hardships of life. No matter where I go they will always be there for me, partially because everyone seemed to be from a different state, but mostly because we love each other.

Although I had time to get to know everyone personally over the last month, I seemed to instantly bond with a few people: Liz (my bunkmate), Christian (my obstacle course buddy), Jenny (my Timber Karts partner), Nick (late night, life talks sidekick) and Heather (my partner in crime). In a complete stroke of fate Heather happened to fly to Timber Wolf Lake all the way from California, to serve along side of me and even better, love along side of me.

At this point Miss California and Miss Michigan collided with enough force to fuse an unbreakable bond. We became our own masters of mischief, adventure, life talks, and the even the local mermaids of the lake. I have never been able to so easily and completely open-up to a person so quickly before, let alone a complete stranger. Sure, she wasn’t the tan blonde chick with beach waved hair and surfer bracelets that I was expecting, I found her to be much much more than any of that. Heather may have been the only one to fully understand my thoughts while also helping me process them. We could talk for hours or sit in silence with ease because something between us just ‘clicked.’ 

At the end of camp Heather gave me a matching ankel bracelet to say that she was, “tying me closer than most.” Every day I look down to see that bracelet and I can’t help but chuckle since it is a ever present reminder that I will see my adventure buddy again soon.

“There are places you leave and places that never leave you”

“When you meet someone you never think of how they will impact your life but when you look back, you realized that they changed your life.”

Summer Staff Recap

Finding the Magic

As mentioned in previous posts, I used most of June to take summer classes, volunteer at the local Physical Therapy clinic, and prepare for the other events that I had planned for the rest of the year. When July rolled around, I completely dedicate the month to serving God and others at Timber Wolf Lake, a Young Life camp. Four weeks, approximately 29 days and countless hours were spent on the grounds of a Christian based community where I’ve never been so mentally, physically, and emotionally stretch and stimulated.

As one of my summer staff friends said,” I have been walking alongside forty college students, forty high school students, and countless interns at a very special place. We have all volunteered our time to serve The Lord in various ways. We live in a beloved community where intentional conversations are desired and encouraged. Life here is more rewarding, life here is more challenging, life here is different.” You can find more about her Christian journey and summer staff experience here.

Different sure is right. As I used to say when I was a camper at Young Life, this place is the closest thing to pure magic that we’ll ever find. Coming into camp I had tons of expectations of the type of magic I would be experiencing from once being a camper myself and from stories of others that had served on Work Crew and Summer Staff. In general, I learned more about expectations than that of fulfilling them along with creating magic instead of finding it.To be completely honest, Summer Staff was not all rainbows and puppies. A lot of hard work, sweat, and tears were put into making the camp an escape and a magical place for campers all over the nation. The long hours drained each of us and the tedious attention to detail tested every Summer Staff’s patients. There were multiple points during the month were I internally swore that I’d never make another bed, clear another plate, reset another table, move another prop, check another tire’s air pressure or pick up another piece of trash….yet I did it with a smile because I knew that we were all there for something greater than ourselves. God brought me to a point of breaking with exhaustion in order to humble me in his work. I learned a wonderful way of thinking about the service that we get to do for God. He is so large that He doesn’t need us to do the work for Him, we should be joyful that He allows us to do His work. That way of thinking made all of the difference and because of it the place we called home for the last month was different. It was magical.

My primary task at camp was to work at the go-cart track, which we called Timber-Karts. In addition, the summer staff crew was responsible for setting up, administrating/demonstrating, and tearing down all the activities that the campers experienced. Together these things equated to early mornings and very late nights of radical service. Getting any more than 6 hours of sleep a night was considered a rare blessing, and meal times were our best excuse for breaks, but through it all I couldn’t help but see the magic that we helped create.

During the first week my patients was wearing thin since I wasn’t used to such an absurd schedule, yet in that time of mental weakness God showed himself in the most riveting way. Here is a classic breakdown of God working in crazy ways:
At the end of each week the camp takes a 10 minute all-camp-quite after the “Cross Talk” (which is a sermon by the camp speaker explaining how Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and to create a personal relationship with each of us). As Summer Staff our job is to position ourselves all around camp to help if any trouble arises. While sitting on top of the hill looking over the 500+ camper sit in silence to spend time with God, I wrote in my journal asking God for strength because I was exhausted. When the bell  rang to dismiss the campers back to there cabins I continued to sit on the hill for another few minutes. A camper passed me and hesitated, then came over and asked if I was journaling. From there we struck up a conversation and shared about ourselves for over an hour on top of the grassy hill looking over camp as darkness crept around us. She told me that she was from Kentucky and grew up as a military ‘brat’ in a  non-active Christian family which made her curious about who Jesus was and what a relationship with Him actually looked like. She had all of these amazing questions and her vulnerability really stuck me since she has had to be ‘tough’ her entire life. In return, I shared with her my journey before I found God and accepted Christ into my life two years ago at a Young Life camp during the all-camp-quite. Eventually, I had to get her back to her cabin so she could get some sleep to be ready for the next day full of events.

On the very last day of camp it is a tradition to have a “Say-So,” since the bible says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” -Psalm 107:2 This event is where all new believers have the opportunity to stand up in front of all the other campers, Summer Staff, Work Crew, Interns and Program to say that they have met God and accepted him as their Lord and Savior. The girl that I met on the grass hill stood up, took the microphone with tears in her eyes and accepted God into her life. I’ve never been so emotionally moved so quickly. Before she left to get on the bus back home to Kentucky I was able to find her, give her a huge hug and cry tears of joy. Pure joy. That one camper made a lasting impression on me that I’ll never forget and truly gave me the motivation to work through the rest of the month.

That was just one of the amazing and magical experiences that I had during the time I volunteered at Timber Wolf. I could sit here all day and recount the lessons I learned, memories that we created, and growth that I experienced, but then I will have written enough to create a book! There is much more to come about my month serving the Lord and you’ll be able to find the next articles here: Tying You Closer Than Most

“By choosing to be our most authentic and loving self, we leave a trail of magic wherever we go.”

Youth With a Mission

As promised for a very long time, I’m taking a moment to reflect on my very first mission trip that I took during spring break of 2015!

Disclaimer: This trip was absolutely life changing and I know that I could never fully describe or explain how much it has impacted me. I will do my best to share my experience in a few short paragraphs although I could write a whole book about the lessons I learned, people I met, and the humbling growth that I underwent.

YWAM

• Since the winter retreat that my roommates and I went on with His House church, I had been looking for more opportunities to give back to the community. Unfortunately, all of the mission trips that His House sets up had been full since the beginning of the school year, which meant that I had no chance to spend my spring break on one of them. I jokingly told my pastor that if a spot opened up on any of the trips (I didn’t even care where), I’d be the one to fill it. Less than two days later I had a permission slip put into my hands by Josh telling be that a spot opened up and the team left in less that a week. I jumped at the opportunity and met my team at the debriefing meeting about to depart for Jacksonville in less than 24 hours. They all happened to be strangers to me….complete strangers. Needless to say I was a bit terrified. Like I have said before, I love spontaneity and adventure; luckily this trip wasn’t short of either of the two.

The van ride down to Jacksonville was an adventure in itself. I sat shoulder to shoulder with strangers for close to 20 hours while making our way from bitter cold Michigan to sunny Florida. All I was allowed to bring with me was a backpack and a blanket, which still seemed like too much luggage when we squeezed all of the bags and ourselves into the tiny van. What was even crazier was the temperature and driving conditions. I woke up sweating and then a few hours later freezing with my hair stuck to the ice on the windows. If that’s not crazy enough to believe, we had to use our licenses to scrape some of the frost off of the inside of the van windows in order for the driver to see while switching lanes.
Through this insane van ride, our team bonded quicker than I ever thought possible. We shared our favorite memories as kids, favorite movies, debated which superheroes were the coolest, and even shared our stories on how we found God. I’ve never gotten so close to so many people in such a short amount of time. By the time we actually arrived to our mission base, I felt like I had an army of friends that had my back no matter what.

The program that we organized our mission trip with was Youth With A Mission (YWAM) where we were considered an STO team (Short Term Outreach). They also offer DTS (Discipleship Training School), University programs, and trainings. The base that they had constructed in Jacksonville was quaint and became our home for the next week. Each day we woke up to something new and exciting, but our main
purpose was to spread the Word. Every morning and evening we began and ended the day with a form of  worship or quiet time to build a stronger relationship with God

Over the week, we visited two different apartment complexes braced will soccer balls, crafts and a whole lot of energy so we could play with the kids that lived there. Going into it we knew that the apartments were funded by the state for refugees who had recently moved to America and were just getting on their feet. Most of the families moved here for better work opportunities or for a safer place to raise their children, but we also met families who were fleeing from war in their home countries. An unforeseen struggle we ran into was asking parents to let their children out to play and we though that our mission may have been over before it even started because so many doors were closed in our faces. Yet, against all odds we had 2 or 3 kids finally come out and many more followed after they saw that we were safe. Before we knew it the small playground was filled!

It was eye opening to speak with some of the parents and to hear their stories. I found it even more eye opening when I tried to communicate with children and mothers who couldn’t speak English. Its simple things like the spoken word that we take for granted. Some people might find it difficult to tell someone about Jesus if they cant even ask that person a simple question like, ‘ what’s your name?’ Yet, what a lot of people over look is that God’s commandment to love people goes beyond just words. That week I have never loved kids and families so genuinely before my time in Jacksonville. Laughing, smiling, and playing simple games gave me so much fulfillment and let the children release the fear of facing a whole new world. No matter how different someone is or how different their background was, I saw that kids are just kids and they can be loved all of the same.

Working with the children allowed me to prepare my heart to work with the homeless. It absolutely astounded me how many homeless people were around the Jax Beach area. The first homeless man I encountered stayed on the beach and laid on a few plastic bags and rags. I’ve never had personally encounter a homeless man before since I live in a very rural town, so my heart broke for him. I couldn’t help but walk over to him and just strike up a conversation. He was kind and I learned a lot about him yet I couldn’t stay too long because my mission team was leaving on our next task. I said my goodbyes, gave him the money I had in my pockets and thought I’d never see him again. Two days later I traveled to a local store and as I was about to check-out I saw the same homeless man from the beach buying food with the same crinkly money that I gave him. I told him to save the money because I was paying for his groceries too and he gave me a meek smile before he left with groceries and money in hand. The cashier kept telling me that it was such a noble thing for me to do but I knew that it was what I was called to do and what we’re all called to do as children of God. That was just one way of me showing God’s love and grace without even having to mention his name. I’m not sure why but seeing the homeless man smile was one of my favorite memories of the entire trip, and I’ll never forget it.

In addition to that one particular homeless man, I met and spoke with many more over the remaining days. As a team we went to this large warehouse about a half an hour away from our base to package food. The company got different vegetables and fruit in bulk from grocery stores who donated it because it overstock, too old to sell but still fresh enough to eat, or it somehow didn’t make it from the farm to the actual store. For the next few hours my team and I bagged onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and lemons so that they could be shipped off to soup kitchens and other homeless shelters. I’d like to think that some of the food that my hands touched happened to make it to the people that I met around the base of our camp. If not, I know that the base that we stayed at was very giving and we had lunch and dinner with many homeless people each day.

The YWAM staff are some of the most kind individuals that I know and I can’t express my gratitude enough for them. The base they stay at is old and broke, yet they find the means to share the small amount of donated food that they get with the people in the community. It was a great adjustment learning to ration our food so that everyone on our team, on the staff, and all of our visitors were fed. Its absolutely humbling and inspiring to know that they are there, even when my mission family is not, still doing these things that we experienced. As we were there my team and I did the best we could to put the base into tip-top shape. We scraped tar off the roof, painted wall, fixed broken windows and scraped paint off of the tiles. I know that it only esthetically fixed the base, but it still helped us leave our mark on YWAM and hopefully it was only the beginning of the many great things that will come.

As the rest of the week went on we continued to talk to people in the community. A senior from my mission trip and I ended up talking to two teenagers on the beach who were native to Florida. They couldn’t believe that we were in shorts and tank tops since it was 60 degrees and they both had light coats and pants on. It was the perfect conversation starter! We lost track of time talking to them about all of the differences we’ve experienced in the north vs the south and an hour later we knew we had to go to our next mission destination. So Lindsay, my teammate, asked them if we could pray for them before we left. The boy said that he didn’t believe in God but that if there was one he would be willing to try praying to him because his best friend had been in the hospital for weeks and wasn’t improving. He reached out for our hands and I was at a loss for words. We all prayed for his friend, but I couldn’t shake the thought that I was part of this boy’s first conversation with God. I still can’t believe that I was part of that and I’m not sure if his friend became well, yet I felt like everything was going to be okay. This also happened to many of my other teammate throughout the week and it was amazing to see how God worked through every situation.
The van ride home was bitter sweet. I was excited to get back to campus to see my friends, have a really good meal, and spend the rest of the year with all of the amazing people from my trip. At the same time I didn’t want to leave YWAM, the staff, friends, and memories behind since I know that I may never see them again. Often, I still find myself thinking about the opportunity that I had and how everything fell perfectly into place. It only fuels me to get more involved and I cannot wait to see what next spring break mission trip I end up on next year.

I still know that I did not write this trip to half of the justice that it deserved. Through all of the paragraphs I just wrote I left out so many details, so many laughs, tears, and growth but without writing an entire book, I’ll leave off here. If this has interested you in mission trips or anything of the sort click here!

The YWAM staff took some of the picture used in this article and all rights are reserved to them. Thank you so much Jax Beach YWAM!!