So far the relationships within the youth group have grown immensely and many emotions have opened up. Over the course of 24 hours there were an INCEDIBLE amount of God sightings and just so many moments of witnessing Godliness in others.
We all consist of 4 groups (crews). Crew 1 goes to Water's Edge- a rehab center for dimensia and Alzheimer's patients. Crew 2 goes to Harmony Kenosha- an assisted livings facility. Crew 3 goes to Eastern Seal- an adult daycare center. And crew 4 is going to the YMCA- working with kids. Everyone has had positive feedback of some kind, and there are many challenges being faced in different ways.
I'm apart of Crew 2 (Harmony Kenosha), and yesterday the day consisted of helping with activities such as hitting a balloon around a circle, reading the newspaper to a group of residents, tossing a ball back and forth with 2 residents with Alzheimer's, and organizing craft supplies.
Today we washed windows, helped with bingo, did yoga with a group of residents, and watched a movie with the residents (which is currently playing). Some of us helped pass out popcorn and soda as well.
It's such a nice feeling to start making connections with residents, as we come back for more than a day. We can put names with faces and stories. While we talk to and ask questions to the residents, we learn about their past and sometimes they remember things about their life that were forgotten. When we were helping with bingo, I paired up with Mary-Ellen and as I was asking questions and talking, she remembered that she used to play violin.
While sometimes it can slightly boring for us, you can see just how happy and excited the residents are to be around us. Like Jenna said last night, we may not have a huge project of building a house that we can take a picture of at the end of the week, but we truly are building SO many relationships with everyone in the youth group and also with the people we are serving.
It's so awesome that everyone has such a drive to serve God, and such a heart for others. When we team together as deciples of God, we can do amazing things.
There are an insane amount of stories that I could share with all of you already, but I don't think it's possible to share all of them to their full potential over the internet.
Thank you for following us along through the blog, and all of your support.
Talk to you soon!
Darby
Darby,
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you for the update! Your effort and flair for sharing some of your experiences and the experiences of others on this trip is truly enjoyable and refreshing! You have a gift and I pray God continues to equip you to do His work with it. Interesting that 3 of your 4 groups are working with elderly - I'm sure this will give you all new perspectives on the aging members of our church members and your immediate family when you return. There is a great deal to be learned about accomplished when "building" Godly relationships among our peers and with new people we meet. I believe that is why God has led Jenna, Kyle, Chris, Jen and Adam to be your leaders on this trip - all are great examples in their relationships with God and His people!!
Continued prayers as you learn, grow and share God's love with all you meet!
Blessings from SJCC!
Sue G