Our first assignment was at Kids Meals, a food kitchen that provides sack lunches for children all over their area. Volunteers take the lunches from the kitchen to the community. We packed hundreds of sack lunches in a short amount of time by running two very fast assembly lines. Sandwiches that had already been made were used to pack into the sacks. Once we had used up all their pre-made supply of sandwiches we switched into sandwich making mode. The group performed as a well-oiled machine churning out stacks of fresh sandwiches to replenish their store for the next time a group comes to pack them. The kids really got to see the people their efforts helped, as when we left this place the lobby was filled with needy families that needed food for their children.The afternoon session was a more interactive experience at the Sheltering Arms daycare for patients with memory loss disorders or Alzheimer's. We were given a brief orientation and then invited into the area where the guests were involved in a variety of activities. We found seats to join in with the guest and talk to them. A birthday party was held for a guest and everyone got cake and punch. We were treated to interesting conversations and learning experiences. A Hawaiian dancer entertained the group and a trivia session was led by our students. Everyone thought that this was a fun and interesting activity.
Tuesday June 24, 2008
Early on Tuesday morning we served at the Waystation food line for homeless at Palmer Church. This beautiful church feeds 300+ on any given day and our students jumped right in to help out. Various jobs were assigned including food preparation, and setup. As the guests arrived our students set about serving them with a smile. Eggs, ham, grits, rolls, juice and coffee comprised the menu and the kids were very efficient and courteous. In addition to food the guests could see a doctor and other counseling services. This day the line hosted about 350 guests which stretched the amount of food to the very limit. It was extremely hot and tiring busy work, but as before our kids handled it with ease and grace. As we started early, we also finished early and returned to the CSM housing site for some needed rest and refreshments.
We prepared to get wet at the Salvation Army Family Residence for homeless women and children in the afternoon. During our orientation they explained that homeless women and children could be housed for 6 months or a year to try and help them get their lives back on track. This place had a full time day care facility, library, laundry, apartments, a central kitchen, playgrounds, a computer lab and probably a whole lot more. We met several younger kids and they turned on the huge sprinklers our students jumped right in again and played with the children. After play time we read stories at the daycare and then did some service projects, they treated us to a fantastic turkey dinner in the dining hall. After we ate, we prepared to serve. We served dinner to all the residents then left.
Since no other activities were planned for Tuesday, everyone went out for ICE CREAM ! We loaded up the vans and went to Amy's (like a Coldstone , only waaaay "hip-er" ). Everyone got to pick their hand mixed flavor and the other patrons were very patient with our LARGE boisterous group. Tuesday was a great day.
Wednesday June 25, 2008
In the morning we drove downtown to do the Downtown Urban plunge. We were given cards with objectives and a map. The idea of this two part scavenger hunt is to immerse the students into city life from the perspective of a new immigrant or homeless person, and also from the perspective of a business person or visitor to the downtown area. After hiking all over town and getting all hot and tired the kids enjoyed a quick drink stop at BK. We got to go the 60th floor of the Chase building and look out over the city and the landscape, then off to the Houston Visitors bureau for some "touristy" time. We rode the light rail metro train system twice and walked the rest of the way back to our van. We felt sufficiently urbanized. One interesting thing is what the kids took away from this, a item in the cards was to stop and talk to a "business" person and ask them 3 questions, "What do you like about Houston", "What don't you like", and " Why do you think there is poverty and homelessness here". The person we asked replied that, he liked the low cost of living here, he didn't like that Houston was too far from other cities in Texas because to take a short vacation he had to drive 4 hours, and he didn't really think there was any poverty relative to other places. Interesting...
A quick stop at Caninos market place for an immersion experience where we got to see a huge open air market with several family vendors was really eye opening. Everyone was amazed at the quality, variety, and value of produce, nuts, flowers and other stuff. We also got to go to a "Mexican" bakery for a treat afterwards. Everyone in the group was so eager to share what they had found and picked out to eat and drink.We served the evening meal at the Harbor Light Salvation Army shelter for homeless men which we learned is only one of the 17 Salvation Army sites in Houston. This site provides beds and food along with long term housing and other programs for a large number of recovering substance abuse clients. During orientation here we learned a lot about the history of the Salvation Army. We left after serving and ate dinner with the other groups and then everyone returned for an incredible concert complete with testimonies with Harbor Light Salvation Army Choir.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
At the READ Commission we spent the morning tutoring adult GED students. The students were broken up according to their skills and the center's needs. It was very enjoyable to put my old math skills to the test again while tutoring an mother of two in the subtraction and division of fractions. Her concern was that she needed to learn these skills in math and reading and get her GED so she would be able to help her young children with their homework and struggles in school when the time came. The kids were tutoring adults in reading, and language and math. After that we attended their awards ceremony where several of the adult students recieved their GED certificates.
Our afternoon activity was at the Julia C Hester House community center which provides food, clothing and training resources to many families. Our students were put to work hauling clothing in from storage, and then sorting, folding and putting away neatly in a very disorganized mess of a closet. A couple of our kids helped in a food pantry area, culling the old food and reorganizing shelves.Thursday night late....
I can only hope that tomorrow(today) is as rewarding as the last few days have been. Your students are incredible in so many ways, I thank the Lord that I have been able to witness this and get to know them better. This group has not complained about any task, they have been excited and willing jump right in, they make the most of the tasks they are assigned, it has been an incredible pleasure to work along with them. I KNOW that in between the cracks of hard work and fun, sleep deprivation and relaxation, exhaustion and rest; the Lord is seeping in and changing their hearts and minds for his greater purpose.I'm sorry this was so "information laden", hopefully we can blog more about the "fun stuff" soon.
Cal & Darcy
