Serving Group 1 (Lex and Kyle) were the ones with the early wake up call to serve breakfast to the homeless at Charlie's Place. The students served breakfast, assisted in providing clothing donations, and interacted with the variety of people that come to the ministry, and some even practiced their Spanish by conversing with the Hispanic clients! After participating in the Prayer Walk around the community, the team charged on to Brighter Day Ministries Summer Camp in the Congress Heights section of Anacostia. There, the students got artsy and assisted the teachers with crafts, quickly bonding with the spunky kids there. To cap off the night the group traveled to Pollo Granjero, an authentic Salvadorean restaurant, and sampled pupusas, rice and beans, and fried plantains.
Serving Group 2 (Margaret and Aaron) started the day by serving a sweet, elderly woman through the ministry, Age-In-Place. At her house, they trimmed ivy, raked the yard, cleaned out the basement, and tidied up her living space. At lunch, the group celebrated the birthday of their CSM host Brad Turner with a cake and singing. The afternoon brought a challenging experience as the students participated in the Urban Plunge. Two different groups traveled to DuPont Circle and Chinatown, seeking the homeless and learning about their life stories. Both students were successful in meeting new people and then treating them to dinner at Subway and McDonald's. Their eyes were opened to the true needs of the people they encountered, but also gave them a sense of gratefulness for all their blessings.
Serving Group 3 (Tarah and Andrew) went to Food & Friends to help with food packaging and food deliveries. The group packaged around 250 fresh meals to be distributed that day, in addition to making preparations for the patients with dietary needs. Later that day, the group returned to a ministry sight in Anacostia to help with a VBS lesson on patience. It was difficult to say goodbye to the kids they had met earlier in the week, but they were thankful for the relationships that were built. The team reconvened with Craig and KK's group for dinner and then caravanned to the final Porch Time.
Serving Group 4 (Craig and KK) went back to Brighter Day Ministries to continue building friendships with the children. Once again, the team helped with schoolwork, especially with multiplying and dividing. After lunch, the team served at Children of Mine, a favorite location for the group as a whole. The boys students worked on yard work, while the girls prepared a healthy dinner of turkey sandwiches and fruit. For dinner, the group went to the popular Thai Orchid and had a family style meal of General Tso's chicken, pad thai, steamed broccoli and a delicious dessert of fried bananas and honey.
To process the trip and training, the entire group met at the National Basilica for our final official Porch Time. A breezy 75 degree temperature and streak-filled blue sky set an appropriate mood for the climactic experience on the steps of the cathedral. After an extended period of worship and a message from Craig on fighting temptation and living weak (completing our study on Gideon), small groups split up to debrief and process what they experienced in inner-city DC. The groups exhausted every spare minute of the time given to them, sad to leave the steps of the cathedral because they were so eager to share what was on their hearts with their peers and leaders.
God Bless,
The SM Staff Team
God Bless,
The SM Staff Team
