Our first full day on the Norfolk trip was filled with wonderful moments and memories. After breakfast the team headed out to the Union Mission Ministries homeless shelter. We all gathered in the Chapel at the homeless shelter where Linda Jones, Public Relations Director, told us about the history and purpose of Union Mission Ministries. We learned about what causes homelessness and how the shelter seeks to help people get back on their feet financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is not a long-term shelter and so their goal is to see every resident actually leave the shelter and live on their own once again. After sharing about Union Mission, Linda let the Norfolk team ask any questions they might have. It was really special to watch multiple hands shoot up as the team wanted to know more about homelessness. They wanted to know how the shelter helped the residents and how other people could help homeless people that they encounter. After the Q&A time, Linda led the team on a tour around the shelter. She showed the team where they sort donations, run a thrift store, and house people that come to the shelter. It was great for the team to be exposed to some of the "least" in this world that God calls us to help and love.
Next, the team headed to a local park for lunch and some wiffleball! After lunch, the team headed to their second service site, a nursing home called Consulate Health Care. Upon arrival the team went into the cafeteria where the residents had already gathered for Bingo! This is one of the residents favorite activities and so the Norfolk team split up into groups of 3 or 4 and sat down at the tables with the residents. Some residents required assistance to hear what was called, some needed help marking the called numbers, and all of them were excited to have young kids as company during the game. God worked through the entire team as they were willing to sit for an hour and half playing and talking to the residents while they played Bingo. They pushed through any discomfort and fears they may have had in order to make the afternoon a special one for the residents at Consulate. Once Bingo ended, the team said goodbye to everyone they met and they headed back to the buses.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the beach together enjoying some sweet fellowship outside on a gorgeous day in VA Beach. It was great to see the team unity that has come from the shared experiences from the day. Everyone was playing games together and it was great to see the team enjoying some good clean fun. The team ate dinner on the beach and then headed back to Spring Branch for some free time and porch time.
During porch time, Luke spoke about the ideas of competition and compassion. He talked about how our competitive nature often can lead us to becoming self-centered and to break our communication with Jesus. Instead, God calls us to be compassionate towards others by focusing on their needs without expecting anything in return. The team finished the night in small groups where everyone had the opportunity to debrief all they had experienced today and think about where they struggle with competition versus compassion. It truly has been a blessed day and we look forward to our final serving site tomorrow morning and afternoon at the Park Place Child Life Center.
