Simple Things = Big Impact

After hearing of the service trip during our Friday night large group announcements, Andrew decided it might be a good idea to come and give back to the community, even though as a freshman he hasn’t lived here long.  The encouragement from the upperclassman and staff helped him desire to go, especially after he missed the fall mini service trip. 

As he reflected on the trip so far, he shared that it’s been a great experience, despite the fact that exhaustion has set in.  “I have seen the impacts at the places where we have gone and it’s been a true blessing.  We go out and serve people, serving the servants who do this every day and giving them a bit of a break.”  For example, at Willow Mission, students have been painting, hanging drywall, and tiling as they work to turn the parsonage into a home for homeless women with children.  Andrew learned he is semi decent at carpentry, at least better than he thought.  The water damage from the pipes that froze and broke last winter had left the staff unsure of how long it would take for them to be able to open the place up.  After three days of workers there, the pastor and other staff were so happy to see the progress over the time. 

Even simple things, such as playing Uno with the elderly or dropping off a hot and cold meal with the normal volunteer from Meals on Wheels, resulted in uplifting smiles.  It was almost like these simple actions helped to light up their worlds. 

Community service is only a part of what happens during the trip, many other memories are built inside of the church building during meals and the evening program.  The morning devotions help to set the mindset for what to think about during the day while the evening program includes time talking in a family group about where we saw God during the day.  Prayer, worship, fun, and fellowship are also included at the church.  Andrew has been one of the regulars on the breakfast cooking crew as he gets pleasure out of making food and it allows him to serve other servants and fellow InterVarsity members.  “It’s a way of saying thank you for what you’re doing in the community and for me.”  Most impactful so far for Andrew was yesterday’s devotional from 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 which was shared during a multiple generation dinner at First Baptist.  Despite the fact that we are all different, each part of the body does have a job to do.  We sat at tables with 3-4 church members, typically 50+, 2-3 college students, and even had three 8^th graders join.  Andrew specifically loved talking to the older members and seeing that God’s love can cross generations as we share the common ground of our faith in Christ.  The conversations were wonderful as we crossed the age gap and enjoyed delicious food as well as a discussion on the diversity of squirrels. 

Overall, the most surprising part of the trip was seeing the impact of such a small thing on someone else.  How all of the small things add up, although Andrew figured people would be appreciative, their appreciation level was so much deeper.  It was wonderful to see people’s passion for serving others and their dedication.  Everyone has worked really hard on the trip and it has opened the door to see how passionate people are about their faith and helping out around the community.  As Andrew returns to the campus to start the semester, he wants to find some way to get more involved in the community and spend time helping out somewhere.  Some places have already been planned for follow-up trips.