Easily my favorite quote of the weekend. I spent an exhausting 24 hours with hungry teenagers. And I’m using it to knock off 5 community service acts, which I will explain later. My camera spent the weekend in Jason’s pocket, so the only photos I have are from the only time he was present, which was Saturday morning. But they are good shots, because Jason was the photographer.
**UPDATE** Here are the photos.
As usual, my kids did not disappoint. They were troupers, going hungry and still smiling through most of the famine. We had 40 kids from 5 churches in the area. We raised $1800 for World Vision, which will use the proceeds to take care of children who need food, water, clothes, medicine and love. We played “tribal games” to learn about how hunger affects culture groups around the world; each kid is given a story and if they have an affliction, must play the games with the handicap; some kids were blindfolded, couldn’t talk, had a broken leg or had to carry backpacks. We served on 9 different missions within the community. And the kids were amazing. So was Barb Talbot, our fearless leader.
So here are the highlights, aka how I earned 5 acts of community service.
1) Did I mention the $1800 we raised for World Vision? This is the part where I say I went hungry and raised money to help but since I can’t famine (stupid diabetes) I didn’t feel right asking for sponsors. However, I can sponsor the kids who went hungry, which I did. And I did my best to hide my eating from the kids. I wasn’t like “mean old Jason” who ate blatantly in front of the kids and told them all how yummy it was.
2) The part where I did participate was to be an adult chaperone for the weekend. Mostly, I was in charge of the worship services, but I also drove kids around, called parents for missing permission slip info, judged some of the games and shocked the kids by admitting some of my wild child antics (they had no idea I once had my nose pierced or that I have 2 tattoos) during a game of I Never, which last time I checked, was a drinking game. Now, it’s an ice breaker (but without the drinking).
3) We sang at the Chemung County Nursing Facility. We split into the 3 groups; 1 group started on the top floor and headed down, 1 group started on the bottom floor going up, and 1 group of kids stayed in one place and played Bingo with the residents. It made for a very agreeable group, because the singers got to be hams and the non-singers did not let their talents go unused. I went with a singing group, and we pretty much just strolled along the halls. If someone peeked their head out of their room or it was clear they enjoyed the music, we would stop and sing for them. Many of them were so thankful if one of us stretched out a hand to shake their’s or hug them; that seemed to mean more to them than anything. The favorite song was definitely How Great Thou Art, but the nursing staff’s favorite was Lean on Me (I have no idea how that got in song list, someone just started singing it).
4) I took a group of kids to the Hospitality Spot in Elmira Heights. It’s actually a soup kitchen, run by the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church but it’s so much more than a soup kitchen, hence its name. Upstairs, we made a spaghetti lunch and served it to about 45 people. Downstairs, we sorted and hung clothes for anyone who wanted to take it. One of my kids remarked that the clothes went fast; he’d hang up a pair of jeans, turn around and they’d be gone. Al, who taught us the ins and outs, told us that many people don’t come because they’re poor and can’t afford to eat. He said those people are suffering from depression and their doctors have told them to eat meals with other people; so they don’t come for the food, they come for the friendships and people. That, to me, was huge. I had never thought about that before, that this ministry was more than just providing food.
5) Because of my help, our groups served on 9 community missions. This is a stretch and more indirect, but the reality is I couldn’t possibly go on all the missions myself. But because of my driving abilities, I could allow the group to separate into 9 different groups and serve the community. While I took my kids to the Hospitality Spot, some kids made lunches for the local police dept and fire dept and our shut-ins, some kids baked brownies to give to Meals on Wheels, one group went to Bethany Village to visit with the residents there, a group went to the Children’s Clothing Closet to clean and fold clothes, a few kids went to the home of a shut-in to clean his house, and several kids went to UCP (United Cerebreal Palsey) houses to visit the residents and do arts and crafts with them. The kids were so enthusiastic about their projects, it totally makes me cool by association and I feel like I need to post that 5th service to honor their hard work and dedication.
Hilly at