Monica Parodi's BOBS reflection Journal....

HSCL BOBS Blog

My time at Breakfast on Beech Street has been a great ride. It has had both ups and
downs to say the least, but I have learned so much about people and have grown as an individual.
On my first day I realized that homeless people are not necessarily people who do not have a
roof every night. At BOBS, some of the people who we provide breakfast for do have a house,
but they have been through and are going through so much that it is hard for them to go by every
day and meet their daily necessities like food. Many of course wonder the streets every night.

Every week I got to see some familiar faces and catch up with them a little. I saw new
faces and missed some who were not there. Every time I go I became more aware of how blessed
I am and how thankful I should be of all I have been given. One day, the day felt different
though. I already knew what to expect and was thinking about having to get ready to go to class.
I wish I would have been more focused on investing my time with them there but my mind was
somewhere else. I did not get to talk to them very much except when I served. I am looking
forward to this week and have promised myself I will give my time there fully

I am not sure what my impact on them has been. I wonder if I even have one on them, but
I trust the Lord is using me. I wish I had such a selfless heart for people, and have been working
on it this semester. I want to invest more on other people’s lives. I want to worry less about
passing matters and more on what truly matters which to me includes investing my life in other
people and be a Christian servant and leader. I cannot wait for Wednesday!

Volunteering is a powerful thing. It is so rewarding when you are able to give yourself to
the improvement of others. The greatest thing about volunteering is that the smallest actions
make the biggest differences. Breakfast on Beech Street provides an opportunity for people to
engage to those often thought of untouchable, the homeless. Homeless people struggle everyday
from being pushed from society.

I completely support and encourage anyone who is thinking about volunteering at
BOBS. It gives you an opportunity to engage and form relationships with people of integrity who
have had a rough time figuring financial and relational situations out, but who have the courage
to not give up and keep striving for a better life. I met some of the most genuine people at BOBS.
These people have nothing to offer but themselves and that is more than enough. They have
learned the hard way but they are one of the few people in the world who understand what truly
matters in life. Life is not about possessions, it’s about building relationships through Christ.

Amber Stephens, Meals on Wheels:

Going into my third week with Meals on Wheels I was feeling extremely excited since Sarah and I were starting to feel comfortable with our route, as well as get to know the people that we delivered to. However, Monday morning our supervisor decided to switch us to a different route for the day. I suddenly went from feeling extremely excited to extremely anxious about the delivery. When we reached our first house though, the lady who we were delivering to was the most friendly and excited person that we had delivered to yet! She was so excited to see us, and so thankful that we were bringing her lunch! On our prior route, the people seemed to be thankful for our deliveries; however, they appeared stand offish towards us in general. Part of the opportunity that Meals on Wheels provides is the chance to get to know the people you deliver to. This lady’s joy and anticipation changed my entire mood regarding today’s delivery. As we delivered to each house, every person we encountered seemed really gracious and eager to talk to us. There were also a large amount of children at the homes we delivered to today. They were so excited to see us, even though the meals we were delivering weren’t for them personally. As we would get in our car to leave, several of the kids ran to their doors to wave goodbye to us and say thank you. It was exciting to have a more in depth interaction with the people we were serving. The joy that they expressed to us was contagious and it made me eager for next week’s delivery!

Taylor Schmitt, Boys and Girls Club

Hello!

This semester, I will select a new person once a week to post their journal entry, or part of the entry on the blog. Each time I do that, I WILL be asking for the writers permission about what I post and you have the right to say no if you do not want something displayed. Every time an entry is posted, I will email you all to go to the blog and then you have a week or so to respond or ask a question. If you are the person who happens to have their journal up that particular week, you are also responsible for posting answers to questions asked. I hope this will open lines of communications even just a tiny bit between you all.

This is Taylor's journal entry. Please read it, respond or ask Taylor a question. I would like you all to be actively involved in each others experiences. I know that's hard to achieve, but lets attempt to at least interact on the blog.

Well, seeing that this is the second semester I’ll have been serving at the Boys and Girls club of Abilene, I found myself noticing aspects of my service that I had previously failed to see. The most exciting thing to notice was the relationships between the kids and how I saw them developing, both as a response to time and through their interactions with me. The three kids I find myself getting to know the best are the following three: Hunter, a too-cool-for-school fourth grader who enjoys playing video games; Carlos, the Hispanic boy with glasses who told me that there’s no such thing as “nerdy;” and Patricia, a young African-American girl from New Orleans who regularly wears a pair of scrubs. Having been introduced to each of these individuals in a somewhat random and unexpected conversation last semester, I found myself indescribably pleased when I witnessed the three former acquaintances all getting along while taking turns playing Ping Pong. In the past, I never saw the three together, and although I was in no way the primary catalyst of any change, I thought it was thrilling to watch these three kids begin to develop a deeper friendship.
Another exciting thing to witness is my own relationship with fellow workers developing as I continue to volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club. Zach, the director at this particular club, has always been friendly and cordial and knew my name immediately. Other workers, though, took some time to warm up to me. Mallory Watson, a friend who worked with me their last semester, introduced me to nearly all of the other student workers and volunteers, and now I find myself helping other workers with their closing duties and playing with them and the kids they’ve gotten to know as well. I guess the point I’m attempting to make in this particular journal concerns the necessity of community. As time has gone on, I’ve seen relationships forming amongst the children with whom I interact with and between myself and new kids each time. I also have gotten to know other staff members better and see an increasing spirit of support developing, at least where I’m concerned. As time meets spirits engaged in helping others, the spirit of the Lord ensures a community that fosters and grows.

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