Today, being the last day was the most emotional day. We had
to say goodbye to the people we had made great relationships with, and got our
feet washed while being prayed over by a leader of our church. Before any of
the tears were shed during the foot washing though, my crew, the Maple Leafs,
paired up with a disabled adult and took a field trip to Legoland. My partner
was Lamore, and he didn’t seem all that disabled other than being just a little
bit spacey. We went on Merlin’s Apprentice, a flying Dumbo type ride similar to
Disney World. After lunch in the mall, he had been to afraid to do some of the
other attractions like a laser maze and a shooting from a cart game, but we
finally did the laser maze. He was still so afraid that the Legoland worker
actually had to step into the laser chamber with him and me in order for Lamore
to go through it. We never actually got around to doing the shooting game, as
the line was too long, and we didn’t have the time, but I know that he enjoyed
himself just as much as I did. When we got back to St. Jude’s, it was time to
say goodbye to everyone there. I said goodbye to a woman named Sonya, who had
actually obtained her disability after losing her husband, and so she didn’t
seem all that abnormal. In fact, she was really motherly to the other adults.
This whole St Jude’s experience was something brand new to
me. I have never worked with adults on a mission trip, so I was really afraid
of what it would bring, but every day got easier and easier and I felt more
comfortable each day we went, so I really know that God had put me in the right
place, and even though I was a little frustrated initially about Troy’s choice
to put me with mentally disabled adults, I am now very thankful for it because
it helped me grow a ton in my faith and how I can serve other people without
even talking to them much.
-Matt Nieland
For the first time this week I received the chance, or
orders, depending on how you look at it, anyway I received the chance to work
at a really nice homeless shelter where I made beds, all day. The food was
REALLY GOOD though, so it was all good. Anyway, when we got back from our
worksites we went to play at a park. Once back at the Salvation Army we are
staying at we began the foot washing lesson. Tears were shed… but they were the
happy kind. It was such a good experience to enjoy. I am so glad that I have
had this opportunity, honestly this has been one of the most fun weeks I have
ever had in my life. I’m sad to have to come home soon, but I know that there
is still adventure coming!
-Rachel Simmonds
It’s weird to think that this is my last blog post. I’ve
spent so much time going on trips and telling you about it in this blog, and
now I’m saying goodbye. So please forgive me if I ramble a bit. Here we go!
I had an extremely interesting worksite this week. So
interesting, in fact, that I can’t tell you what it was called (I signed a
nondisclosure contract). However I can tell you that it was a factory that
worked with mentally and physically disabled people, teaching them work skills
necessary to work in other locations, and also offering jobs to many who choose
to stay there. Now what we were doing was a little on the more monotonous side,
but important nonetheless. Day 1: We put stickers on bags. For four hours. Day
2: We put candle holders in boxes. For 4 hours. Day 3: I put labels on water
bottles and put candle holders in boxes on and off for four hours (such variety).
And day 4: Counted out 10 aluminum tray lids, then counted out five aluminum
tray lids after one of us made a mistake, then boxed candle holders. For about
three more hours. Now this may sound a little like child labor, but the
important part of what we did was interacting with the workers there.
Throughout the week I met a number of interesting people including a man who
fled from communist Poland in 1985 and moved to Greece for one year and then to
Canada and has since lived in Toronto with his wife and two kids, a woman who’s
niece plays the piano beautifully and has only been learning for two years, and
another man who has an absolutely amazing knowledge of world history.
These are the people that we write off. These are the people
that we often ignore, maybe say hi to, but never bother to listen to, because
we don’t think they have much to say. Or at least that’s what I thought. I
learned this week that everyone has a story. Everyone just wants to be able to
share their experiences and what they’ve learned on their journey through life,
and I should welcome that, no matter what the source. While at the site, it was
difficult to see the importance of what I was doing, stacking candle holders
and sticking them in a box, but looking back, I’m glad that I was assigned to
the sight. I needed it. And God always gives us what we need, even if we don’t
want it.
So I guess this is goodbye. It’s kind of weird to be
sentimental over such a small thing, but I’ve told some pretty crazy stories in
this blog, and it’s sad to see it all come to an end. Nevertheless, I’m sure
God has amazing things in store tomorrow and for many mission trips to come. So
I’ve got to pass it off. Pass of the telling of incredible mission trip stories
to a new group, and I hope that they have just as many crazy stories to tell as
I did.
So for the last time, Goodbye, and thank you for all of your
support.
-Alec Balasko
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