Today we started by hitting the LA Grove. We stopped by Sephora, Barnes and Noble, and Nike. After some thrilling purchases of books and perfumes, we went to the Farmers Market for lunch. Half of us ate at a smoothie bar and the other half scattered around the Market to find something yummy. Once we all ate, we drove to our awesome service organization: Union Rescue Mission! "The Michaels" laid bacon on trays while the rest of us were stationed in the line to serve dinner. We served for a few hours and then went home. We all hung out in the living room and finally went to sleep around 11.
Today was an incredible opportunity for me to bond with both the people I was serving and the staff of Union Rescue. I tried my best to hold conversations in Spanish with our kitchen leader: Renee. Renee was our co-leader for Monday as well, which made these conversations feel more comfortable for me. I learned that Renee had been working in the kitchen for 8 years and had completed the 1 year Union Rescue Program. This interaction gave me such an important perspective on why returning to the same organization was beneficial. I didn't have the confidence to approach Renee speaking in his first language during our first dinner being instructed by him. But the second time around, the confidence of being a friendly face resulted in me receiving a deeper understanding of the community we were serving.
-Walter
No comments:
Post a Comment