TiffanyShaver

Tiffany Shaver
Dr. Campbell
3-7-09
Reflection Journal-Day One
Today was the first day of the Alternative Spring Break. Our group, Alex’s group, went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was keeping my hopes high.
We went in to the Rescue Mission down a long hallway. Our guy that was with us all day was Willy. Throughout the day, he talked to us about the Rescue Mission and what it was all about. Our first fact of information that we found out was that it was a Christian Rescue Mission, which I found to be really awesome. Another fact that we found out was that most of their staff working there has been through there program. They have many program to help with addictions, ranging from alcohol and drug use to gambling. So, many of those who work there are going through the program or have already graduated from the program.
The events of the day were of particular interest. Down in the basement of the Rescue Mission is a huge warehouse, filled with tons and tons of stuff, from shoes, to walkers, to mattresses, to a skeleton (which we found out isn’t real). Our first job was to sort through hundreds and hundreds of shoes and organize them. We cleared off shelves upon shelves of shoes, some that they are giving away and some they are keeping. That lasted around three hours until it was time for lunch, which is when the real fun began.
They let us eat first before we served the food. So we ate and then cleaned off tables and served food to those who are living there. After we ate, four of us stayed in the kitchen to finish serving food, while the rest went back downstairs. There was a rush of people to come in for food, then it was the handicapped people, and then another big rush. All of those people live at the Mission, and after them it was people who were actually homeless and were not staying at the mission. That was probably the hardest part of the day, and it was even harder when this particular guy came in. This guy was a black guy, but most of his face was pink where it had been burnt off. There were random patches of black on his face, but most was pink. That was so hard for me that I had to turn my head away and pretend like I was getting more popcorn to serve.
After lunch, around one, the rest of us headed back down to the warehouse. A few more hours of working, sorting through blankets and sheets (there were so many sheets!), and then Willy allowed us to go upstairs and rest before dinner. Talking to Willy was really interesting. You could tell that he was very passionate about what he does and that he genuinely loves to help people. He was very impressed with all of the work that we got done, as was everyone else.
All in all, it was a productive and meaningful day. I have a huge passion for helping people, particularly in situations like this, and I am excited to have this opportunity to do so. One of the things I noticed today, was that everyone was a community. It didn’t matter where they had been in life, only where they were going. Today I saw a lot of laughter and a lot of hugs. One hug scene that comes to mind was during dinner. One guy was chasing another guy around begging for a hug. They were both laughing and enjoying being in each other’s company. That’s what I loved most about today, was that they were there for each other and they loved each other. I know that this week will be one that I will never forget and I am excited to see what the coming week will bring.