The Big Switcheroo

Today felt like starting over ... our groups spent the first two days focusing on either work projects or running the Kids' Club, but this morning we swapped so we could experience something new. That meant more orientation time, a little anxiety, and even some disappointment that we had to let go of the people and projects that had already grown to mean so much. By the end of the day, though, everyone was full of stories of the new things they'd done. It's hard to believe we only have one work day left.

This glimpse at Kids' Club doesn't begin to capture the chaos ... or how awesome our kids have been at caring for, being patient with, and loving on all those kids:

Rena H. helps out with crafts.

Kids love Jason J. because he's a fun guy.

Christian J. and his new friend.

Nicole G. and James P. were some of the song leaders at Kids' Club.

From Mia S.: 

Today is Wednesday, and by now, all of us have seen lots of eye-opening experiences, and I wish I could talk about all of them. But there was one in particular that really changed the way I see the world. On the first day of Kids’ Club, there was a little girl (about 8 years old) with her little brother. They were at the park a bit early, so they sat down next to all the youth, who were eating lunch. I saw both the little girl and her brother looking at the food, not greedily but hopefully. Soon, they were both handed a small bag of goldfish. The girl thanked us, saying that the goldfish was the first thing they’d eaten that day. I think all our hearts broke a little bit at that moment. As the day went on, I saw the little girl taking care of her brother. She would lead him around, feed him when it was time for snack, and calm him down when he started to cry. She acted like a mother. I don’t think I’m that responsible! It really opened my eyes to see that some kids have to learn to be responsible at a young age. It was sad because that little girl should be having fun and enjoy being a kid, but instead she was responsible for keeping her little brother safe. (Which is not bad, but her parents should help with her brother.) This was a sad but educating experience. I am looking forward to learning more about these kids, their parents, and everyone else in the community.

From Catherine W.:

Today I helped out with Kids’ Club and it was so much fun! My group was in charge of singing with the kids, the only struggle was, my group couldn’t sing, but we made it work anyway. The songs we sang were the Chicken Dance, Jesus Loves Me (which I remember singing since I was 3) and the Hippo Song. The kids loved the songs. At Kids’ Club you always have kids with you, and I think that's what I liked most about it. The first little girl I talked to said the only reason she talked to me was because she wanted a piggy back ride, so I gave her one, and then she clearly found a better opportunity, and left me. But anyway the kids all have a unique personality, and even though they might not have nice homes, and might not have super nice clothes/things, they all have very kind hearts and they never really complained and that's what’s most important and it puts a smile on your face. I hope I have more fun tomorrow!!

From Rena H.:

My favorite part of the week was work projects. I was a Dakota Martian. We worked for Taber, Raven and their three kids. First, we moved rocks for a day and a half. We shoveled the rocks in six big buckets and three or four people loaded each bucket onto the neighbor’s truck, then drove over to his house and dumped the on his rock lawn. They were so grateful that they gave us lemonade and snacks! Then the other half day we stained their BIG deck. We thought we were going to run out of paint because a half-gallon got spilled, but we had a gallon left. Painting was my favorite part. We saw them the next day (after the work was done) they said they loved the deck and appreciated us moving the rocks. The rest of the week has been fun but work projects are my favorite. Hope to see you all soon!!!!!