Day Four

Day Four: Two different settings

Today was a good day. Unfortunately we did not build again with Habitat for Humanity, but I left that project with a sense of accomplishment. We directly assisted in the renovation of a house, a house that will give a family a home to call their own. Recognizing that fact gives me a sense of pride, something that reaffirmed my love of service. It brought to the forefront of my mind what service is all about; we serve not out of a particular obligation to serve, we serve out of a want to serve. We want to help those who don't have as much as we do, and because of that we serve.

The part of the day that really stuck in my mind was going to Coalition for the Homeless. Sitting with the women and kids, making jewelry with them, I was struck by how at ease they seemed. There were those few exceptions that just sat there quietly, not really interacting with us, but they were few. Most of the women seemed eager to talk with and have a normal conversation with another person. Providing that conversation was really fun, I was glad to be there for the short amount of time that we had.

Something came to me when I was at Coalition for the Homeless and then while we were reflecting. Someone brought up how there was a difference in reactions to our service during our two interactions with homeless on this immersion. During the hot dog handout, there was probably a 50/50 split of people who viewed us with either suspicion or gratitude. It seemed like a much colder place, both emotionally and metaphorically. At Coalition, the atmosphere seemed much warmer and welcoming. I believe that the difference in living settings factors into this, but Ed brought up a good point that Rollins works extensively with Coalition and because of that, the residents may be warmer towards us because they know we're genuine and that we really want to help.