Service Learning at the Sinsinawa Mound

This past Friday, October 26th, I continued with my service learning at the Mound. We had not been back for a couple weeks because Sister Sarah had been gone on a trip. She was gone down south on a Conference in which she attended with another Sister from the Mound. She said the trip was enjoyable and productive. This week went quite well because we have almost reached the wall in the rock garden. We worked on a deep layer of rocks this week and I noticed how much more work was required to wash the rocks because of how dirty they were. Next week when we go we will be able to lay down all the rocks we cleaned. Sage and I worked hard on cleaning these rocks for two hours, while Sister Sarah showed us which layers were to be cleaned first. When we first started this project I wasn't sure if what we were doing each week was going to be apparent to myself and other people, but this past week we stepped back and admired our work accomplished thus far. We all noticed how our work compared to the rocks not yet cleaned and relayed, and what we have been doing has payed off. I can tell that our work has made the rocks look newer and more organized. After we worked on the rocks for two hours, Sage and were invited to eat with everyone in the Cafeteria. We were invited to eat with Sister Sarah, Sister Mary Owens, and another Sister. We sat down and we introduced ourselves and Sister Mary soon got up. We soon realized that she was announcing Sage and i to the other sisters eating. Sister Mary said that we had been volunteering for the past couple weeks and that we had been working hard on the rock garden. We then stood up and they all clapped for us. It was such a good feeling because the sisters are all so welcoming to everyone and they made us feel like we were helping them so much. After the meal Sister Sarah showed us around and there were a couple of bulletin boards outside the cafeteria. There were pictures of many soldiers and it said there name and where they were currently at. I realized how the Mound is a place where people come to give hope. They are all sweet, and caring people. They seem to always be giving to others, whether they know someone personally or not. Also, I was touched by a board that had prayers on it. People that work there, sisters, and also people in the community who call in a prayer can have it posted on the board and everyday they pray for all of them. It is so touching because I read a few and some wanted to pray for a relative having surgery, and others called in and asked them to pray for the people in California who were affected by the fires. She also told us that there is a channel at the Mound, that displays the daily prayer on the screen. This allows the Sisters to be in their room and be aware of the requested prayers and pray for all of them. I thought this affect of kindness and love for people near and far tells us about all the good these sisters do each day.