Hope House

Today I went to the Hope House or the Christian Worker House for two hours. It was a really positive experience. Brian, is one of the workers who live there, was making breakfast when I first arrived. Penny, who lives there, was working on the computer in the living room. Brian and I discussed the goals and some of the background of Christian Worker Houses across the country. I found it interesting that there is no central or headquarters to this ministry. Plus, anyone can make an Christian Worker House-all you have to do is place a sign above the door and write to an existing Worker House. Neat, huh? Plus, this Christan Worker House has a farm! They grow a majority of their own vegetables, their milk, eggs and some other foods come straight from their own farm. They live in an organic, natural lifestyle. Brian was full of really cool facts on a number of different topics. Ruby, a consistent visitor to the house, came over for breakfast. She was a fun and energetic lady. She wants to become a motivational speaker and feels like that is one of her callings from God. She is very rooted in her faith and discussed the importance of prayer. Throughout her life, she has never been led astray by God and he has always provided her with a way. It was really cool to she her excitement radiate off her as she spoke about her faith. She is a person that glows. I feel like in the short time I was with her I got to get to know a lot about her. I helped clean the kitchen and do dishes. I then cleaned the bathrooms and swept/dusted in the dining room. Again in a more natural setting, instead of using commercial cleaning products, I used vinegar and water to clean. It worked really well, and I'm considering starting to use it in my own house. Brain really appreciated the help in cleaning the house. It may become a weekly thing for me to help out with. Overall, I felt really comfortable and rewarded after leaving the house. I look forward to going back :)
-Kenzie

Service Learning RELS 204 Fall 2007: Fourth Day at Mt. Carmel

Service Learning RELS 204 Fall 2007: Maria House
Last night I went to the Maria House, even though I have passed the minimum hours I still continue to go because I really enjoy going and I know I am helping the women by watching their children so they can enjoy some recreation time alone. Last night was different because the women stayed at the house and carved pumpkins. I had a great time watching them all work together. For many of them it was their first time carving pumpkins and they really seemed to enjoy it. The children watched and help pull the"goo" out as they called it. There were a lot of smiles in the room and there was such a positive atmosphere. I learned that there are so many things that we take for granted such as something so simple as carving pumpkins but for some people they don't get the chance to engage in something so fun.

Fourth Day at Mt. Carmel

Today marked my fourth day at Mt. Carmel. As I was getting ready to go to Mt. Carmel this morning I realized that I was truly looking forward to going to my service learning. In all honesty, this was a first. It's not that I didn't have fun working there in the past, I just never really wanted to get up 3 hours early so that I could fit in my service learning before going to religion class. I think the reason I was so excited today was because I have started to create some relationships with the sisters there that I am working with. The first sister I help is named Sr. Julissa. She always greets me with a big smile and asks how I am doing. I get a similar response from all of the sisters that I help. Since I have been there for the past few weeks, we have started to get to know each other better and I am really starting to feel like I am a part of their community.
While I was taking one of the sisters to her appointment she asked me if I was considering working with "the aged" in my life. I don't know why but this question stumped me. I have never really thought about continuing this experience any further then this class, but I don't see why I couldn't. After I delivered that sister I stood in the elevator and thought about how being with these sisters has impacted my life. They really have left an imprint on me. Last Monday, for example, I saw that one of the sisters I always take down to therapy was not on my list. I was so worried that something terrible had happened to her that I asked one of the orderlies. Turns out she just had a appointment that she had to go to. I feel like my response was an indication as to how much these sisters are starting to mean to me.