A Day in the Life

I'm back. Luckily it's been a slow week so the transition out of Spring Break wasn't that bad. I laugh sometimes while on campus this week because every once and awhile you'll see a very tan person in a group of much paler people. So it's very clear who went south for Spring Break and who probably didn't.
I myself went to Arizona with the Navigators. We helped out a place in Phoenix called Neighborhood Ministries. It was very cool. We did a lot of painting, landscaping, organizing and lots of other things they didn't have the time or man-power to do. This Christian organization is in the heart of the impoverished district in the city just a couple blocks away from the red-light district. Their aim is to try to love the kids as much as they can, keep them out of gangs, minister to them and motivate them to stay in school while teaching them strong moral values and standards. They also are a big resource for the adults in that community as well. I think they said the average drop out rate for kids in that area is 5th grade so what they're doing is very needed.
It was pretty eye-opening to go down there. It was a very poor neighborhood containing a lot of people who are just barely scraping by. I feel the majority of us take a lot of things for granted as college students because a large group of us are here because we can afford it on our own or through our families. Most of the people I got to meet down there rarely have a chance to go. I truly feel blessed to be here and plan on taking full advantage of the opportunities that college offers. I'd encourage you to take a second today to look around and see exactly how much you truly have and what you value. My guess is that, if you try, you'll be surprised about how much you can be thankful for. Even if you find you don't have a lot, hold on to those few things or people you really do hold dear.
I hope that all of you enjoyed your break if you've already had it, if not, I hope you'll have fun and stay safe.