Kevin's Post

 So, at this point, I’m sure the only thing you are wondering about is if your kids are alright.

Well, I can tell you that they are all holding up very well. They are working hard and making an impact on people’s lives.

They are making a difference!

I don’t want to understate the fact that there is hard work being done here. And they are doing it well. But the real impact they are making is with the little extras they do – the things they do without probably even realizing they are doing it.

There is a little girl here who has profound physical (and probably learning) difficulties. She will end up in a wheel chair someday probably soon, but for now walks with some difficulty and loves the human contact she gets from the kids, who are always eager to hold her and play with her. It’s sad to see someone, especially a child, who is deteriorating like that. Where everyday is worse than the day before, but it is the high point of her life compared to what the next day will bring. She is getting all the care, love and attention she can handle from your kids. Her sister is a few years older and loves Hanna Montana, Disney princesses and dancing to her CDs. One afternoon, as the kids were gathering for lunch, she was on the porch of the trailer next door and yelled over “Are you ready for some music?” The kids gave a less-than-enthusiastic “Yea” to her question, to which she responded, “I can’t hear you! Are you ready for some music?”  The kids let out a rousing “Yea” and the music started blasting! She couldn’t contain her excitement when three of the girls from our group joined her on the porch and started dancing with her. There have been other little things they’ve done for the little girls – like buying them band-aids when they noticed there were none in the house (so now the oldest one walks around with band-aids waiting to assist anyone with a scratch!) A couple of the girls from our group even bought her a few CDs for her collection. The boys have been just as helpful and caring, they just aren’t dancing on the porch – although yesterday, when they could have stood around waiting for supplies, they started making a dog house out of scrap wood for the girls’ dog Daisy. (I got to tell you, this is a sturdy dog house – a lot of thought and care went into it – and if there is a heavy storm in the area, I suspect some people will be running to the dog house for cover!)

There is a woman whose roof was reinforced and trailer painted by the kids. She told me that a few months back she woke up in the middle of the night terrified that her leaky roof would collapse and her trailer would be ruined. She keeps the place well manicured and clean, but it was in desperate need of paint and repairs. “These kids are the answer to my prayers!” she said. Again, though, along with the hard work – these kids are leaving a lasting impression with the “Good Morning” greetings, hugs, asking about her life and the smiles and caring. When she mentioned that her front door light was not working – which was a problem given that the light keeps people away who want to steel her lawnmower – a handful of the kids chipped in and bought her a new light complete with a motion sensor to scare away any intruders.  She looked overwhelmed that someone would think to do that for her.

The funny thing is about these kids – and I’ve noticed it on all three of the mission trips I’ve been on – is that this is something they just do. There is never a “hey look at me” aspect to any of what they do. They are just welcoming and caring in their actions. And people will remember their actions. They will remember the summer when those kids from Connecticut came down and painted their trailer, helped build a wheelchair ramp, fixed their roof, and danced with their kids on the porch.

And, as an aside, they have been great role models for the younger kids they meet.

You know, I’ve only been on three of these trips, and each time I felt it was a life changing experience. It is refreshing. Invigorating. Not the work or the driving. It always amazes me how much work the kids do; how much they want to help others. The thing that stays with you is the look on the faces of the people they help – the look like they just had a prayer answered. The look like their life just got better because of what the kids did. They look like someone just put an arm around them and said, “It’s OK – we care!”

I could take a week’s vacation and go anywhere and see some cool things and hang out on a beach or do a music search in a cool city – but I will never forget the three summers I took vacation time just to have the privilege of working with your kids and to watch them have such a positive impact on those around them.

So, to end my rambling and get back to my original question: are you wondering if your kids are alright on this trip. The answer is “Yes” – they are alright and have restored a lot of people's faith in humanity!