We are Family!

Throughout the missions trip, everyone learned something new about service, the communities we visited, and ourselves.  The strongest impact of the trip and greatest aspect was the sense of community. Whether it was community with the people we met or the people in our own houses, we learned about both culture and teamwork.  One of my favorite moments was last night at St Benedict the Moor when we spoke with some of the members of the church and the local president of the NAACP. Though we had little personal experience with some of their customs, they had us all laughing hysterically with the stories they told.  We grew in faith and relationships as new stories about Spiritans and the church arose.  My favorite memory with the group in the trip came from the meals we cooked and cleaned up together. Each day, we learned new stories about each other's homes and family traditions. We danced to the different music tastes of each person and learned to work as a team (and even some new cooking skills). Though much of the missions work we did was just temporary, we cleared some time for many of the community members to work on the projects that they are here for in the long term. Through service, faith, and love, we became a family. We learned to live in the moment and appreciate the different stories of our new friends in Chicago and Dayton. Until next time,

Kayla