A summer week of kindness

Allison Gentry, a sophomore at Memorial High School, was inspired by her experience on a week-long mission trip with Chapelwood United Methodist Church.

This summer, I went with my church, Chapelwood United Methodist Church, to Bulverde, Texas, on a week-long mission trip called Summit. Every year, our church’s youth come to this obscure Texas town, spending a week of their summer to do construction and yard work. I’ve been able to go with Chapelwood the last four summers, working on small teams of teenagers in this community.

This year, my team and I received the task of working at a residence for teenage mothers and their children. It is a safe place for these mothers to learn how to support their families, through job training and childcare classes. When we first arrived, we were anxious as we began working; we hadn’t even gotten to know each other yet and were working in such a different environment.

Just then, one of the social workers from the ranch came up to us and began working and sweating alongside us. He talked to us about his job and how he could sometimes be the only man or father figure in some of these children’s lives. His kindness was unbelievable, as I experienced later that week.

One little girl who lived there started watching us from afar, slowly making her way closer, and asked what we were doing. He explained, and soon, she began helping us, raking around mulch, as well as occasionally running off to catch a lizard or beetle. He was always right behind her with encouraging words. We all worked hard and eventually got the job done, but I never stopped being in awe of how kind the social worker was to these children and their mothers, and the respect they showed him as well.

Every year, I take away something new from this week of work and fellowship. After watching the interactions between the workers and the residents, as well as experiencing the love and thankfulness they showed our team, I know I will never forget this life-changing week.

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