Honors First Day

We arrived at the hostel around eight on Friday night and it exceeded my expectations in every way. To be honest, I thought it was going to be really worn down, but it is actually really nice! There’s a common room, the bathrooms are really nice, and everyone is really friendly and welcoming.

As for the service aspect, volunteering at Manna of Life Ministry was one of the most humbling experiences in my entire life. Right when we entered the door, we were praised for our service. At the start of the morning the soup kitchen was short staffed and deeply concerned on how they were going to get the food out to the community. However, once the seventeen of us arrived at the second soup kitchen ready to make the PB&J’s their day was completely transformed. The ministry expressed that their prayers were answered and that we were an actual “MIRICLE”.

            One of the stories that stood out to me most was an older gentleman who now comes into the soup kitchen every week in order to “stay grounded.” He explained that he was once a successful lawyer when all of a sudden the corporation wanted to start employing the younger generation and he was consequently left with nothing. He struggled to find a job and therefore it was hard for him to put food on the table. The soup kitchen was a push for him to get back on his feet, and he is now part of an education board and the happiest he has ever been in his entire life!

            The woman running the soup kitchen was also a huge inspiration. She spends every Saturday at the soup kitchen preparing and serving food. Many nights she goes to bed really late organizing the soups kitchen’s prep and wakes up early the next morning ready to serve. She devotes her life to her work, and is really passionate about helping the less fortunate in her community.

-Julie Folger