Community Building Day Reflection

A lot of the time we talk about "community" as if it is easily achievable. In some cases it might be, generally though, you have to put in the time and effort. This is why I was pleased to hear that Whitworth sends it's students and faculty out into the city to literally work for community, because the people here matter and we want to be apart of a bigger picture. Instead of just talking up a big game, we put actions to our words. At On Track Academy I wasn't immediately enlightened or inspired. It wasn't until we debriefed after the activities that I realized the purpose and importance of us being there. At first I tried to put myself in their shoes. These are high school students, some the same age as me, and we are playing games? At first I didn't understand. When we all came together in the end, hearing all of the students positive feedback helped me realize that our purpose was more than just playing games. It was a process of building relationships, and helping these kids realize that college is absolutely achievable, in the near future, and that we are here to help. It was cool to see some of my peers who are interested in pursuing education step up and answer the classes questions about school. I look forward to hearing stories from those in the class that will go back and work with these kids. I loved seeing how passionate and interested they were in continuing their education after high school.

This experience made me start thinking of other ways that I could work and serve in this community. Even though I don't feel called to pursuing a career in education, I still love to serve others. In the future I would love to work in ministry services! It was also awesome to see so many Whitworth students enjoy partaking in serving the community. This whole event made me feel good about what kind of institution I am apart of. Whitworth truly cares about it's students and faculty, but even the world surrounding our campus. If we don't choose to serve others and dive into the hurting world around us, what does that say about our values? Jesus went with those that were broken and hurting. We got an opportunity to strengthen ties in our community, to benefit those who need help, and I am thankful for this event in which we get to show up for others, first hand.