Yesterday, saturday, Dec.18th, 2010, Marked the the end of our winter service trip to Nashville Tennessee, and the start of my lifelong commitment to service. I attended this trip not knowing what to expect. All I knew was that I was putting my life on hold to be with 40 different individuals, for one common goal - to make an impact and bring hope to the people of Nashville.
However, after my arrival, I realized that the people of Nashville were not in need of hope, because it was already there, they were not in need of Love, it was broadly distributed through their community, and they already had each other. All they needed was their homes back. A roof under which they can feel safe and build new memories, and each and every one of us worked hard to make it happen.
During my time in Nashville, I worked with team Charlie who teared down and put a roof back together in 2 days. I faced my fear of heights, and had the chance to see different sides of the CAUSE members. I have never met a group of such affectionate, loving, caring and selfless individuals until my week in Tennessee. It's amazing how many of us have learned so much from each other, and revealed so much of ourselves to one another within the course of 5 days.
We all went on this trip with a mission to give back, and gain a simple smile in return, but instead, these people gave us their hearts. In our first debriefing session, we were asked "what would make you feel like you have truly made an impact in Nashville.?" I aswered "a final, sincere smile from our home owner." but many of us received much more than that.
I went on this trip hoping to make an impact on someone else's life, but instead this entire experience has made an impact on MY life.. And for that, I am more than grateful! ;)
SHOUT OUT TO TEAM CHARLIE!!! (Coral,Danny,Dumpster Greg, Amir,Sarah,Stephy,Kerece, Cole,Fernando) <3
--Ludnie (LULU Dry wall) <3 ;-p
