Volunteer Work.
L.A. DREAM CENTER
A group and I from the Church of the Highlands, as well as many other short-term mission groups served alongside the L.A. Dream Center in going out into the community and sharing God's love. I got the opportunity to do that through yard work, volunteering at the Dream Center Elementary School, painting fences for an Easter Egg Hunt dedicated to underpriviledged kids, communicating, and praying for those living on Skid Row. My experience at the Dream Center was an experience that had me out of my comfort zone because of the fact that we were out in the community sharing God's love and communicating with people we didn't know. The whole trip I pushed myself and tested my limits spiritually. Because of that my communication skills grew and so did my confidence!
FCA Power Leadership Training Camp
FCA stands for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and every summer before school starts agian, they host a camp called Power Leadership Training (PLT) for middle and high school kids. This camp gets them ready for the school year by building them up in Christ. As a huddle leader, I had the opportunity to mentor 8th grade girls during our devotional time and share with them in God's word and prayer. We also had the chance to get to know each other through fun games and meal times. Because I was in a position of teaching others, from this experience I took away how much effort I should invest when it comes to teaching others. Among the mistakes, however, my teamplaying and communication skills were exercised here and grew even more.
BIG EVENT
Serving with Untamed, an organization on campus, we worked together to clean up the yard of a historical site in Loachapoka, Alabama. Racking yards, picking up sticks, and barreling the leaves up into one pile to burn, we were able to leave the place in a more presentable fashion. From this experience I learned that even what seems like a small task can go along way to someone else and make a huge difference. This skill has taught me that me that going the extra mile in everything I do, especially teaching, can go a long way.
FCA INTERNSHIP/SPORTS CAMP
The internship consisted of learning general Bible facts, taking a public speaking class, lots of prayer, worship, teaching, and devotional time. After getting our hearts prepared for sports camp, interns are each required to assist as huddle leaders in two camps. As a huddle leader I had the privilege of having fun with amazing kids while also getting to share God's word with them! Not only did interning with FCA teach me the importance of God's word and fellowship with other Christians, but it taught me valuable skills such as speaking and teaching in front of others, patience, and organization skills.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB SUMMER READING PROGRAM
During the program I had to opportunity to be a teacher aid to children in the Boys and Girls Club, who sometimes don't have the necessary skills to be at the reading level they should be. Reading a book that the child picked out really gets the them excited and not only are they learning new words but they have fun doing it. I also would do flashcards with them as well and make a game out it to keep the interest and the experiences with learning fun as well.