My ‘pre nola’ blog was about perspective... being fair to the situation at hand... appreciating the experience... as well as challenging each other (and ourselves) to ‘serve outside of our comfort zone’...
Now as the week comes to an end I’m reflecting back on my own words as I review my service experiences:
Monday - insulated a home.
Tuesday - completed some paperwork & packaged goods for a food bank.
Wednesday - sorted recycled beads.
Thursday - recycled paints and organized shelves.
Friday - sorted recycled beads.
And as I review the qualities of each nonprofit organized we worked with:
organized... happy... enthusiastic... passionate...
All in all, I learned so much about the needs of NOLA that don’t just consist of rebuilding of homes, but the area as a whole. As I think, I can’t help but compare it so greatly to what Bonner accomplishes in Trenton every day as we work in so many areas... helping the homeless, mentally challenged, environment... all of which we were able to do this week!
So I have declared this week my ‘Smorgasbord of Service,’ and I’m so happy to have embraced it, because in the end, we reached so many lives - not just a few families... thinking about it in numbers, a few examples: how within a few hours that we served at the food bank we packaged almost 9,000 lbs of food... within 3 days of sorting beads we easily recycled 15,000 lbs of Mardi Gras beads...
I believe strongly in the gift of gratitude. Tonight, on our last night here in New Orleans, I am grateful most importantly for the service, but also for the people I was able to share with it in. I created bonds with many new Bonners and strengthened those that have previously existed with others. I’m grateful to have been here to listen to the new Bonners’ experiences and thoughts, as well as take from my peers the true, honest realizations of what this week was... In the words of a fellow Bonner Scholar:
“This week we may not have rebuilt homes - we rebuilt lives.”
Bonner Love,
Danielle
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