The Final Days

Yesterday, we took time to clean up the areas of the church where we stayed - vacuuming, collecting trash, and packing our belongings. At 6:30 am, we went to the community room to make sandwiches for lunch, and we took all of the extra sandwich fixings, chips, cookies, bottled water, and made lunches for unhoused neighbors around the church. Around 7:00 am, we went out into the neighboring parks and distributed food for all who wanted it. Some people graciously accepted; others did not take what we offered.

We went to the Capital Area Food Bank for our morning mission work. Our group sorted medication by expiration date, filled freezers and refrigerators with donated food, stocked and organized pantry shelves, and helped clients load their cars with food. We finished our mission work around 11:00 am, and drove to Columbus, OH, to spend the night. After a week of sleeping on the floor, we welcomed with new appreciation the beds at the hotel.

Today, following breakfast at the hotel, we continued our drive home, arriving at the church around 2:00 pm. We were excited to be home and see our families. As we unpack, we not only unpack dirty clothes that show and smell of hard labor, but we also unpack some wonderful memories of serving Christ in the heart of our nation's capital!

Pastor Jay

What I Did Today

Today, we work up early and did the shower ministry. I think it was a good experience, because it showed how much some people are in need. Then, we went to the farm and picked all sorts of veggies for a kitchen ministry. It flew by fast, and was pretty fun. They told us that we picked about 4 days worth of veggies that could be used. After we left the farm, we all came back to the church. We hung out for a while and then took a trip on the 'circulation' to Georgetown. We ate at an Italian restaurant - I forgot what it was called. After we went out to eat, we walked to DC Cupcakes and we got more cupcakes. They were so delicious! After we went out, we came back to the church for the last time to hear about a different church's way of ministering. I thought it was very interesting, and I think we should help out more with our community.

Riley F.

Day in Washington DC

Today was an amazing day! First, everybody went to the Capitol Building and saw lots of artwork, sculptures, and there was a "whisper spot." Then we went the National Air and Space Museum and I got a dog tag. Then, while we were walking home, I got a zebra DC sweatshirt. I loved being in Washington.

Rachel I.

Jay Bird of Tourism

Today, Wednesday, June 29 was our free day in Washington DC. We walked with Jay to the United States Capitol building. We had a tour and saw lots of artwork. Then we went to the Museum of American History. Jay was a touring fool. I also bought a DC sweatshirt. Today I walked my feet off but it was so fun that I didn't even care.

Shelby T.

getting into our groove

Today started bright and early as we met the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ by serving in a shower ministry. This can be an often overlooked need and it was much appreciated by our guests, some of whom would be spending the day looking for work. After the showers were completed, a time of fellowship and breakfast occurred.

In the afternoon, we headed to A Wider Circle to assist with the organization of home furnishings for people transitioning from homelessness or domestic violence into a residence. The youth learned about the importance of having a bed or a table in the life of a family who may other wise go without.

We spent the evening taking in some of the sights around D.C. I am always impressed by the hard work and dedication of our youth, and I am very proud of them for spending their summer serving in this way.

Janice W.

Monday

Today was a good day for us! We started out heading to Capitol Hill UMC, where we helped cook breakfast for some unhoused neighbors. Their ministry is lay-led, and involves breakfast every weekday, and lunch on the weekends. Relationships are just as important as the food, and many in the group spent time talking directly with the neighbors.

We then went to Central Union Mission, which is the only Christian men's shelter in the city. They asked us to do some cleaning, which included dusting and sweeping their chapel; mopping the stairwells, and folding the clean sheets from the overnight guests' beds. They have a multi-level program, and we heard a lot of testimonies from people whose lives had been changed by Jesus.

After lunch, we visited with the pastor of our host church, Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol. We talked about what we had observed and learned from our trip so far; she talked about the church's ministries. She also shared some of the history of the church, including race relations. Beyond homelessness, she shared about the plight of prostitution and sex trafficking in the city.

We finished the day by walking to Chinatown for dinner, and walking to the White House. We'll be uploading some pictures soon so that you can see the team active in mission.

Pastor Jay

Day 2

I liked today. We started off with going to the Capital Hill United Methodist Church and serving breakfast and conversing with people living without homes in the D.C. area. Everyone liked one particular and very friendly person named "Shine". After that we went to the Central Union Mission to help clean a few things and get an exciting tour of most of the building. We ate dinner in Chinatown and went to see the White House, afterward. We're playing some card games tonight and then helping with the Shower Ministry here at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church. I've really enjoyed all the work that we've done, but packaging the food for third world countries was probably the most meaningful for me, because I've never done anything like that or on that scale before.

Josh I.