In Their Words - Tortillas (Support Group 4)

Youth ROCKS continues to do great things in Ft Worth:

Jodi Rush:

What an amazing trip we are having!! The most amazing aspect of the trip for me is the amount of work we have been able to accomplish. We have a hard working group of youth that attack every job asked to do. Yesterday my group was asked to weed a flower garden at the Samaritan House - a housing facility for homeless folks with HIV/AIDS. I don't like yard work....but working beside the others in my group we worked as hard as we could for several hours...when done we looked back at our work and couldn't believe the difference we had made. In the afternoon we worked at the Tarrant County Food Bank boxing cantaloupes to be distributed to agencies that feed the homeless. We attacked several large bins of cantaloupes and knocked the job out so fast. We also checked the expiration date and boxed individual boxes of cereal for distribution. Once again, I couldn't believe how fast, furious, and efficient our team was!!! It is a joy to work with this group, but a greater joy to see what we were able to accomplish with teamwork. Learning about the homeless is very discouraging and hopeless....we are trying to do the work we can to help as much as possible.....one seed starts a garden...one candle lights a room.....we hope this one group can make a big difference!!!!

Tammy Gerome:

Yesterday we toured a very large homeless shelter that houses and feeds 544 homeless men, women, and children every evening. The shelter's work is an awesome operation. They said they are always at capacity and have to turn many away each night. It is so hard first to imagine the life these people must have lived and second to have hope that they may have a future beyond a life on the street. There are so many different reasons they are there...some beyond their control. It makes me thankful for the people in my life. I love you all and thank especially my family who takes such good care of me.

Zoe Neufeldt:

Yesterday we went to the Samaritan House that takes care of women with HIV and Aids. I found out that they don't just help the women, they also help some men by giving them jobs and helping turn their lives around. There we pulled weeds in the garden, then we went inside and ate lunch with the people there and learned their stories. Then after lunch we went to a food bank, there we boxed cantaloupes and cereal for non-profit organizations to serve. Then later that night we went to the lake with one of the ladies at the church that we are staying at. We all had a blast in the water and jumping off the piers!

Stephanie Capps:

I spent three hours with the rest of the junior girls sorting cheese yesterday...It took a long time, but we finally got finished with it and felt very accomplished. Although it was rewarding, we never want to look at cheese ever again. In the morning we went to the Night Shelter and took a tour, seeing where the homeless slept if they had absolutely no where else to go. We learned that a very large portion of homeless in America are retired war veterans. Those statistics made me extremely sad yesterday. However, after seeing the better living situations they are given, i feel slightly better about their situation. In the afternoon, we helped at an AIDS outreach center. I was amazed at the number of people they had on file, and the number that came in while we were there. Its a much bigger problem then i originally thought it was. After a hard, and sometimes disheartening day working, it was good to get to go hang out at the lake and have some fun.

Ashley Day:

Yesterday we went to the Samaritan house. We were weeding their flower beds for about two hours. It was hot, but it was fun. After that was done, we heard stories from some of the patients. they were really sad, but it was interesting. We also got to eat lunch with them and talk to them then. When we left there, we went to a food bank, and started out putting cantaloupes in boxes. When that was done we got a tour of the bank, and we started packing cereal. We also had to tape some, because they got smashed. We had to sort out the ones that weren't cereal. We also got to wear hair nets, which was fun. Then we went to the lake. When we were all changed, we jumped off the dock. The bottom of the lake was slimy and gross, so we tried not to touch it. One time, the beach ball started floating away, so i jumped in and saved it. Another time it floated away and no one got it, and then some people on their boats got out and took it.

Jack Keiser:

This is the third? day of our mission trip. I don't know if we're including the day we spent traveling or... well, anyway, we've already delved deep into the depths of urban homelessness. The first morning we went our first mission building. We met Nub, who led us around and gave us jobs. Nub had some pretty neat stories, but i never learned how he lost his right pointer finger. I personally spent that morning digging and sorting through clothes while inventing new ways to transport bags of clothes down a flight of stairs. That evening half of us traveled to a group of temporary homes for the homeless. We were to play with the kids. After wandering around and tossing a few frisbees around, one kid, Jaylin, decided to jump on my shoulders and remain there for pretty much the rest of the time we spent there. He was a bit rowdy like most of the kids there (he almost pulled katie's hair out, while the other kids bit my shirt and tried to tie other girls' hair in knots). It didn't strike me that they were as exposed to the world as they were until a 3 year old sitting in Maegen's lap decided to share with us his colorful vocabulary. A few other hints included: Jaylin's double ear rings, my encounters with some of their gaurdians, and Darrel's general jerking it up. Anyway I ended up sharing the rest of my water with a few other kids and walking them home, and that was the end of my mission that day. The next day, admittedly, was less eventful. I did happen to see one of the guys I served the other day at the first mission. That was more of a blow to my morale than a happy sighting, although I was a bit excited to see the favorite latino that I served the other day. Then we moved some furniture around. Then I was transfered to the other group to go to the food bank, while the others went to an AIDS outreach center. This was the first time I got to work with Heywood since the first mission.