When I first got assigned to work with kids for my choice, I knew it would be fun. But I kept thinking, “Won’t they get tired of playing with us all day and get bored?” Let me tell you now, that was in no way the case!
When we first got out of the vans, the kids came running up to us asking our names and if we would play with them. I even was asked by one girl, Saron, if I would be her Passport Buddy for the week. Every day they greeted us that way. Our group played with them until we couldn’t think of anything else to play! We drew; painted; made bracelets; and played soccer, football, and kickball. The kids had so much fun with us and we learned so many things about them. At the end of each day, we had popsicles and snacks. Then we would pack up our supplies and get into the vans for the drive to Wingate. As we pulled out of the lot each day, the older boys would chase our vans down the street and wave goodbye.
Madeleine McAllister and I were talking to Ms. Susie (the founder of YWCA) on how she decided to start working with low-income families. She said that she felt God was calling to help women living on the streets. She also said that when she told her church missions board about this, they said that she shouldn’t do it. Ms. Susie decided to work with these women anyway because she felt that if God tells someone to do something that they should do it no matter what. She closed by saying that she believes God comes to different people in different forms.
Working with the children from the YWCA was an amazing experience for me. I hope that on future Passport trips I can have an even better experience!