This past summer I had the amazing opportunity to work for a non-profit called REACH nearby in Roanoke. I worked as the Project Director, in charge of measurements, estimating, feasibility, and budgeting for home improvement projects. At first I was terrified due to my lack of experience, but I had an amazing teacher - Tim Dayton - guide me and teach me the entire summer. Tim is also the founder of REACH, the man with the dream, and after this summer I could see myself leading a non-profit similar to REACH. I had the coolest, most efficient team of project managers - Kendall Miller, Dacia Arokium, Hugh Mitchener, Jacob Long, Jay-Cub Sunbear Bearheist, Austin Hickle, Hannah Flanders, and Jessica Hirsch - who I got to watch grow and become close with the youth groups and home owners. We started the summer in controlled chaos, and finished with a mastery in communicating, delegating, planning ahead, and working together as an effective team - conquering five worksites at once. Every night I would join the worship team lead by our jamaican intern Krissy Wright and Mary Elizabeth Burton and sing terribly but passionately - at the roanoke star, in the community gardens, in the middle of downtown, or while watching sunsets on the mountain. Including Christopher Scott Adcock Jr., Samantha Streibl, Taylor Dayton, Lindsey Brooke Futrell, Sean Moore, Heather Elizabeth Rose, Robert Smith, Casey Heinlein Paul Robert Davis and Nicole Lombardi, I found a new family with the amigos I worked with, further increased my passion and desire for a life of service, and had my best summer yet. One project in particular helped me grow spiritually, and was unique from the rest. Down the street from the Salvation Army where we stayed, a garage needed repair where a high traffic volume of people passed every day. What started as a 2am idea with Jess to paint a mural after we repaired it involving service and God turned into a rough sketch by an artistic REACHer, turned into a detailed sketch by Emilys mom, made possible by Lowes help (like with every other project) with tools, budgeting and how to teach vertical concrete reparation, made possible by Miss Kyle from the Rescue Mission who volunteered to lead painting the mural, by Mr. Bob Jewel and his family (whose garage it was) who worked with us in the design (and whose grandkids played the cello and banjo for us while we worked), and in the end six different youth groups and amazing youth group leaders who repaired and painted it, joined from guys from the neighborhood who offered to help repair and kids who wanted to paint with us. When we ran out of money, my home church - Redeemer Lutheran - came together in an amazing moment to raise money to make not only finishing this mural possible, but three additional homes that we wouldnt have been able to do. This mural is lifting those who walk by it (Mr. Jewel gets compliments every day), and without all these amazing people in my life this would not have been possible.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 01:00:38 +0000
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