Philly through a leader's eyes.....Blair

Friday - Blair's Story Today started early- actually it was the earliest morning we've had this week! Getting up early was well worth it as we were heading to Philabundence. I'd been looking forward to this site all week though I'm not sure why. I didn't know much about it but from what I'd heard it sounded similar to 2nd Harvest and Northwest Harvest- two organizations close to my heart. We arrived at the warehouse and got our volunteer orientation, along with 50 PWC accountant interns. We weren't intimidated by their numbers- we knew we were small but fierce workers. Most of us went into the "arctic tundra" and a couple stayed behind to make cards to accompany food boxes given to seniors. In the cold room we sorted chocolate milk cartons and tortias. With shocking speed and accuracy we sorted and packed 5,000 lbs of milk and 1,500 lbs of tortias, all while serenading PWC with our HFK rendition of "Don't Stop Beliving." It was an amazing experience to see the sheer volume of food and know that it will feed hundreds if not thousands of needy men, women, and children. From Philabundence we had some time to fill before our next mission site. We went into historic downtown Philadelphia and saw some sights and went to Indelendance Hall. The highlight was the $5 print your own t-shirt shop- we kept them busy for a while! We then traveled to The Chosen 300, a program the provides access to Christian faith and a hot dinner to all in need. We were there with two other church groups and heard some great gospel music and an inspirational talk. We served a delicious meal to over 200 hungry people. The people we served came in all shapes, sizes, and colors. You would be surprised by some of the patrons we've seen at all of our sites. You never know someones story until you ask. From the last site we headed out to a late dinner of Puerto Rican food that was amazingly good and just what our hungry tummies needed. We then went to the wispering wall for our final debrief. I couldn't believe our week was over. It seemed to go by so fast- we still had so much love and service to share. We talked about ways we can continue our service at home in Seattle- and vowed to keep each other accountable and make sure we follow through with these plans. Looking back on the week, I am sad to see it end. It was such a blessing to get to know each of the trekkers even better and to watch them grow in faith and love for each other and the people we served. I am thankful for the opportunity and hope to be able to serve on another mission trip in the future. God Bless, Blair