The Experience Of A Volunteer

During my time volunteering at Wilmington Health and Rehab and The Woods at Holly Tree, I learned a lot from the experience by talking with the residents and observing. To be honest I was quite nervous when I started to volunteer. Although I’ve been to elder center before because of my grandmother, great grandmother, and volunteering with my church but, I was never around a big group of elder people I didn’t know. After my first day of volunteering I felt a lot more comfortable and it felt rewarding knowing I was able to help make their day. In this essay I will be discussing my experience, any myths or stereotypes that were presented, several theories, and any diversity I observed.

1. The two most important things I learned from my volunteering experience are that all kids need attention and positive support. Whether they effectively seek it out or not and that kids comprehend significantly more about what is going on than they can express in words and therefore the environment provided at child care centers can have a big impact on the child’s early development. While working with the kids I thought that it was anything but difficult to pay attention to the cutest kids who were continually smiling and needing my attention. The children who were the trouble makers, and the initial few times I volunteered, these were the children who got the majority of my time. For the shyer, less vocal kids I discovered I needed to try to collaborate with them and once they got more comfortable around me, they were more likely to need me to lift them up when they got hurt or scared or play with them. Through this experience I understood that the greater part of the kids required a lots of attention, even the ones who did not want it at consistently. I understood the significance of making each kid feel vital and cared for by adults. I discovered that the kids could see a great deal more about what was going ahead around them then I foresee. They knew a wide assortment of commands and phrases and could make wide associations between past encounters and their present surroundings. One funny example of this happened when I was reading a

At church, in addition to my participation in the worship services, I volunteered at our church’s soup kitchen, medical camps and elementary school for underprivileged children. These experiences opened my eyes to the deprivation of love and care in the world and a dire need of God’s grace for people at large so they could receive forgiveness, healing and restoration in their lives.

On the last Thursday of every month, a few of the Young Adults from Harvest City Church volunteer to go to Carrall Gospel Mission and serve the homeless at downtown Eastside. These people are made up of drug addicts, ex-convicts, prostitutes and people with mental health problems. First, We have a short sharing session by the leaders of the mission, and afterwards we serve the homeless dinner. The purpose of this mission is not only to engage the impoverished, but also to give back to the community. Listening to the homeless talk about their lives, I have learned to be more content with what I have and not to take anything for granted. Moreover, I have learned that reaching out to others can have a lasting impact on their lives and also on

For this mission trip I will be traveling to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico with nine other people to help fill a small orphanage with the necessary supplies they will need. While doing this we want to spread the Word of God to the children and workers of the orphanage. We will be focusing on those are eighteen and younger, and will be making sure we give them an abundance of supplies, so the orphanage can use the supplies we give them for years. Once we fully supply the orphanage, we will be there for the children. We want to make them feel safe in an unsafe environment and introduce God into their lives to let them know that he will always be watching over them.

After a massive earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010, forcing many Haitians to live in unfathomable conditions, and I felt called to help them. I recall sitting in my elementary school classroom, watching live footage of the trauma in Haiti, asking myself how I could help. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that someone in my church provided me with the perfect opportunity to serve the Lord and Haiti. They told me about “Mission Discovery,” an organization that works to help Haiti and other impoverished countries.

The painting called The Volunteer’s Return (The Kunstmuseum Basel Oil on canvas, 97 x 77 cm.) was made by Swiss artist, Frank Buchser in 1867. Based on the title, we know that the painting represents the end of the American Civil War which lasted 4 years (1861-1865)

Over the years, I have had the great pleasure of taking part in several things that have turned out to be incredible learning experiences. One of the things that I have begun to do in recent years is going on a mission trip with the youth group at my church every year. Starting in the summer of 2013, we have taken about a week out of our summer each year to assist in the clean-up of natural disasters for less fortunate families. Surprisingly, these unpleasant, hot, humid, and smelly days have been some of the most memorable experiences that I have ever taken part in and have taught me an important social lesson. I learned, and relearn every summer, the importance of giving to those who are less fortunate than myself in any way that I am able to.

To understand the importance of volunteering, I volunteered at one cultural event in San Antonio downtown. It was the festival of Diwali, a festival of light celebrate in India every year, organized by the San Antonio municipal and Indian Association. In San Antonio’s downtown we have a Riverwalk and the booth was on one side of river with the bleacher and on the other side was the stadium. Folk dances of India were performed on the stage. I volunteered at a booth of drink. My job was to sell soft drinks like coke for a dollar. I made a working there on the booth and we both had almost same interests due to that I was very surprised. There was also another booth next to us. I helped them to load, carry and organize their booth with food. This

The United States, as some can say, is a country known to be a hand in help. Although, they are a help by choice not mandatorly. In the United States there is a great amount of volunteers for many volunteering programs. The amount of volunteers increase through the years for different causes. There are volunteers for schools, churches, sport clubs, and even more. Not only do Americans volunteer but also make donations. Americans do this sincerely from heart, not because it's a law.

Being involved in church my entire life has made the world hunger and economic poor situations to be brought to my attention several times. I had never really made an effort to do something about it besides the occasional gift basket we would send overseas. But then my friends at my church told me about a breadline in my area and how the experiences there have changed their outlook. This made me want to join and try it myself. I thought it was not only important for me to become a better person but, to help those in need.

1. Looking back over the times you have volunteered at BIC , what did you find most surprising? Describe it in some detail. Why were you surprised?

Our missionary trip inspired the church to have a love not only for Haitians, but also for service. After the trip my church began a fund for missions and annual missionary trips. The church seeks to provide individuals with medical care and education. After hurricane Matthew, my church extended the invitation to the congregation to fill buckets with provisions in order to send them to Haiti. Since the church had already seen and heard about the trip to Haiti the response was amazing and we were able to send many buckets. By sharing my story in school the headmaster took the initiative of beginning the preparations for a missionary trip. Sharing my experience in Haiti with the people around has opened the door for me to discuss the universal

About a month ago, I embarked on a mission trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand. My college, Southwest Baptist University, sends out several teams to various countries for different forms of work. My team was sent to Thailand to support a local orphanage, and to share the word of God with a village Hostel. This was my first overseas mission trip, and actually the first time that I had ever been out of the United States. To that point in my life, I had been on several mission trips in the United States. The opportunity to go overseas never presented itself, however. SBU finally gave me that opportunity. The trip to Thailand blessed me in more ways than I could count. I’m so excited to continue going

Over Spring Break, I spent my week in Dallas, Texas with my youth group. I volunteered at an organization called The Cliffhouse, which resulted in a home being built in the "food desert" or Dallas. A young man, Kenny, was called by God to help the youth of Dallas. He is building a house (by himself!) in the most dangerous neighborhood of Dallas. If a child in being abused, possibly entering a gang, needs emotional assistance, etc, Kenny houses them in his home. I had the pleasure of helping him build this house. I also volunteered at Crossroads Community Services- this is a food packing warehouse that send meals to families in need. Many of my volunteer opprotunities are funded through my church, including my time at Newman Park Christian Center,