Day 4

Day 4- Tuesday, March 21, 2017

This morning we drove to the Cumberland Hope Center to provide service for the community. Bobby was running a little late so we decided to play some games outside. We played wizards, elves, and bears which involved some running and Osama tried really hard to run away from Shalom and me (Gina). He ended up falling on his knees and he made a couple of holes in the ground, which made everyone chuckle. Once Bobby got to the center, she told us about her background and involvement with the rehab community. She gave us a tour of the rehab center and showed us the ladies’ daily routine in the morning. One of the first things that she showed us on the tour was the big bulletin board where it lists all of the people who have passed away after leaving the rehab center. This part of the tour was especially emotional because Bobby expressed her sorrow and described her relationship with each of the deceased. We toured the bedrooms where the ladies stay (there are 27 beds available) and it really reminded me of a sleepaway camp because there were bunk beds and shared showers. After the tour we went outside and helped Bobby with some carpentry. She wanted to fix the new door to the shed outside by installing a different panel on the inside so the door would close properly. Bobby and Osama were able to take down the previous panel and drill in the new one. Charlotte, Melissa and I painted the board white and it felt great to help Bobby finish a project. She also wanted to make night stands with leftover wood so Osama took the initiative and helped her assemble the wooden boards. Some of the ladies came out to smoke by the picnic tables and we were able to converse with them. It was great talking to this one lady about how she has OCD and how at the house they have challenged her to live in a messy room 2 times a week for 4 weeks. Bobby then encouraged her by saying that she just has to channel the OCD into something productive and useful such as cleaning a kitchen or organizing the freezer. I was inspired by Bobby’s words because everyone has insecurities and flaws but you can always turn them into something good. I loved how Bobby was able to put a smile on her face by encouraging her and just telling her words of wisdom. Bobby is a breath of fresh air and she has a great sense of humor. I can see why she is the operations manager of the center and why the women look up to her.

Bobby told us about one of the main issues that the women face at the rehab center: alcoholism. I should say that Bobby was a professional chef and an addict before she came to the hope center. However, she loved the community and thought she could really make an impact for these women during their rehabilitation process. I thought it was interesting that she pointed out that you don’t have to be an addict to be able to empathize and help these ladies in their journey. And I think this is true for a lot of other things too when it comes to helping people. If you have the mindset and the heart to serve and to share your experiences, thoughts and love, then you will be able to make an impact in someone’s life.

Without even realizing noon passed by fast. It was time to go to Christ’s hands. We promised Brian we will meet at 1pm. We said goodbye to Bobby and promised her we will be meeting again the next day to build a wooden bed and to have lunch with her and Cumberland hope community. We scurried to our vans and headed to Christ’s hands. By the time we arrived, Brian was there unloading a large truck full of donations. He noticed us coming excited in our vans, so he came to meet us at the main lobby where many piles of cloths were waiting for us. Without any questions or inquiries, our team grabbed set of boxes and started loading it with all sizes of cloths. From kid’s spring tops to women summer skirts and men’s winter bottoms we enjoyed our time trying some of the cloths on ourselves. It looked it was going to take us hours to pack that much of clothes. However, with 14 member (12 of them being females) folding took less than an hour. By the time we were done moving the tens of boxes full of cloths, a lady showed up asking for Michael our leader.

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Fearless ideas lead to interesting chili. Kudos to Team B for your kitchen innovation. 

---Gina + Osama