Overview - Chloe

     Overall, the trip was really eye opening. I got to see what life is like in a poorer community with a lot of gang violence. For most of the kids they just love us being there and act like nothing is wrong, even though they have suffered a lot of pain. It has taught me to appreciate what I have and be thankful for it.
     This will help me with my ESLP because I will be able to design it to be more kid friendly and attractive to them.

ESLP Ties In

Getting the time to serve others was also a way to further understand what our ESLP Project is all about. For my project, my group is teaching everyone about how not all healthy foods taste bad and are crazy expensive. Most are actually the opposite. We will prove to everyone that by heating right we can live a stronger, healthier life. While up in King City we got a chance to observe some of the foods people eat. Since King City is a low income area, the "food" was mostly Takis and Popsicles.  I put food in quotation marks because it really is not food. It is processed garbage. Not one person had a salad or fresh fruit in their hand the entire time we were there. Those people are destroying their heath! My Service Learning Project can help others become more health conscious and make people think twice about what foods they put into their bodies.

The Final day in KC

Even through we did not go into town today, we spend the entire day doing reformations with our teams. It took at least 4 hours to get through all of us, but it was a nice time to reflect and encourage each other at the same time.

Just a preview of our adventures in King City...

Thursday in KC

Today was the last day of our VBS; the last day we would get a chance to see our little friends who we formed such a tight bond with. Not to show any favoritism, but the one little girl who I got a chance to hangout with all week was way adorable! Her name was Mikayla.

We finished the week out with a bang! It was the perfect ending to an outstanding VBS! We enjoyed playing more games and making new crafts. After our day at Baptist Iglesia came to a close it was back at the park one last time. So many kids showed up today it was insane!

a little snapshot of some of us leaders at the park(with Kayla)

Back up to camp for the last chapel of the trip. Our speaker did an amazing job and helped up truly understand the importance of why we were on the trip. It was a week with the kids of Kind City that I will never forget. They will forever be in my heart.

Wednesday in KC

By Wednesday we were all exhausted! Most of us had been there since Saturday from the advanced team so we were ready to come home soon. Even though we were all dead inside we put on a huge smile and continued to serve with open hearts. Today was more of the same from Monday and Tuesday. Games, crafts, & lots of songs is what our day consisted of. Sadly, today it was pouring harder than it had been the previous day, so we were unable to go to the park after VBS. Instead, our leader Ryan took us all to see a movie titled "Noah". It was a terrible movie to be completely honest but it gave us all a different perspective of what is in the bible. Although the movie was not 100% accurate(and we all knew it), it was still nice to be able to relax after all the hard work we had put in that week. We drove back to camp that night. There, we held chapel (Finally back at camp!) and were able to sleep in our own tents. Us 7 dwarfs crammed ourselves in the 4 person tent again and had a surprisingly good night sleep.

Playing with little kids for hours can be physically and mentally exhausting! 

Tuesday in KC

Tuesday was the day our team had to leave camp super early in the morning because Baptist church ladies had a MOPS (Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers) meeting. Our day was longer than the other teams but it was worth it. We did the same thing as Monday with the exception of different crafts and different games. We played with bubbles, played tag, used the parachute and many other fun activities. Once again we went to the park to hold another sports camp. This day however, I did not do soccer but instead did children's craft; we made bracelets and lanyards. One sweet little boy made me a bracelet that said "god" on it and said it was because we were the best thing that could happen during spring break. It melted my heart knowing that we were making a difference in these kids lives. After the park day was over it was pouring the rest of the day. That night, we help chapel in the Baptist church to keep dry. After chapel was over my tent (the 7 dwarfs) was given the chance to sleep in the pastors house because our tent had been soaked the previous night. Sleeping in a strangers house was a bit strange, but it was a nice change being able to sleep in a warm house and take a normal shower.

Monday in KC

After the two day beforehand prep, Monday soon rolled around. Waking up super early for the 45 minute drive into town was not ideal, but with the insane car I was in, it was all worth it! Soon after we got to the church, kids started rolling in. It was such a joy seeing their smiling faces each morning! I was part of the memory verse group so each morning I would help the kids learn a new verse. They were all so excited and picked it up quickly which was surprising. I had the pleasure of working with the kindergarten and older age group(mostly kindergarten). They were very energetic and kept us on our feet all day! We played many games such as tag, soccer, ninja, and many more. Later we had arts and crafts which was a good balance between crazy outdoor fun, and a more calmer fun; it avoided complete chaos.
Later that day, my team(Iglesia) headed to the park with the other teams (Saint Johns, and Kind City Bible) to hold a sports camp event. We had different sports such as soccer, baseball, and cheer, and while all this was going on we also had a craft and face paint table. 
After our first day with the kids had ended we headed over to Saint Johns church for dinner instead of returning to camp because it was pouring. There, we were treated with dinner and entertainment. Young girls ranging from 3-17 performed a traditional Mexican dance. We had chapel at St. Johns which was the perfect ending to the night. We headed back to camp around 9 and didn't get back until about 10. Now, nights in King City are cold and with the unpleasant addition of rain, it was beyond freezing. My tent and the tent right next to us merged and somehow managed to fit 7 people into a 4 person tent. We called ourselves the 7 dwarfs! It was a tight squeeze but it kept us warm so we were happy. Finally, day one was coming to a close and in the morning day two would be filled with all new fun and surprises.

Team Baptist Iglesia 2014