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

Friday – Chloe

     I awoke early to watch the sunrise, and it was absolutely beautiful. A friend and I hiked out to the cross to have some quiet time. We came back for breakfast and our final day with the people from Cupertino. Everyone then moved to the amphitheater for a time of reflection which was really cool because we got to hear others' stories from the week. Communion and individual reflection time followed. We supported each other in our sadness off the week's end and there was a mass hike out to this platform that is surrounded by great views. We transitioned into lunch and got into our circles of affirmation, where we go around the circle and affirm each other. It's a rely cool experience to be a part of. That took a few hours but we had the rest of the day to strengthen our relationships before it was too late. We went to the cross and climbed it again, played cards and talked with each other, and went it got dark enough we went star tripping. There was one final night hike and climbing of the cross and our week was finally over. We left the next morning and arrived home mid-day just in time to do homework.

The men of our group

The Willow Glen crew

Fun at camp

Thursday – Chloe

     We awoke and got ready for our final day of VBS. We had a blast on the car ride over, rocking out to Maddie's CD she created. The day started and we went through the schedule again with a few tweaks because we were sharing the gospel. We split into groups so I paired with Corinne to talk to a few of the preschoolers. We reread them gospel story and tried to ask them if any of them had already asked Jesus into their heart but they didn't have a long enough attention span. However, Corinne prayed with a little girl who is actually my buddy's sister and I prayed with my buddy even though I'm not sure she got what we were doing. The final minutes of play with the kids came and it didn't seem like they quite got that we were leaving. Anyways, we got our final pictures with our kids and they left. Off to the park we went and I went back to the lanyard table again and actually made a few lanyards of my own to give to kids I really connected with. About an hour into our time there, my little buddy and her sister showed up their mom so I gave her a lanyard as well as teaching her sister how to make them. I got to play on the playground with her and then it was time for her to go so we gave lots of hugs and she left. I went to say goodbye to this girl, who my brother met his first year and continued to hang out with the next three years, even though I didn't get to know her very well and it was cool because I got to tell her about I had been hearing about her for six years. Eventually we had to leave and we went back to camp after a stop for popsicles. We went to the cross a few times that night and had our last chapel and played a lot of speed. After so much fun it was hard to go to bed before our last day.

Activities with everyone

Making more lanyards

This is the girl my entire family has now gotten to know

Wednesday – Chloe

     We got up and headed to town to grab breakfast before we went into another day of work and play. We met our team at the church I greeted the kids and we played with play dough and bubbles. Some of the kids who had come for MOPS liked it so much they asked their parents to come back, which was really cool. There was this little girl who had come with her sister the previous two days, but she asked me for a piggyback ride and she became my new little buddy because my other one didn't come back because he wasn't potty trained. We went through the regular routine but this time I had a kid on my back almost the entire time, there was a few times I even had two on my back. Time came for them to leave and we packed up and went to the park for the full time this time. I went to the lanyard table again and helped the kids start and learn how to make them. This one little boy sat there and made me help him in between starting other peoples'. He could have been running around with other little boys but he chose to stay and learn how to make his lanyard. He sat there while I helped him for a good half an hour or an hour. I don't know if he knew much english but he just kept saying "I don't get it" or "help me." Later we went back to camp and hung out and had chapel and hit the sack.

My new little buddy

Fun at the lanyard table

Tuesday – Chloe

     It rained almost the entire night leaving behind mud in the morning. Ryan, our leader, announced that anyone sleeping in a tent still was going to be moved into the chapel, a yurt, or sleep in town. Us seven dwarfs packed up our things and packed a bag for the night along with a few other people. We went into town early because the church we were serving at had MOPS(Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers) that morning meaning we would have a bunch more munchkins. As we were singing songs I found a little buddy. He was two years old and didn't say much but he had the best smile and the biggest hugs. We ended up having twenty-five preschoolers to entertain but I love kids so it was so fun to have them running around and climbing on me. We did generally they same thing with a different story, craft, and games. We didn't go to the park though, because of the rain and our leaders surprised us with a trip to the movies where we had a private showing of the movie Noah. After that we headed over to our site again where everyone met for dinner and chapel. A group of us then headed over to the church's youth paster's house to sleep unaffected by the rain. We got to meet his daughter and hang out with her for about an hour and then we headed off to sleep.

Me and my little buddy

All our little preschoolers

Monday – Chloe

     We got up and got ready and met for a final full team meeting before we headed out. The drive is forty-five minutes long so we had some fun talking and making jokes in our crazy car. We got there and set up, figuring out what resources we have to use. The kids started arriving quickly and they ranged in age from three to fifteen. I got to work with the preschoolers and they were so sweet and cute. All they want is for you to play with them and hold them. We started out with the parachute and coloring to entertain and get the kids engaged. About thirty-five kids showed up to hear about God's word. We did some songs and the memory verse to calm the kids down before we got the skit going, which the kids loved. After that we separated the preschoolers and elementary-middle schoolers to do snack, crafts, and games. We got to paint the wall with water and glue tissue paper on a picture of a well. There was one boy who just wanted to be difficult and started throwing and blowing tissue paper allover the floor which intrigued two other little boys to do the same. We finished out as a big group with a few more songs and then the kids started leaving. Lunch was waiting for us at the park and we started doing crafts, face paint, soccer, baseball, and women's crafts. I started on the playground but then moved to the lanyard and friendship bracelet table, where I started a bunch of lanyards for people of all ages. St. Johns invited us for dinner so we headed over there and had tri-tip sandwiches as the town provided us with entertainment. Girls of all ages performed a traditional Mexican dance for us, one high-schooler performed Ava Maria for us, and one man played Amazing Grace for us on a bagpipe. It was a girl in our groups birthday so there was plenty of cake. We returned to camp late that night and had to go pretty much straight to bed. The girls in the tent next to us were cold and uncomfortable the night before so we squeezed seven people into a four person tent to sleep.

Having fun with preschoolers and a parachute

Soccer with the big kids

Sunday – Chloe

     We got up and went to church at the locations are going to serve at. One of the churches we are serving at was added this year so we got to look at the facility we were going to use. We are serving at three different locations: St. Johns, King City Bible, and Baptist Iglesia. I get to serve on the Baptist Iglesia team which is the combination of the First Baptist Church of King City and Iglesia De Jesucristo. After that we drove back to Whisper Canyon where we stay for the week. We moved our bags into our tents and met in our morning teams to make some announcements and finish testimonies. The rest of the day was spent hanging out and playing cards. At some point we hiked to the cross again where I climbed up the cross to the crossbar and got an amazing view of the canyon.

Having a team meeting at the amphitheater

Playing on a playground meant for younger kids

Saturday – Chloe

     I choose to be part of advanced team which goes down at 7:45, instead of 12:45, and helps set up tents, unload trailers, and sort the clothing from the clothing drive. However, due to the expected rain our departure time got changed to 9:45 for advanced team and 7:45 the next morning for the rest of the people. We arrived and got the work done and the forecasted rain didn't come when it was expected to. We had hours of free time in which we played volleyball, soccer, hiked to the cross, climbed a tree, and went into the chapel to play games and only then did it start raining. That night we slept in a cabin because not all the tents were up. It was kinda nice not having everybody there because you interacted with and got to know a lot more people.

Sorting clothes from the clothing drive

Goofing around with a game of volleyball

Week in King City