Boys and Girls Club - Adrianna

            This week has marked my final mission trip and as I look back and compare it to past mission trips, I have realized that this one has affected me in ways I was not expecting. This year, my group and I spent two days volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club and I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. I have never really been a “kid person” and in the past when we have volunteered at kids clubs I was not exactly looking forward to spending time with children. In the past, it was usually out of my comfort zone to work with kids because I always felt awkward and didn’t really know what to say to them or how to act. This week was different, however, I did go into it not really sure about the situation and just wanted to skip that part of the day but when I got there it was very different.

I went into the art room and sat down at a table, not really sure what to do, but after a couple minutes, a girl came up to me and asked me to help her with her with a bracelet she was making. I went over to her and helped with the bracelet and she was so excited about how pretty it looked and she was so enthusiastic about how I drew a simple heart on her paper and she said repeatedly that she loved it. It made me feel excited about how one simple act could make someone so happy. After that, I helped multiple girls with their art and there were all so excited about it. It got to the point where I didn’t want to leave after the short hour and a half we were there. I became excited to go back.

 When we arrived to the Boys and Girls Club the next day, a group of girls came up to Ryann and I asked if we could carry them on our backs and play games with us and one girl tried to do my hair. After that a boy asked me if I could play him in foosball and then a game of dodgeball. It was fun to just spend time with the kids. They were so happy to see us and just wanted someone to hang out with. It changed my perspective on kids and I even began to think about volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club in Portland. I’m glad I got the chance to spend time at the Boys and Girls Club, even though it was very short. I’m looking forward to volunteering at different organizations for kids once I get back home. With this being my last mission trip, I’m glad that it ended with a positive impact on me.