This past summer fifteen UA students and three faculty members spent a week in San Antonio, Texas doing service at Inman Center and Good Samaritan Community Center through a program called Young Neighbors in Action.  After our trip, we invited these students to write some of their reflections to share with our UA community. 

 

 

“It is four in the morning and the only thing the fifteen Ursuline girls can think about is Starbucks and a few more hours of sleep. We wonder what exactly compelled us to give up a full week of our relaxing summer vacation. Little did we know, less than 24 hours later we would be placed in another world. Although we were still in the United States, San Antonio, Texas felt like a whole new world. For a week, I was forced out of my comfort zone and had to open up to a society that was nothing like my own.

 

“The outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, are primarily inhabited by Hispanic people. Gangs and violence are prevalent, making the area a very dangerous place for young children. As volunteers, our job was to work at Good Samaritan, a childcare center, built so the children in this deprived area have a safe place to go after school and throughout the summer. At first, I was scared to be in such a poor area because it was nothing like what I was used to. However, as soon as I stepped into the center, small children embraced me with open arms and were eager to be my new best friend. The stories the children shared about their life experiences impacted me in a way no body previously had.  Most of the children lived lives that I had a hard time imagining. They did not possess the basic necessities that I take for granted every day in my life. Yet, even though they suffered tremendous hardships, they were always upbeat and extremely happy.

 

“The innocent six-year-old children I grew to love taught me to love what you have in life and to not dwell on what you do not have. This once in a lifetime experience made me learn to value the things that matter in life such as family and friends.”

 

 

“Our week at Young Neighbors was not just a time to go out and serve. It was also a time of prayer and reflection. We had meetings every night for at least two hours with the other Young Neighbors groups which included different activities, songs, and journaling. After the first full day of work, we all wanted to just hang out in the dorm rooms and get to know the other young neighbors but instead we were in a three hour prayer session. The first couple nights these prayer sessions almost seemed endless and pointless. But on Wednesday, recreation night, our meeting was only about an hour and the rest of the night was dedicated to an intense sand volleyball game in about a foot of standing water. After Wednesday, the evening sessions became shorter and more interesting. We spent more time in our sharing groups, which were mixed groups of about 6 people, and this time gave us an opportunity, not only to meet other young neighbors, but also hear personal reflections on other service sites.

 

“By the end of the week, we came to appreciate the time spent in reflection. It was a great way to step back and really think about the service we were doing. During the school year, we will do service and then go home and back to our normal world. We don’t usually step back and really think about the good we are doing or how our lives have been blessed and changed. We got the chance to think about that during our Young Neighbors week. Yes, the evening sessions were long after really hard work days, but they really helped bring the whole week-long service trip together.”