May 26th, 2013 - Day 6
As I stare at the blank page and think
about my week in Washington D.C, I’d like to say I’m speechless, I have no
words, but that would be a terrible lie. I have so many words: amazing,
eye-opening, busy, inspiring, hilarious, full of joy. I wouldn’t trade my week
in D.C for the world. I’ve met so many inspiring people and visited so many
extraordinary places.
I think my favorite
of all of the places we visited was A Wider Circle. I still can’t get over the
fact that one man’s simple idea was brought to life and actually making a
difference. Some logic, an idea, and some hard work is to blame for this
wonderful place. A Wider Circle gives furniture to formerly homeless families
to furnish their new house. They also provide classes for career development
and a free business clothes boutique for their clients. The CEO’s only rule at
A Wider Circle is, “There’s no maximum on anything that you should take. But,
there is a minimum amount of clothes you can take: 5 outfits”. He knows that
the key to success is confidence and confidence starts with a killer outfit! To
actually talk to and work with these families was amazing. They had crazy
stories that I thought only existed in movies. And moving furniture all day
really put into perspective for me what hard, manual labor is; I don’t do that
at home!
We met so many
people who know that real meaning of hard work. Whether they get up at 5 am to
start their work day of 3 jobs, or dedicate their whole lives to their
organization, or stay in the kitchen all day preparing 5,000 meals for minimum
wage, they all had a positive attitude and that to me, is unbelievable.
Of all the
inspirational people I met throughout my week at D.C, perhaps the most
inspirational of them all were the people on my team. I am so blessed to have
met, spent time with, and formed relationships with the people on my team. I
don’t know too many people who would take a week out of their summer to help
people they don’t even know, and I feel so lucky to call those people my
friends. The patience, joy, and life they all exude is contagious and I have
loved working and spending time with them.
Iona in Mission was an amazing experience. The
people, the places, and the memories will last forever and I look forward to
continuing mission work back at school in the fall. Thank you, Iona in Mission,
for introducing me to wonderful people and, even better, introducing me to
another side of myself that I really love.
