ORLANDO – This year for R.E.A.C.H. Week there were many good courses that we got to choose from, and I am very happy with the one I chose! For my course I chose the Orlando Missions Trip. We all got to stay at a dorm and room with someone. For me I got to room with my friend Victoria Kutsukos.
To start off, we served at The Salvation Army and made free sandwiches and passed them out for anyone who needed or wanted them. After this we went to serve at Straight Street which is a Christian organization for the homeless to get a free hot meal for dinner, and for this the only requirement is to be hungry. This was how our first day there went.
We also did many more things. All of the main things that we did were Straight Street, Salvation Army, Clean the World Foundation (which is a soap factory), hang and play with kids at the Orlando Daycare, go to Disney Springs, help out at a store with items and meals for a discount for people and families who struggle, and hear from a man who used to be homeless. I may even be missing something, but all of these things were a great experience for me and everyone who came on the trip.
There was also a time when Mr. and Mrs. Wilson shared some encouraging words and gave us a little teaching. Also this was very special because they also made us go outside and sit alone in silence and just pray to God without any distractions.
A thing about this trip that I think is important overall was just getting to see and hear a little bit about what these homeless people go through each and every day. Also I think it is important to remember that they need fellowship just like us and that we shouldn’t think less of them, because a lot of the time they just want someone to talk to and hear them, and just be a friend to them.
Something that I really enjoyed as well was getting to go to Disney Springs with everyone and getting to go to a restaurant and see all the stores and especially hang out with friends in the process! Another thing was also just getting to sing in the van on every ride and enjoy ourselves!
To sum it all up, I really enjoyed this trip and I’m so happy that I chose it because it was a fun and humbling experience. I also was really happy that Mrs. Carley, and Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were the people who led the trip because it made it even better. I may even do it again next year!
