Room in the Inn: Serving with a Smile DINNER (2023-24)

What skills did you develop or improve through this service experience?/What unexpected challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

This answer fits both of these questions very well.
This week volunteering was very difficult. I had just come back from Vegas that morning around 7 am and I now had to wait until 5 pm to volunteer. The skill I learned today, a very important one I might add, is working when not at your best. I strive to be in the best physical and mental state when doing any task. I add that it is extremely important to have that mindset; one should only work out of that mindset when necessary. However, there are times when mental and physical exhaustion and decay is unavoidable. Working that shift was a great example. Overall, I had to essentially relearn everything I was doing because of how mentally shot I was. There was a lesson learned that day.

What did you learn about the community or environment you served?
Like my last reflection, now even more so, I have learned that there are so many children struck in poverty. This has become an overlapping theme that ways heavy on my soul. When I say there were so many children in this small facility, let alone the rest of Memphis, Tennessee, the USA... It's not like I wasn't aware of this fact previously, I have just subconsciously chosen to ignore it. "If you don't see it, it didn't happen..." I want to stop doing that. I want to be better than saying "oh it is awful that this occurs" and move on with the rest of my day. I want to be a force against it, an actual force working to help counteract and prevent these issues.

Did you work individually or as part of a team, and how did that impact your
experience?
The funny thing is I did both at the same time. Like an introverted extrovert (paradoxical), I worked in a group doing individual tasks. I hate working in silence; it is the biggest pet peeve for me. So when having the opportunity, I like to chat while working. I did not work in a team in the sense that we were working together to achieve a single task. I washed dishes, some made food, others were doing "spring cleaning," etc. I had no help on my front, the only thing separating dishes from the destruction of grime was little ol' me.

How did the organization support or guide you during your service?
As always, people like Ms. Polly are there to guide and direct us through our service. It is truly amazing that I get to work with people like here; people who have been through struggle, persevered, and are now giving back to a cause, desperate for help. She isn't there for a paycheck, she could of worked anywhere else and most definitely made more money, but she doesn't. She is happy where she is right now, serving with a smile to those who need it most. Her food is made with love and care, like a grandmother's thanksgiving dish. It's not about quota or hours; it is about help. I am truly blessed to be guided by such amazing people.