My Skid Row Experience...
retrieved from latimes.com
MY JOB..
My job was being an escort. Initially I thought it would be a boring job and I was nervous about walking the kids through the various stations on my own.. but after my first experience with the most precious little kids, that all changed! My heart melted as I held the hands of two little kids and walked them through the stations. At first they were scared of me, and didn't talk much at all. They were nervous to be away from their mom and didn't know what to expect. After a few minutes of smiling at them, conversing with them, and making them giggle they let their guards down leading me to an experience that completely changed my outlook on the entire day!
My job was being an escort. Initially I thought it would be a boring job and I was nervous about walking the kids through the various stations on my own.. but after my first experience with the most precious little kids, that all changed! My heart melted as I held the hands of two little kids and walked them through the stations. At first they were scared of me, and didn't talk much at all. They were nervous to be away from their mom and didn't know what to expect. After a few minutes of smiling at them, conversing with them, and making them giggle they let their guards down leading me to an experience that completely changed my outlook on the entire day!
I saw their faces light up as they saw all of the new stuff they were getting. As they went from station to station the little boy would ask me, "Is this all mine?" He was having the best day ever and I felt so blessed to be a part of it. When my first group was finished they didn't want to say goodbye! By the end they had learned my name and were hugging me and I was just so happy to be there, and could not wait to get back in line and do that again!
AMAZING REASSURANCE ABOUT MY CHOICE OF PROFESSION...
Skid Row made me realize that I have a heart called to serve! I didn't care about getting my sparkly and shiny and clean nursing uniform dirty like I selfishly worried about on the bus ride there. I was addicted to helping all the little children and teenagers get whatever they came for that day, and make it a fun process as they went along. I found myself being their advocate making sure they got the right size or their favorite color because a part of me knew this would not happen for then again for a while. I played with and loved on the little kids and had really cool conversations with the older ones. A few of the teenage girls even started asking me about nursing and I think I sparked their interest!!!
WHEN ARE WE GOING BACK!?!?!?...
The time at Skid Row went by way too fast, and I left feeling so much joy.. which doesn't seem quite right considering the circumstances that brought those families to the line that day. Still, it was an amazing day and I was so proud of our group as we jumped right in and thrived in this unfamiliar and challenging situation. I hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with the Fred Jordan Mission because I cannot wait to go back!.... In fact I was so inspired and filled with joy from serving others, I went home and finished my ISP application!!! Skid row was an eye opening and life changing experience and I feel so blessed to be a part of a program that allows opportunities like the one we got to experience.
Here is a link to video with some of the precious little children's reactions to all the wonderful craziness that day...
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