Opening my eyes!

Last Saturday Janey, Emily and I headed down to LA and volunteered at the Dream Center. When I contacted them a few weeks back I e-mailed them asking if they had any need for photography. A day later Shannon, who volunteers at the Dream Center, e-mailed me and said they had a huge need. So we were excited to use our photography and help in any way that we could.

At first the three of us had thought about staying together all day since we would be going into areas that we weren't familiar with such as Compton, Skidrow, and downtown LA:) Well the Lord had something different in Mind. Right when we arrived we were greeted by the sweetest amazing girl Shannon. She's someone who we are so excited to call our friend. She had three different projects that she wanted us to cover which meant we had to split up. We didn't mind and I'm so glad that we stepped out of our comfort zone.

The project that I covered was the food truck adopt a block. I loaded up in a truck with tons of produce and canned goods and headed down town. As we approached the site my eyes were in shock by the amount of people waiting for food. I couldn't believe the need was so great. As the volunteers passed out food to all the families, I had to fight back the tears. Right afterwards we headed back to the Dream Center where the whole center was filled with children from the surrounding area. They do a Bible study with them, play games, and feed them.

I learned and was reminded so much from the volunteers who so willingly and cheerfully volunteer every Saturday. First thing is a servants heart is a beautiful thing and one of the many examples of how Christ wants us to live our lives. 2. I was reminded that yes a meal relieves the hunger pain for a few hours, but a hug, smile, and kind words can make someone's day 3. I need to branch out of my comfort zone more often:). 4. I need to be less selfish, because giving is WAY better then receiving. 5. That there's a need and cry for help everywhere. Hunger, pain, and suffering not only exsists in different countries, or an hour and a half away, but it also exsists right next door. So open your eyes!

Click here to check out the DREAM CENTER. It's AMAZING! We're putting together a slideshow so stay tuned:)

Also a big THANK YOU to Shannon for being so wonderful and making us feel so welcomed from the very moment we contacted the Dream Center.