Weeks Two & Three

There is no such thing as a typical day at the Dream Center. As someone who loves structure and schedules, I was unprepared for the spontaneity of their ministry. However, in their flexibility comes their strength to be present in the communities they serve. While a good portion of their programs are focused on food, so much of what they do serves the West Nashville community in every possible area of need. Along with their other more structured ministries all seven days of the week, the Dream Center staff has helped people get accepted to college or find a job or move into their new house. Their dedication to a consistent presence in the neighborhood has amounted to invaluable relationships with so many members of the community.

As I said, every day with the Dream Center looks different as they seek to best meet others’ need. Last week, I spent most days helping out with their “Summer is for Kids” program that provides lunch and fellowship for kids in three different neighborhoods. In the evening, we got to take some of those same kids to Crosspoint Church’s vacation Bible school, what they call Big Gross Adventure. As someone who hates being dirty, this pushed me out of my comfort zone. Activities included giant Twister covered in paint and shaving cream, making kids into human sundaes with whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and water wars. Needless to say, we returned the kids to their parents very messy by the end of the night. While some of the young kiddos I was responsible for loved this, others did not and required some encouragement before being involved. However, one of my favorite parts of the whole week was seeing my shy kids make new friends and absolutely LOVE getting messy. By the end of the week, I was beyond sad to say goodbye Big Gross Adventure which had initially caused me so much stress trying to chase down kiddos while staying clean. Essentially, this week has taught me the immense value in going out of your comfort zone and willingness to get dirty. It’s in the mess that I had the absolute most fun and was able to truly be present in my interactions with the kids.