A Few Words From Ruskin!

"I was talking with one of the workers today about a little boy in her class. He was about two year old and the most adorable little guy I'd ever seen, but he was quite hard to understand. At first I chalked it up to me not knowing Spanish but as I talked with this worker I learned that he actually is hard for even the most fluent Spanish speakers to understand. This is because he doesn't really know how to talk. This really shocked me because the other kids his age could speak pretty well so I decided to asked her more about it. I learned that this is his first year at the daycare and he came into it not even knowing how to say his name. This was heart breaking to hear because at 2, or even almost 2, he should definitely know how to say his name and many other words as well. But it all turned around when he started attending the daycare. With the workers' help he now can say his name and he knows his colors. He is well on his way to catching up with the other kids. This is just one of the many cases that show what a necessity this daycare is to its community. The things they do for these kids is just amazing and they deserve so much praise and gratitude for it. They are making a change in these children's lives. A change that will impact them greatly and stay with them for a life time." - Chelsea

" I can't believe how fast this week has went.  Time flies when you are having fun, right? This statement is definitely true for me.  Not only did I have a lot of fun working with the kids, I also got the chance to learn about their culture- I even got to learn some Spanish! I am sure many of the kids enjoyed our presence as much as we enjoyed theirs.  Overall, it was such an awesome opportunity!" -Kim 

“Having one baby on my hip while pushing another baby in a swing made me realize how big of an impact time and love has on a child. These children were so excited to play and have fun despite the struggle of their family’s situation. This experience truly brings meaning to the saying "enjoy the little things" because those little things, such as the simple gift of time and presence, can make a big difference in the eyes of someone else. I will cherish this day and the smiles on those children's faces forever." -Shania

“During this trip we dive into deep social problems and our desire to fix them. A lot of people purely focus on the logistics of these problems and not the people that they directly affect. Spending time at the San Jose mission really helped me connect with these problems on a personal level and the people directly involved. We often don't think about the immigrant children and their lives, because when it comes down to it they're just kids. They run and laugh and play just like every other kid and it was a pleasure to see each and every one of their smiling faces. It was an absolute joy and pleasure to be able to interact with these truly amazing and strong children and essentially just be a kid for a day." -Meagan H.

"Working with the kids melted my heart. I got to thinking that who knows when someone just takes the time out of their day to hold these children, to love them, to tell them they are loved. It broke my heart that every time a little kid would walk away they would make sure I was still in the same spot and if I moved they would find me and cling right back on to my finger. I loved it. Today really opened my eyes that when God says go, go! - Megan A.

"This was a different cultural experience because several of the children were bilingual. One girl stood out in particular as she was able to translate for some of the other children." - Jennifer

"You know when you love what you do so much; it doesn't even feel like work? That's what today felt like for me. Even though 12 hours is a long day, playing with kids who made your heart melt instantly made the hours fly by. With a day spent like that, it wasn't a day of work; it was a day full of fun, laughter, and memories." –Veronica

"Make sure you take your heart with you! A little girl in the three year old room shouted this as I was leaving. She made me a purple card with a large purple scribbled heart on the front. Her reminder really struck me, as I left. There are so many parts of our days that demand the presence of our hearts. Today was a reminder of the importance of bringing our hearts along. The heart behind the mission truly changes things. I hope that you all make sure to take your heart with you each and every day." - Katie 

Getting Down & Dirty

Today our group spent the day at the San Jose Mission which is a ministry of the Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg Inc. The mission is known for housing migrant farm workers.  However, the mission does a lot more offering various services such as a free health clinic and helping people with immigration. These services are not just available to the 120 families who live at the mission but to the community as a whole. In order to receive services through the mission, family must be at the poverty level.  To live in the residential units, the family must be involved in the agricultural business as well as meeting the income guidelines. Our group spent part of the morning learning about Migrant Farm workers from Maria and Sister Sara before receiving a brief tour of the property. Then we got down to the physical labor. Some of us cleaned and organized the health clinic while others raked and cleaned outside. Something that I noticed along with others in the group was how appreciative all the workers were of the tasks completed today. They told us that the work we completed today was things that they do not have the time or resources to do.  Maria from the mission treated us to an authentic Hispanic dinner which we all seemed to enjoy. I would describe today as an eye opening experience and gave deeper meaning on one of the reasons why we are here in Ruskin.   

      ~Jennifer Hepler

See the need ... meet the need!

Day 2: Our week in Ruskin started our with framing the educational advancement of the Gannon students on the trip. Our morning was graced with Michelle Walker, a wonderful woman of God with a heart and great faith. Michelle developed and created the Miracles Outreach home for minors in 2007. This outreach works with runaway youth that are victims of sex trafficking and physical abuse.

Miss Michelle's life in prior to 2007 consisted of long days in a family owned barber shop. She noticed that youth filled the streets around her shop. She saw the need and she met it! Miss Michelle would bring kids into the shop and cook for them after school. The grassroots effort for Miracles Outreach began in the back of that barber shop. She had no funding and worked out of the goodness of her heart to serve meals to these children and make sure their homework was completed. Over the years, the compounding miracles led to four privately funded group homes, with the fifth in the making. Talk about a woman of God!

When asked what kept the girls coming in and successfully renewing their hope, Miss Michelle said "It is and always will be love." She has made a promise to never reject a woman because of that woman's history. Miss Michelle never looks at a woman's past because "that is not the way they are going!" She has always seen this mission as a family operation. She continues to receive calls from local police, FBI agents, and case workers hoping that the young women in trouble might be saved through the love at Miracles Outreach.

We had the opportunity to hear from two of the youth that Miss Michelle is currently housing and restoring. The first female to speak testified to her broken past, filled with sexual abuse, physical violence, a drug riddled family, and a horrible life in foster care. She was and always has been a runner! This female attributed her restoration and success to Miracles, Miss Michelle, her mother (who she promised to never become), and God. It was a beautiful moment what this young girl stood before the room witnessing to her faith, in spite of her chronic struggle. The second female was fearful to expose her story because of the immense pain that the memories caused. She said, "I can't tell my story because it makes me cry." Her silence gripped our hearts and spoke to the deep pain child prostitution causes.

"As I hugged these survivors of the sex trade goodbye, something within my soul stirred. I realized the magnitude of the damage of their lives, as they gripped my shirt and held on to my embrace. I can attest to the sacredness of that very moment. Who am I to hold two seventeen year old girls in my arms, and promise that life could and  would be different someday? Who am I to claim that their pain is purposeful? It amazes me that I even have the privilege of asking these questions. I hope that you all have a moment that stops your soul in its tracks! I felt that today . . .  my soul shook and my heart filled knowing that these women gave great meaning to my life's work." - Katlyn Walters

Why are there so many young people here?

The title of this post is inspired by the elder woman that sat by our team in mass. When we saw Ruskin in the daylight for the first time, we new we were the youngest people in town. Furthermore, our twelve passenger van stuck out like a sore thumb. We were caught off guard with the whole line of golf carts that proceeded the entrance to the church. Ruskin is home to 25,000 seniors that have retired to a life filled with golf and sunshine. What a life!

After mass we did our grocery shopping at the local Save A Lot for the week. In general, all the stores in Ruskin are extremely close for the fact that the community is aging and golf carts are the primary means of transportation. After grocery shopping, we went home to grab a quick bite and bond with the group. We miss placed the keys to the twelve passenger van (LOL) and group bonding went a little different than planned. Instead we decided to explore the area around campus and head home in time for dinner.

Grilled pizzas by chef Sara really hit the spot. We are all looking forward to the big week ahead. To close the night, our student leader (Katie) spoke about human trafficking and its rise in the United States. For many of the students on the trip, this will be the first time that they are working along side human trafficking survivors. Our mission has just begun. . . We invite you to continue to follow our journey here in Ruskin!

Run Fiercely Toward Restoration

As I answered the last question on my health psychology midterm today, the reality of the coming week began to set in. A year ago, when I developed the vision to create a spring break service trip surrounding power-based violence and its destruction in this world, I never saw this day coming.  With just forty eight hours left until my vision becomes a reality, I could not be more excited about "giving up my spring break" to serve the kingdom in this way. The passions that fill you are incredibly important and essential to restoring this world.
A year ago, I made my way into the Center for Social Concerns and shared my vision for a service trip working with survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, or human trafficking. Ultimately, I wanted other Gannon students to have the opportunity to confront and change the conversation surrounding sexual violence. With two short days until our flight leaves, I can say that the incredible courage it took to ask for this unique opportunity was worth it. I am quite the uncommon worker, working for the common good. I hope that in reading this, you run fiercely toward complete restoration of the hope this world longs for .  -Katlyn Walters

THREE WEEKS AND COUNTING!

When I told my family about the ABST trip the first thing one of my uncles asked me was: why don’t you just go on a normal spring break trip? Why would you pay to go do community service? I didn’t have an answer for him at the time, but after mulling over the question for a few weeks I realized what I wish I had told my uncle. This trip isn’t about trying to impress people with my humanitarianism. It’s not about trying to look good for graduate schools and future careers. It’s about gaining the experience. It’s about taking my first steps into helping others. Whenever I tell people I’m a psychology major they tend to look a little embarrassed for me because I chose a major that does not have a lot of job prospects. They ask if I plan on going to grad school. They ask if I know that therapists don’t make that much money. What they never ask is what I actually want to do with my degree. I don’t want to be a therapist (NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH WANTING TO BE ONE). I want to make my impact on a grander scale. I would love to work in a social justice/activist organization or in public policy. I want to influence society as a whole, but I would also love to lead workshops to benefit marginalized groups in our communities. On the ABST trip to Ruskin Florida, we will be working with victims of human trafficking and abuse. We will be completing an activity with them called The Magic Mirror to help boost their self-esteem. I think that it’s super important to love yourself no matter what and very few people genuinely love and take care of themselves or each other. I think workshops like the one we will be doing are a great foundation for building people up and improving their quality of life and I can’t wait to get started. -Cheyenne Moore

40 Short Days

As the semester begins, this weather in Erie could not be worse. With forty short days until we leave for Ruskin, FL, everyone is looking forward to warmer days ahead! Most importantly, we are all working to prepare for this once in a lifetime service opportunity. Our mission includes working with and empowering those touched by sexual violence, domestic violence, or human trafficking. Gannon's campus in Ruskin, FL has generously opened their doors to house our alternative break spring service trip. I hope you are all as excited as the Ruskin team is! Feel free to follow this blog over the next several weeks as we prepare to serve the Ruskin community. I invite you to keep our team in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for the love and support, The Ruskin Team 2016