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| - Truly a great experience!
I imagine that when a volunteer walks in here for the first time, they are unsure as to what they will witness and experience. I admit, I was slightly uncertain and naive myself; I figured I would just stroll in, pass out some food, pour some water, and walk away selfishly feeling good about what I did for a few hours. However, seeing the hundreds of faces of adults and kids who came in here for a warm meal and place to safely relax for a while really put things into perspective for me. I was surprised by the immediacy of these thoughts and emotions that, for lack of better term, filled my heart.
The amount of smiles on everyone's faces were quite surprising...and I'm not talking about us volunteers, I'm referring to the people here for dinner service. You could feel the genuine happiness that came in with them. Sincere "thank yous" and, "god bless yous" were consistently uttered after I took and cleared their food trays. I asked myself a simple, but perplexing question, "Would I be this happy in their situation?" "Would I be saying please and thank you, or would I be angry, and possibly jealous knowing that these volunteers go home to central heating and fridge full of food?" I don't know the answer to those questions, nor do I care to ever find out.
What the Las Vegas Rescue Mission does is quite amazing! Not only do they offer free dinner services to the homeless, but they offer recovery programs, housing for families, and help to people who are determined to get back on their feet. It's nice to see that there are still places that rely on the power of human emotion, faith, and patience. I don't mean faith in the sense of religion, but the literal definition of the word... "confidence or trust in a person or thing". It's nice to see this is still alive in the age of twitter and witless/hollow comments left on social media blogs and sites.
I can remember a time in my life where I was struggling, living and hoping that I could pay my bills for the next month. Realistically, I was about one missed paycheck away from being in the street. I was lucky enough to have a family that could catch me if I were to fall. The Las Vegas Rescue Mission is a grimm, but real reminder that not everyone is as fortunate as I am. Sadly, I believe I'm in the minority when it comes to that family support system.
I'm glad I was able to be apart of filling peoples' bellies, even for a brief moment, and providing stability in an unstable society. I will be back to help volunteer at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission soon to take out the trash or load up a family's food tray.
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