Reflections on Monday 3/18

Randy:

Monday we spent time at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Church working at the
soup kitchen. This was an amazing chance to speak to people with whom I would
not have a chance to normally converse. However, this leads to the revelation that
this is a personal barrier that I had set for myself. I recognized many people that I
have had the privilege to speak with from my trip two years ago. I was surprised
by the fact that some of the same people who had brightened my day on my first trip
were still around and cheerful as ever. If someone who has spent years homeless,
or struggling, can have a positive outlook, why do I struggle with meaningless
decisions or setbacks in my life?

I have found little reason for the general perception of the negative New Yorker.
Most of my interactions and perceptions of interactions with the others in our group
have been very positive. Anything from someone stopping at a clueless tourist
taking a look at a map and aiding them without being prompted, to people simply
holding the door for others. They are amazingly simple, and generous gestures in the
world today.

Nobu:

I found Transfiguration Lutheran Church very meaningful to me. We spent the day
making 144 meal packs to give out. For a somewhat small amount of meal packs
this took quite a long time to complete. We stayed there until around 4:00 PM.

The most surprising thing that happened was when I saw a little boy and give a
simple “Hello” in Japanese - "Konnichiwa." The smile that came from the little boy I
found very significant, almost like GOD was there in that moment, from a simple
smile.