The trip was eye-opening and rewarding. I have to admit that by my very nature I like to live in the rose garden and seeing this area of the country was very disturbing to me. I want to "fix" things and nurture them and this setting was way beyond my fixing. I therefore had to be content with "bandaiding" things and that stirred my soul. All of this made me grow outside of my comfort zone which ultimately is good! I would definitely go back next year, better prepared for what I was going into.

Katie and Will had a wonderful experience and seemed to handle everything very well. Although they saw and recognized the poverty, they weren't affected by it like I was. Katie enjoyed being with friends and helping out the Tabors. Will enjoyed David (a young S.W.A.P. staffer) and all the things David taught him. They both like the Tabor family and felt comfortable with them. The Tabors were very kind to us, but obviously loved David because he was the one who was always there with them.

I have no recommendations for the trip next year. I thought Deborah, Emily and you led well and all the bases were covered with no surprises. Everyone's concerns and requests were handled well and I felt the group was cohesive and flexible with one another. That was key in making this trip work! I like the intergenerational approach with adults and kids. It felt nice and gave the kids some structure and stability. Emily was key to their happiness because she already had relationship with them.

Thanks for creating this blog. Many in the congregation have enjoyed reading it.

Wendy Dunn