Looking back on the Summer

Written by summer staffer, Colleen
1 John 3: 18
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
    Our 6th DOOR group this summer was from Blooming Glen, Pennsylvania. A group of 50 people brought their faith and work ethic down to DOOR Miami for a week. It was apparent on Monday morning just how hard these youth and leaders were willing to work. One of the fundamentals stressed here at DOOR is that God and his work are not on a schedule; God is always present in our lives. After working one day at Roots in the City, a Community Garden located in Historic Overtown, one youth was distraught thinking about future groups having to work with a broken wheelbarrow at the garden. In order to put these thoughts into action, a fundraiser was held at Christ the King, our host church. Randy, the youth participant determined to purchase a new wheelbarrow for Roots in the City, asked all participants and staff for any monetary donations. At the end of the day, over $140 had been collected. The group raised more than enough money for a new wheelbarrow, and they kept with their initial intention to donate all of it to the garden. A new wheelbarrow as well as a gift card were purchased on Wednesday night, which is the groups’ free night off from DOOR activities. It really is refreshing to see the groups affected so much by God and his work in the city to utilize what is technically their night “off” pursuing their goals and keeping the primary focus in order to help others and to show how God’s work never ends.
The group epitomized the phrase “love your neighbor as yourself” and always kept the work of the mission and God on their minds even when they were not physically at an agency. Following our Friday morning reflection, the group took the new wheelbarrow and gift card to Roots in the City so that future volunteers, employees, and community members can benefit from a fully-functioning wheelbarrow and to better enjoy the fruits of their labor. In 1 John 3:18, we are told to show our love in our actions, and this group really embraced their experiences to produce positive repercussions for the community. All of the participants are a great inspiration through their actions. They work hard at agencies to gain knowledge through experiences from new people and places which develop through practice into future actions. The faith in their words and love in their actions are a great representation of how the face of God is seen in the city and beyond.