Well the final day of HP&L was a very memorable day! We woke up EARLY so that we could be to the Xchange at 7 am with our luggage. Yikes! But everyone was on time and we were able to send out our groups pretty much on schedule.

One of our groups got to go downtown and serve breakfast at Waystation, a ministry of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, that reaches out to the homeless of Houston. It was quite an experience. On Monday (the first day of HP&L), we took donations from all of the HP&L participants so that we could buy socks to donate to Waystation. Apparently socks are a big need for the homeless. Anyway, we were able to buy more than 200 pairs of socks on Monday and we dropped them off on Wednesday morning as we arrived to serve. By the time we left two hours later, all but three or four pairs of socks had been given away. During our time at Waystation, our students got to prepare plasticware and napkins, serve grits and sweets, pour grapejuice, collect trays, scoop and deliver peanut butter and jelly to the serving table, distribute goods at the needs closet, and do anything else we could to help. It really was an eye opening experience as we saw a small part of Houston’s estimated 10,000 homeless people get to receive a hot meal and enjoy a place to rest. It was powerful!

After working at Waystation, some of our students went to serve at Medical Bridges to sort and box medical supplies that are sent overseas. It was another great day of counting, separating, and organizing. Another group of our students got the privilege to help at MAM (Memorial Assistance Ministries). Here, our students, made care packages, hung and organized clothes, managed the jewelry counter, sorted hangers, and even ripped newspapers in half (these would later be used to pack breakables).

pretty much every job we were given was completed by the time we left on Wednesday. It is awesome that we were able to help this great church that is having such a huge impact on their community. All the blisters, splinters, and itchiness were worth it!

After three days of hard work, we all met back at the Xchange to hang out, rest, and share our stories. It was a great week where God gave us many opportunities to help those in our community. Now, as we head back to normal life, we are reminded that God doesn’t call us to only serve others while we are on a mission trip. Instead He calls us to follow Christ’s example and live a life of service to others.

Philippians 2: 3-8
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-
even death on a cross!

Click here for a full album of pictures from HP&L Day 3!