1st Full Day in Philly

Our first day in Philly was a great one full of lots of fun and eye-opening experiences. We started our day by going to a local church summer camp where we got to play and learn with some of the kids living in Philly. As soon as we walked into the door they took no time warming up to us, it was like they had known us forever. Eventually we all had our own circle of little kids to play with, talk to, and create memories. The kids were so happy we were there to play with them and were extremely excited to learn that we were going to be coming back every morning this week to be with them. When it came time for lunch we all ate together at the church where the summer camp was held. During the afternoon we went on something called an "Urban Plunge" in Kensington, one of the worst areas in Phillly. We were each given two dollars and our challenge was to make someone's day brighter. Some groups bought flowers and handed them out to people, and others offered to pay for people's purchase in local shops. We got to interact with some of them as well. At the end of the plunge we circled up and prayed, two strangers off the street came and joined our circle. Lastly we went to Mary Jane's Home Enrichment Center where we made millions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give to people who were in need of the food. We got to meet an amazing woman named Mrs.Williams who runs Mary Jane's. She truly was an angel who gives everything that she has to God and we learned a lot from her. To end the day we had AMAZING Philly cheesesteaks that filled us up after a long day of hard work! We can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings.

In Christ,
Marie Meador and Katie Athearn