"But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear."
2 Timothy 4:17

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Serving at DaySpring

     The women that stay at DaySpring are constantly telling me what a top notch shelter it is. Many of them have stayed at other shelters and they always claim that DaySpring is the best one in Oklahoma. This is primarily because of the care of the staff and the upkeep of the facility. At our shelter the women are each cared about individually and we try to go above and beyond to meet their specific needs. On top of that, great precautions are taken to protect our guest's safety.

     Many of you have asked me what exactly I would be doing at the center and before coming here and completing my training, I had no idea! Now, I have been working about a week without a staff member supervising me and all that this position entails is beginning to make more sense to me. All of us summer missionaries (also referred to as summer girls) are considered to be on house staff. The job description that comes with the title is pretty endless.
Here is how I have been able to contribute since I arrived at DaySpring:
  • I have cooked and served lunch and dinner to all of the guests and staff (approximately 40 to 50 women and children).
  • I have cleaned, a lot. Haha. I've cleaned up meals, dishes, and a couple of bedrooms.
  • I have answered the phone and completed multiple phone intakes. (A phone intake consists of taking down information from a caller wanting to stay at the shelter.)
  • I have done administrative work, such as charting and putting together a chore list for the ladies.
  • I have administered medicine to the ladies (they are required to keep all of their medications locked up).
  • I teamed up with other summer girls and completely reorganized 10 freezers.
  • I have also watched many adorable babies!
We have four shift times and I have served on three of them: the 7am to 3pm, 1pm to 9pm, and 3pm to 11pm. We also have an 11pm to 7am shift, but we won't be on that one often, if ever.

     As summer girls, we are also in charge of putting together special events for the ladies. Last night we had Christmas in June. It was a blast! We had a Christmas feast, made a Christmas tree out of our hand prints, read the story of Jesus in the bible, made Christmas cookies, and every guest and child received a present. It was such a wonderful experience to watch them all open presents and be so very grateful for what they received. One little boy said "oh wow, this is too much!" It was so heartwarming to see the joy Jesus brought across all of their faces. We have a few more ideas in the works and I will make sure to let you all know how they go!

     My time here is flying by so quickly and everyday I am here God is making it less painful to be away from home. I still miss everyone very much, but I am grateful to have this unique summer experience! All of your prayers are truly making a difference and I thank you for them.


"In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge."
Proverbs 14:26

Until next time,
Lindsay

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