Date: December 1st, 2012
Hours: 6
I had the opportunity to participate in the Salvation Army event, “I’ll Fight Day”, which is a ‘youth servant evangelism day that takes place all across the world on the first Saturday in December. I’ll Fight Day is a way for one to share the Gospel through practical acts of kindness: like giving out free hot chocolate, returning shopping carts or cleaning up at a mall food court. These acts are done “in Jesus name” for the purpose of sharing God’s love in a way that leads others to ask “Why are you doing this?”’ (credit: http://illfightday.com/) We went over to the Winter Haven Corps. Salvation Army church in Winter Haven, Florida. I participated in this event with the Red Kettle Club (a community service organization in partnership with students’ schools and the Salvation Army), of which I was the Public Relations Secretary for this school year. Our chapter was the third Red Kettle Club in the United States and the first club in the Southern territories!
To celebrate the occasion, our club went Christmas caroling at a local nursing home. We sang classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” to the residents there. To make it an even better experience, our friend Veronica attended and brought her guitar along with her to accompany our voices. It was really fun to go visit these elders during the holidays, and they really appreciated it. It really touched me to see how appreciative they were to have us visit because some of them told us how their loved ones and family members stopped giving them attention and paying them visits. This really taught me how one needs to not try to take their loved ones for granted and to always give them the attention they need because one day, they may be gone and one can never get those unspent moments back again. I can apply this to my life because I have older relatives that I don’t necessarily visit as often as I should. Because this activity taught me to cherish them and the time that I have with them, I feel like it can motivate me to drive to their homes and stop by just to show them that I love and appreciate them. In addition, because was so nice and interesting to hear the residents’ stories that they shared with us, I feel like the next time I visit my grandparents, I’ll ask them about their life and to tell stories. For example, I’d request for them to tell me about their life growing up, what their parents did for a living, their life in high school, etc. By doing this and hearing their experiences, I can learn from them and apply what they learned back then to my life today.
This activity really seemed to help and benefit these elders because they were just yearning for love, attention, and just someone to talk to. By singing and talking to them, it put a beaming smile on their faces and they just glowed with an aura of happiness!
All in all, I really enjoyed “I’ll Fight Day” and I cannot wait for the next one!
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