Day 3 at the shelter - Done with the playground... kinda

Day 3 - Done with the playground... kinda
By: Brodie "B-Town" Edgerton and Scott "S-Pups" Waters
Today, was a hectic and exciting day here at the Stenton Family Manor. From a freshly mowed play field to a freshly mulched playground, the kids at the shelter had a lot to be excited about when the day was done. After a day full of hard work that included mowing grass that was 3 feet high, spreading 12 cubic yards of playground mulch, and taking staff, adults, and children on the tour of their born again playground, the members of the shelter had a lot to look forward to. However, without the help of countless children, our progress would've been severely hindered and we would not be in such good shape as we approach the end of the week. In years past this would not have been our problem because the playground and field are the responsibilities of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia, the building contractors of Stenton, and the County of Philadelphia.
Instead, budget cuts and a worsening economic climate has caused these groups to only be able to do the bare minimum that they have to do to help maintain the building's integrity. One of these cuts was a city ordinance that states only the front law of a building needs to be trimmed by a mower. Thanks to the new rules and laws the areas where kids play at in the shelter have heavily deteriorated and have been compromised by invasive foliageand animals.

Personal Reflections:

Scott (four year veteran):
Yesterday, the young women on the mission trip pulled a "prank" on me. The "prank" was to hide my lunch in the freezer. Unfortunately, the freezer ruined it. The generous Ms. Stephanie gave me two of the shelter box lunches (they happened to have extras that day) that the kids will be eating all summer. This lunch included a Turkey and Cheese sandwich (1 piece of meat and 1 piece of cheese), a plum, and a juice box. After two box lunches I was still craving food, which made me really think about how tough it must be for those kids. Given only one box lunch a day (which isn't a definite as the next day when there was not enough box lunches for all the kids) the kids who are going through growth spurts, missed breakfast for whatever reason or are just hungry may have to go hours, or even a day, before their next meal. This could be the tip of the iceberg for the kids because on top that they have many indefinites in their lives and they live in such close quarters (some as small as a five by seven room for a multi-person family). That humbling experience really made me think how blessed and fortunate we are and how little many others have. Next time I complain about some inconvenience in my life I hope the thought of the instability and misfortune these people are going through will really make me realize how lucky I really am.

Brodie (Rookie):

Throughout my first mission trip to Philadelphia, I have repeatedly felt sorry towards the kids that we work with because of the obstacles they have encountered at such a young age; obstacles that I can't even fathom. Despite the constant difficulties that these kids face, I have constantly been impressed at the positive attitude, theconstant willingness to do hard work to better themselves and the shelter, and the never-ending smiles on their faces. Today while the missioners worked on fixing up theplayground, I was approached by two little boys who appeared to be about 7 or 8 years old and they asked me if they could help out. Due to all of the dangerous equipment in the area I reluctantly told them no. However, they kept at it and finally I caved in and told them that they could pick up trash and balls in an area that we were about to mow. After doing that they came back to me and asked what else they could do to help. I said that they could go help the other kids unload the mulch onto the playground. While many other kids at their age would have detested the laborious work in the hot sun, these kids enjoy bettering their shelter and the place around them for others. This selflessness to do work willingly just to help out one another makes me realize how lucky I have been to work with these kids and that no matter what obstacles they may face, they always approach the day with a smile and a positive attitude. These are truly the best kids I could've possibly wished to have worked for.

Pictures of today:

During and after pictures

After

During