an awesome weekend

I hate weird smells. Seriously. They drive me crazy. I'm an asthmatic, which automatically makes me really annoying to be around in smokey areas.

And this weekend was full of weird smells. I went with a group from my school to a homeless ministry in Knoxville, where we spent time cleaning, sorting clothes, and serving meals to the homeless. I have to admit I was a little freaked out at first. Not only did the place smell like a mixture of mold and smoke, it was extremely cluttered and everything seemed encased with dirt. Not unlike my dorm last year.

But once I got working and got to know the people I was working with, it was a blast. We were able to help so many people and I learned so much about what it means to serve others.

The highlight was definitley being able to interact with the homeless people, which was unlike anything I would have imagined. They were so...cool! I mean, sure, they were dirty and didn't look like someone you'd want to hang out with for the afternoon, but once I got to know them I realized that they're real people. They're not just bums from the street, they're fathers and sons and wives and friends. They were funny and had a surprisingly upbeat attitude despite their circumstances. I can honeslty say that my views on these people have definitley changed. I hope I can remember all that I learned over the past couple of days and have more compassion for the next guy I see with a backpack and a cardboard sign.