By Lily Herrera
The one word I want to use to describe today and for the past few days is fulfilling. This morning, May 15, I gave a devotion in front of the Mennonite Disaster Service year long volunteers and the rest of the Goshen College SST group. I spoke on how growing up as a Catholic has allowed me to cherish God’s love and be proud of my faith, but I have some past religious trauma from the Catholic church. Though I lost my faith in the church as an organization, I never lost my faith and belief in God. I connected this to when we first arrived in Selma, we were told that what we were going to be doing was an example of being the “hands and feet of Christ.” Now growing up I never fully understood what that meant and how one person like myself could even come close to representing the “hands and feet of Christ.”
As we arrived in Selma and started working on our sites, I started to see what that phrase meant. I had the privilege of being a part of a crew led by MDS Yearlong Volunteer, Maik. We worked on repairing the ceilings of a home owned by a kind gentleman by the name of Edwin. I was very nervous to start working at the house but I gradually learned what southern hospitality truly means and how the work we were doing was actually meaningful and impactful. My crew finally finished all the repairs on Tuesday, May 13th. We finished in time for Edwin’s arrival home from work that day and let me say, the gratitude in his voice and face were indescribable.
I knew then in that moment that all the sweat rolling down my face and the paint staining my jeans, was so utterly worth it. I have never felt so proud of my peers and especially myself. I was so proud that God called me to take this class and serve the people of Selma, to bring them joy in the midst of their pain.
Today, after two weeks of hard work, us volunteers from MDS got to witness a house dedication. The Reynolds family were the recipients of a brand new home that was built for them after the tornado from 2023 tore through it and left it unlivable. MDS and many other partners made it possible for the Reynolds to enjoy their home for the first time again after two years. Hearing members from the family express their gratitude and appreciation for the work we did was so meaningful and moving to me. The SST group and myself , led by Hillary, was able to offer a blessing to the family in song form. We sang “The Blessing” and as I was singing I wasn’t thinking about how bad I probably sounded but how happy and emotional the Reynolds’ family was. After last week and the last few days, I finally understand what it means to be the “hands and feet of Christ”. The work we did for the people of Selma, showing up for Edwin and playing Euchre with him when we had a break, and watching the Reynolds’ have tears in their eyes as they received the key to their house, all of that represents to me what it means to be “the hands and feet of Christ”. I am forever grateful for this experience. It truly had made my bonds stronger to my peers and especially to God.
-By Lily Herrera
