The following was written by one of our high schoolers Gabrielle Memmoli during Soul in the City, which took place the last week of July. Read about her daily experiences.

7-25-17
Today I went to a VISTE client’s home and painted the walls. My group was just using primer today, but tomorrow the group will use white paint for the bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. I never knew how many steps are put into painting a room until today. It was fun experience even though it was hard work and I am very glad to have done my part in helping this lady with her home.

7-26-17
Today I went to Jean Addington’s home and washed her windows. She was very thankful and made us cookies which was incredibly nice. Once the group was finished we went to Mrs. Patti Rose’s home and fixed her yard. It was very hot, however. We all worked together until it was time to eat lunch. After lunch was over I went to Parker Street Ministries and cleaned some of the rooms with Mrs. Hulin and a few other girls. I feel like we did a very good job in getting the area cleaned even though we were tired and ready to sleep. At the end of the afternoon, the helpers at Parker Street Ministries asked the youth group to help them walk the students home. It was sad to see the neighborhood that the kids lived in because there were broken houses and homeless people wandering around. I wish that there was more that we could do for all the kids and their families.

7-27-17
Today I finished painting a woman’s home white. She seemed very happy when she saw it and that made my heart melt. The house was very hot, so my crew drank a lot of water to stay hydrated. Some of my team members started out irritable, but as the day went on, we began to realize the progress that we were making and the impact it had on the lady. I feel that, as a group, we all came together once we felt God’s light shining through us and it became not only a volunteering service, but a mission to do our very best and show this woman that we (including God) all care.