Blast Off to Atlanta!- Human Trafficking and Women's Health

It was a cold and foggy Thursday morning... just kidding it was kind of hot and everyone was a little cranky because it was 7am. The ride to Atlanta was full of good jams and conversations about baby muffins and horse-sized ducks. We arrived at our housing site City of Light, and the perpetually amiable Reverend Paul greeted us and gave us a tour of the Spiritual Center. We bonded over grocery shopping at the local Walmart while picking out multiple flavors of pop tarts, break-and-bakes, and 8 pounds of ground beef. We shared mysterious medical stories and wondered how any of us are alive... or can see the world around us (because every last one of us has terrible eyesight). We ended the night feeling warm, fuzzy, and concerned for Owen's health with dreams of chair beds and crashing elevators. 

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we awoke to a wonderful breakfast of sugary cereal and Poptarts. We started off our day of service with our housing site - City of Light. We transported books and some unbelievably old computers to a storage unit. In the process, we managed to make a magnificent library and clean out an entire room to make space for a new office. The new library was #aesthetic once we were done with it. Next, we went to Covenant House for more service. Covenant House is a non-profit that houses 18-21 year olds who have been affected by human trafficking and homelessness. We split into two groups and did two different types of work. One group helped assemble furniture, including a desk and a dresser. The other group helped stamp and address OVER 1800 invitations to their largest annual fundraiser. The fundraiser brings in Broadway stars from New York and last year brought in $600,000. This year, the organization is expecting the fundraiser to bring in $750,000!!! Our small group had a big impact on this organization. The work we did would have taken one person weeks, but we tackled it in a matter of hours. We were proud to have been able to do so much for such a good cause. 

We had tacos and coffee for dinner (Fiesta Friday) with BREAK-AND-BAKE COOKIES. We ended the night by playing Clue and Cards Against Humanity. We had some serious Clue amateurs in our group. Overall, it was an amazing day full of laughter, hard work, bonding, and reflection of what we learned from the Atlanta community. On to the next day.. gotta blast!