Other Experiences
Aside from the benefits of a formal education, I am a firm believer that life is one of the greatest teachers. Our experiences can shape us in ways that sitting in a classroom can not. Does that mean that the latter is wrong? Not by any means. What is learned within a classroom can be transferred to our everyday walk, and conversely.
What must be remembered is that we hold the choice to keeping our eyes wide open, and our hands outstretched.
"You outshine the brightest sun. . . when you smile, I fall apart, and I thought I was so smart."
Lin-Manuel Miranda
I have worked in various areas of community service for nearly fifteen years. Any chance I have had to reach out into my corner of the world, I have taken. I feel very strongly that it behooves all of us who can to do what we are able.
Some of the places in which I served before and while in high school include the Matthews Help Center, the Help Crisis Pregnancy Center, Bright Blessings, a church's food bank, and several nursing homes. The last was a music ministry of sorts; the home school group that my family was in ran these events, and all of us who were musicians were asked to play.
While I was in Bible School, I volunteered around campus as much as possible. Aside from the children's ministry, which will be mentioned in further detail below, I was also able to aid the admission's staff with attendance, help in the call center, and primarily, work in the gymnasium. I volunteered for every basketball game my three years as a student, assisted with birthday parties, and did whatever I could to help with the gym's part in the yearly Christmas lights extravaganza. There were also several other special events on campus at which I served as the need arose.
In those years, I had the privilege of going on two mission trips to the Arizona/New Mexico Navajo reservation, pictures of which are below. We held VBS-styled services for the children, with a mixture of puppetry, songs, and preaching; but had some opportunities to minister to the adults as well. The Diné have had a special place in my heart from a young age when I first learned about the venerated Code Talkers. Being able to serve them was an experience I do not consider lightly, and one for which I will be ever grateful. I suppose I had almost had a romanticized idealism regarding the Diné that stemmed from childhood wonder, but being faced with their reality due to past governmental actions was humbling.
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Photo credit: Chad Reed
After moving back to Charlotte, I began to find more opportunities to serve. My home, Elevation Church, has a wonderful outreach program that enables us to work in and for the community. Through Elevation's avenue, I have been able to serve organizations including Autism Charlotte, the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte, Tim Tebow's Night to Shine, the Alexander Youth Network, The Relatives, the Children's Home Society, Carrington Place Rehabilitation and Living Center, Convoy of Hope, Salvation Army of Charlotte, and other, assorted places, mostly where children would be.
Children are the center of my world. They have so much to offer - even more than I feel I have to give them, at times. I have spent twelve years serving in children's ministry in various forms through my home churches. The ages with which I have worked are varied, but the majority are within my "sweet spot" of infants through six year-olds. I frequented the nursery, preschool, and kindergarten classes while in Oklahoma, continuing in this when I returned to North Carolina. After moving home, I was also able to be a part of writing curriculum for Sunday School classes as well as help emcee and teach lessons for several years of Vacation Bible School.
The place I have spent the most time, however, is that of the Charlotte Eagles Youth Soccer programs. I grew up attending the summer camps and was unable to desist after aging out of the program. While I do now officially coach, I began as a volunteer. I chased around the "Mighty Mighty Micros," cheered for the afternoon scrimmages, hauled gear, lined fields, and did whatever else was needed. It has been in every way draining at times, but oh so worth it. Nothing could be better than a combination of two of my favorite things: soccer and faith.
The middle two pictures below are from camps: one of a game, and the other of a card one of my campers insisted he make for me. Flanking these are a picture of my preschool students' hands, and the precious toes of a little guy I watched.
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Another organization that I am proud to have worked with is Samaritan's Feet. Its primary purpose is to create a world with zero shoeless children. It is currently within its 15th year of operations, with nearly seven million pairs of shoes having been spread worldwide through its work. The base is located here in Charlotte, North Carolina, which means that there are numerous opportunities through which one can serve. I have helped process, sort, and pack shoes in the warehouse, distributed shoes at a school here in Charlotte, NC, and helped with other fundraising events like the yearly Gala, golf tournament, and other anniversary celebrations.
However, the most personally impacting work I have done of all with Samaritan's Feet was the trip I took with them to Uganda in July of this year, 2018. We were able to do four shoe distributions at nursery and primary schools (the American equivalent of preschool and elementary), as well as serve lunch to the students at a couple locations. Below are three out of a thousand pictures I have from the trip. On the left is one of the distributions that we did in the Rwamwanja refugee settlement. We served mainly Sudanese refugee children, though there were some Ugandan children as well. Here, there was a major language barrier; fortunately, hugs and soccer balls are universal. The middle picture is from a school in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. These children repeatedly requested to take pictures! Finally, on the right are the feet of two children from a school in the poor fishing region of Jinja. If the children had shoes before receiving a pair from us, the middle set is more or less how the appeared.
Nevertheless, when faced with foot-borne diseases that come through walking in contaminated soil, sewage, or water, having proper protection can literally be a matter of life and death. Even so, all the children we were privileged enough to serve and spend time with did not even realize how "little" they had. The joy in their sweet spirits was Heavenly. It was such a jarring reminder to not be concerned with the material aspect of life, but that which will never truly lose its value.
My heart was shattered for these precious ones, and my first thought upon leaving them was that I found my addiction.
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino
Photo credit: Anna Schweihs
Photo credit: Angela Pallassino