I’m going to do a little recap of our service yesterday before tying it in to all of the happenings of today, because last night things were going a little crazy in the church. It all happened when we were already exhausted after playing mafia until the early morning hours, and still in need of showers before passing out on the gym floor. Some alarm was going off in the church and the custodian didn’t know how to turn it off, and we obviously didn’t know what to do about it, plus the WiFi wasn’t working for some reason, maybe in some relation to the rain and wind going on outside. So long story short, I didn’t get a chance to blog which was kind of sad because yesterday was my favorite day of service so far. We worked with a group called Growing Places Indy, which is an urban farm and non-profit organization. I just want to highlight how educated, accomplished, and inspired I felt after our work with them, because, like the other groups we’ve worked with, every person we met was incredibly passionate about the work they were doing. The two founders of the organization were a married couple who came back from living in Europe for two years with a vision for sustainability. With other jobs already established, they decided to go for it and follow their passion, which, to their pleasant surprise, turned into an awesome organization.
At the urban farm yesterday, we were able to find out how urban farms work and learn about the importance of simply being as educated as possible. It’s clear after our experiences yesterday that a little education can make a big difference, especially in our independent-minded generation. It was also great why Growing Places Indy wanted us to come out, because it wasn’t due to the fact that they needed us by any means. Most places we volunteer truly rely on volunteers to run, but this particular organization was very capable of doing all the work we did on their own, yet they were extremely excited to teach us about what they were doing. This is because they have found the key to making a difference. They have realized that in order to get their message and passion across to younger people, they have to educate them by showing them hands-on how to help accomplish what they are working towards. We listened to guest speakers share their perspectives, physically tilled their soil and planted seeds, harvested fresh onions and carrots (and ate the carrots which were delicious), and gained an astonishing amount of information, perspective, and initiative on making a difference in the world.
One interesting point Growing Places Indy focuses on is starting with yourself, which I really connected with. They made it clear that in order to help others and make a difference, you must start with yourself. This means knowing yourself and how to make yourself healthy, what your passions are, and just understanding who you truly are and what you stand for. Their motto is “Grow well, eat well, live well, be well” which is so inspiring to me. I especially love how they incorporate yoga into their organization, because I have a lot of experience with yoga and I understand the powerful effects it can have on the mind, the spirit, and the body.
Now, today was our free day, so I just want to touch on a couple of things. The most impactful part of today was definitely eating lunch at Cafe Patachou, because that is the restaurant that Growing Places Indy partners with and sells some of their produce to. I just have to say that the atmosphere of the restaurant was amazing. It was warm and inviting as well as fresh and modern. The food was fresh and clean and tasted amazing, especially knowing that it was healthy and local. It was such a great experience to eat locally in downtown Indianapolis and truly immerse ourselves in the local culture while supporting this wonderful group we had the chance to learn so much about the day before. This really shows how much of an impact the organizations we are working with are having on our group, because we all collectively agreed to go to Patachou after previously deciding on a different restaurant for today. I know that we are all happy we changed our plans, and I love how connected the members of our group are. This experience is becoming more and more valuable and memorable to me with each passing day, each new experience, each in-depth reflection, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be here right now. I can’t wait to share more with you about our group in my final blog, when I will wrap up all of my feelings about this eye-opening journey.
Catch you later!