Any experiences that you've been influenced by doing community service?

Being retired I have time to volunteer for several community services. I deliver meals to senior citizens, record readings of local newspapers for broadcast to people that are reading impaired, help prepare meals and serve them at a local “soup kitchen” and am a hospice respite and vigil volunteer. Those I serve are very appreciative and often tell me so. But even if I had never received their thanks, I would still feel good about having helped.

I was sentenced to community service in the US. It was pretty fun. It was a soup kitchen. The people that ate there were great, homeless, junkies, what have you. The people that ran it were c**ts.

I haven’t done much in the US, but I’ve been on three medical mission trips to different countries. And, WOW. I have so many awesome experiences! Here are some:

1. About a year ago I went on a medical mission trip to Senegal, in Western Africa. One man was very sick, so one of the nurses nursed him back to health and he was able to leave the clinic. The next day, we visited the giant mosque there (which is also one of the biggest mosques in West Africa). Upon seeing the nurse, the man approaches her and says, “You saved my life yesterday. I’m so thankful! I came here to the mosque today to pray for you.” So touching!!!

2. One little boy in Senegal came into the clinic. He looked to be about 10. While he was waiting, I kept smiling and waving at him, in which he’d return. So when he was seen by a doctor, turns out he had malaria and desperately needed IV fluids. They laid him on a table, and he was so scared he closed his eyes, looked away and started crying. I walked up to him and held his hand. He squeezed it so tight while he was getting the IV. When it was over, he opened his eyes and saw that it was me holding his hand. He started smiling and giggling, he was so happy, it was the cutest thing ever!!!

3. In June I went to India. We stayed at a school built for all girls. They were the sweetest things ever. They’d always say “Good morning sir/ma’am”, they’d ask how you were, etc. They were talking to me and my sister and they were saying, “You two are very pretty and nice. You should stay here in India with us! We all really like you!” And then talking about my dad they say, “Your dad, he is a very nice man, he makes us very happy. He’s a good person.” It was so cute, they were so polite and very nice.

There’s also another story about a lady who had elephantitis. We couldn’t cure it, but the lady kept telling us how she was so thankful we were here trying to help, and she kept blessing us. Even though we couldn’t help her she was still very thankful. It’s also very touching and brings tears to my eyes thinking of all the fathers who brought their poor crippled daughters in, praying for a miracle from Western medicine. Unfortunately we couldn’t help them because they were paralyzed, but you could tell that these fathers loved their daughters so, so, so much. They were so clean, their hair was all neatly braided… These daughters were crippled and in wheelchairs, and yet their fathers loved them so dearly and took such good care of them, they were desperate to make their little girls feel well again.

The best part of mission trips are the kids. They are so cute!!! They have nothing, yet they’re so happy to see us!!! I love them so much. I’ve only been on three, but because of those three trips, I know exactly what I want to do when I grow up: I want to travel the world and help those who need it the most :)

Okay Mother Theresa. Thanks for making me feel like a parasite. And relax, I tease a lot on here and I don’t mind being teased. That’s amazing. I try to help out in my communities and I have my causes I support, but going abroad to do that kind of work is wild. Welcome to fluther, you’re a nice addition.

@Adirondackwannabe Hahaha I’m sorry xD But honestly, any help is still help at all, so as long as you’re at least helping in some way that’s awesome ^^

@Misspegasister28 Yeah, help is help, but I need to do more. I’ll try.

@Misspegasister28 I really liked reading that. Thank you for posting it. Just great.

I was a volunteer telephone counselor at a crisis center after being abused by my ex. I didn’t find it “fun” but I met some cool people there my age. And saved a life.
It was a metamorphosis after being married and abused forever and finally being free of him and, an unexpected treat, one of our daughters too. I lived in a nice apartment with our younger daughter and basically , although lonely, had a blast living off child support and meager savings interest. I felt like a teenager again going dancing at night with a friend in my new size 10 body.