The summer of 2015, I had the privilege to work with many churches to bring neighborhoods of children together as a community. We found a neighborhood in the city of Petal that lacked the positive environment that the children of this generation need to lead to a brighter future.

I went as a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, and alongside youth in the community, we spent 48 hours in a park, spending as much time as possible with the children of the surrounding neighborhood. We did everything that was possible to bring a great summer to these special kids. We played basketball, soccer, and frisbee, had fun-jumps and waterslides and many games. We even had the Backyard bus of the Petal Center for Families and Children come for a day. The Backyard Bus brought an opportunity for us to share the resources that are available in our community.
   

Through this experience, my heart was immediately captured by two brothers, and from this, a desire grew to see that their needs were met through our community of Petal. It was obvious to me that their clothing was not ideal for the increased temperatures of July. They both had oversized, heavy weight denim fabric rolled up at the ankles and waist, and that their shoes were too small.
   

At the end of the day, we would walk the children home, bringing with us extra snacks for them to keep. As my mother and I were walking the brothers home, my mother asked the older brother was there any specific need that they wanted. He replied with “Well, my brother needs some clothes”, which caught my attention automatically, because he was wearing such heavy clothing. It was then that I realized the humble personality of the older brother, because he put his brothers needs before his own. Immediately I contacted the Basecamp leaders, and by the next day we had bags full of clothes and new shoes for the brothers.
   

After Basecamp, I continued to follow up with this family. By bringing more clothes and simply stopping to say hey. I was even able to make sure Santa was able to visit the kids as well. This experience changed my personal perspective of reaching out to the underprivileged of my community. Giving small amounts of my time impacted my desire to do more. It was a heart changing experience, because I have gained so much more love for the children in my community.