Calvary Women Service Trip

          On February, 19^th, some members of the ASB Washington, D.C.: Human Trafficking group and I had the privilege of cooking a meal and serving it at Calvary Women in D.C.  We met in the afternoon to cook and drove into D.C. later in the evening. I was very excited about this mini trip because it was our first actual act of service since the team was put together. When we got to the shelter, we were greeted by the head chef with a big smile. As we made our entrance apologizing for being slightly late, she reassured us that it was not a problem and welcomed us in immediately. Before we started serving dinner, she informed us that some of the women we were about to serve are very grateful and pleasant, while some were not so much. And with that, we started serving dinner.
           We took turns and after everyone was served, some of us were able to sit down with some of the women and talk to them as we ate our dinner. At first, I planned on sitting with another team member because striking up a conversation with these women seemed intimidating. Some were clearly jaded from what life has thrown at them and I didn’t know what I could possibly have in common with them. Any sort of conversation with these women seemed like it would be like stepping on eggshells and awkward. However, something led me to ask three women if I could sit at their table with them. alone. We introduced ourselves and I listened to one of the woman who was talking to gauge a starting place for a conversation.
          I quickly realized that although these women may have gone through different circumstances than myself, they were not very different from me. Often times, we see people in need or victims of something like human trafficking and feel disconnection. We can’t always relate to someone who is homeless and on the streets when we have comfortable homes to live in. We might want to help them, but we don’t know where to begin. It seems like a farfetched idea to have relations with them since they seem like they lead very different lives from us. When it comes to human interaction, we are often drawn to people we have things in common with. My interaction with these women made me realize that there does not have to be this disconnect between us, who seem like we’re better off, and others, who are in clear need of help. At the end of the day, we are all human and that in itself connects us all. Just like how we stick to people in our same majors, or those with the same hobbies, we as humans can come together and ask for help when we need it and serve at times when we have more than enough. -Caroline