Hi, Haki here! I’m a junior studying Accounting and Sports Business, and this is my first ABST trip. Before arriving, I felt a mix of emotions excitement, nervousness and even a little fear.
After spending time here and learning more about the community, those feelings have grown into gratitude. Through our daily reflections, I’ve realized how fortunate I am and how much I appreciate my family for always supporting me and giving me opportunities to grow. But enough about me, let’s get into today’s blog.
This morning, we arrived at Beth El and waited to be assigned to our work stations. Sharif, Nikki and I were responsible for sorting and pricing donated Amazon items and electronics while also checking to make sure they worked properly. The rest of the group split into two teams, one bagging sweets for Easter gift bags and the other packaging rice and beans.
Once our group finished our task, we went around to help the others. Our motto quickly became, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” One of the most heartwarming moments for me was helping bag candy for the Easter bags. Beth-El works hard to ensure that children in the community can celebrate Easter, creating joyful memories that many kids cherish growing up.
Later, we received another large bin of donated items and returned to our station to continue sorting. After finishing that task, we moved on to preparing bags with straws and lotion. At first I was confused “Straws and lotion?!” but we learned that sometimes large donations come in bulk, so they pair certain items together when distributing supplies.
The highlight of the day was breaking down cardboard boxes. We piled them into a cart and took turns stomping them flat. It reminded one of my group members of how grapes are stomped to make wine, which made everyone laugh. At one point I even shuffled sideways inside the cart and accidentally moved the whole thing, which made the group laugh even more.
After our work was done, Pastor Tamara and Abby gave us a tour of the surrounding community and explained how many farmworkers live. Some workers carpool or rely on public transportation if they do not have vehicles. Housing can be difficult due to rising rent in the Tampa area, and sometimes multiple families share a single trailer to afford the cost. Next to Beth-El is a charter school that supports children from farmworker families during the summer, and students can also attend extra study sessions on Saturdays if they need help with their grades.
We ended the evening with dinner, getting creative with the groceries we had left. Some of us watched The Lion King, while others headed to bed to rest for the next day.
Overall, it was a meaningful day filled with teamwork, laughter, and a deeper understanding of the community we came here to serve.
