Would you give up your Easter break to help other people? From April 9th to 13th eight young men from Ogema, Pangman, Halbrite and Moose Jaw, SK did just that and attended Project AWARE based out of the Regina Apostolic Church. Project AWARE is a youth missions program aimed at helping youth from Grades 7 to 12 become more “AWARE” of the world around them and challenge them to make a difference in their world. Fourty-two teens from all over Saskatchewan came together this week to learn how to give of themselves and help to meet the needs of the people that surround them. The teens “camped out” at the church and each day went out to help out where needed.
The week started with icebreakers to get everyone acquainted. They were split into smaller groups and then went to work. Some of the missions included were working at soup kitchens, the food bank, youth centers and park cleanup. They went to parks in lower income areas and played games, painted faces and made animal balloons for the children who were brave enough to come out in the wind! The church had two buses running, one called “The Burger Bus” that went out with 100 burgers to downtown Regina and fed people and talked with them. The other bus was called “The Love Bus” which went downtown as well and spent time talking to people from all sorts of backgrounds and just letting them know that people did care about them. Some of the groups were able to tour the Regina City Police station as well.
Each group also had to experience what it would be like to have a physical disability of some kind. They were blindfolded and had to make their way around without sight. They had to use wheelchairs to find and purchase a list of items from local stores. These experiences helped the teens to feel compassion for those who live with these disabilities every day.
The week ended with an evening service on Friday, April 13th. The evening was open to family and friends and was a great way to end the week. Each group spoke about their experiences and what they learned from them. The evening closed with a video from “Street Invaders” which is a similar program that is run over the summer months for two to three weeks all across Canada. Each of these teens left with the knowledge that one person can make a difference! The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’ – Matthew 25:40.
