"I go to church every Sunday with my family," says 17-year-old Eunice P, "but it is hard to relate that to my own life. The youth pastors have really helped me to do that."
The middle child of three, Eunice has been active in the church since she was five years old. She has participated in the Appalachian Service Project for three years and is on the youth fellowship council this year.
Her most recent adventure in faith, a CSM (Center for Student Missions) mission trip on Presidents' Day weekend, was led by youth pastor Alex Lang and two of the youth advisors, Chrissy C and Annie P. They drove seven high-schoolers to Washington D.C.
"On Friday night we packed bags of food," says Eunice. "On Saturday we got up at 6:30 a.m. to serve food at a soup kitchen, and we also talked to people that were there and listened to their stories. Then we delivered the bags of food to low income individuals at an apartment center. If they were willing, we would talk to them about how their day was going."
"In the afternoon we took an "Urban Plunge" at DuPont Circle. We split into two groups, were given $5, and were told to meet the need of a homeless individual on the circle -- not to give them money but to actually see what we could do. Our group went to CVS, bought five cups of noodles, got warm water for free from restaurants, gave the cups to five people, and sat and talked to them. That night we went on a prayer tour, seeing how people are affected in the different areas, and stopping at a church parking lot, overlooking the city, to pray."
The group took their meals at family-owned eateries including an Indian restaurant, and Ben's Chili Bowl, known as a celebrity hangout. On Sunday morning they we went to an unusual church service, with a youth band, in a movie theater. "We were constantly being challenged to get out of our comfort zone," says Eunice. "It was a very bonding experience. It is hard for us to realize that we live in such a great area and go to such a great church, to understand that we are being provided with so much, and others aren't."
