WHAT STANDS OUT TO ME
Julia Stevens
What stands out to me about the Just Do Good Compton Initiative was the opportunity to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds. It was not only fun working alongside other Spectrum Church volunteers as we painted two schools, but it was also interesting to meet and work with other volunteers and hear their stories.
We were first sent to an elementary school where we repainted the exterior of the cafeteria. While the actual painting wasn’t very exciting and we finished quickly, the highlight was seeing the excitement from the children in the neighborhood when they walked in to see our progress.
Since we were so efficient with the first school, our group was sent to another school. This time, instead of painting walls, we painted on the black top. I was pleased that we had opportunity to use color and be more creative. The two leaders had chalked out different images, and our job was to fill them in with paint. Two teachers from the school came out to help. Both were very excited and told us how much the children would enjoy the colorful black top. They were even planning a special assembly to showcase the art. I personally spent most of my time painting a globe. I had to mix paint to make the right shades of blue and green. Whenever I ran out and mixed more paint, I would end up with a slightly different shade, so the globe just kept changing color. At one point the blue used for the ocean was too light and the water looked almost white! I was especially proud of my finished work. Every painting was like a piece of a puzzle and every image painted was important. I felt a sense of comradery with my group, those from Spectrum and those who I had just met hours before.
While many of the volunteers were from the local area, there were also people who came from out of state to participate in the event. These people, many of whom were leaders in their own churches or communities, had heard about the Compton Initiative and its successes and were inspired to start similar movements in their own communities. The thing that struck me the most about the Compton Initiative and the Emmanuel Reformed Church, that started this event, was that even though they had only intended to help one community, God had other plans! They inadvertently are helping other people in similar communities across the country.