Family Visit Anyone?
Shalom everyone…
The ENP experiences continue to move this blogger to share. About a week ago (forgive the lapse in time once more, what else can you do when your computer goes up in smoke?), I had my second mission trip with ENP. Another unique experience indeed. At the CC and CD Mission, we had visitors from various federations in the United States come to visit the homes of some of the students that participate in ENP sponsored activities.
I will spare you details about how the day was humid and sticky, how great the tuna sandwiches were and how a cat stole one of said tuna sandwiches because, frankly, this was all overshadowed by the success of the visit in which I participated. I was part of one of the sixteen simultaneous home visits that took place that day. The bus took us to Lod, a city located in the heart of Israel, but poor in resources and struggling to stabilize the city's infrastructure. Here, 43.3% percent of residents find themselves earning a minimum salary or less and only 46.5% of twelfth graders qualify for matriculation certificates. We had not even finished getting off of the bus when a friendly man approached us, grinning widely and his hand already extended to greet us. He led us up the elevator and to the home, where once more, inviting grins, extended hands and a bowl of small pretzels awaited.
We listened to the family's story intently as the hosts handed us glasses of cold water. The story was more quenching to us than the cold water. It was a story entangled with struggle, endurance and love. When the child began to share her story of her involvement in ENP, hope and perseverance rang in the room. A couple of details stand out.
The father directed his attention to the donors and shared, "If it was not for your support, my daughter would not be able to get the assistance that has gotten her this far. I want all of my children to be able to participate in the Scholastic Assistance Programs." This came after she shared that she passed her level 4 Matriculation Exam in Science due to ENP's Scholastic Assistance Program.
"I want to be an engineer and I know that ENP will help me get there," she said.
I wish I had the words to describe the sincerity in the family's voice and the gratefulness that they exuded. At the end of our visit, the group began taking pictures with the host family expressing that they wanted to be able to remember people that had inspired them. As I got in the elevator with of few of these visitors, I asked, "What did you think of the experience?" One of the women looked right at me and said, "I had Goosebumps the entire time that they were talking." I am assuming that means that she enjoyed it. I could overhear how everyone had discussed their experiences on the bus ride back to our meeting point in Beit Shemesh. Among the chatter, my thoughts slowly drifted back to the future engineer and once more made me excited about the multiple stories that I have yet to hear.
The ENP experiences continue to move this blogger to share. About a week ago (forgive the lapse in time once more, what else can you do when your computer goes up in smoke?), I had my second mission trip with ENP. Another unique experience indeed. At the CC and CD Mission, we had visitors from various federations in the United States come to visit the homes of some of the students that participate in ENP sponsored activities.
I will spare you details about how the day was humid and sticky, how great the tuna sandwiches were and how a cat stole one of said tuna sandwiches because, frankly, this was all overshadowed by the success of the visit in which I participated. I was part of one of the sixteen simultaneous home visits that took place that day. The bus took us to Lod, a city located in the heart of Israel, but poor in resources and struggling to stabilize the city's infrastructure. Here, 43.3% percent of residents find themselves earning a minimum salary or less and only 46.5% of twelfth graders qualify for matriculation certificates. We had not even finished getting off of the bus when a friendly man approached us, grinning widely and his hand already extended to greet us. He led us up the elevator and to the home, where once more, inviting grins, extended hands and a bowl of small pretzels awaited.
We listened to the family's story intently as the hosts handed us glasses of cold water. The story was more quenching to us than the cold water. It was a story entangled with struggle, endurance and love. When the child began to share her story of her involvement in ENP, hope and perseverance rang in the room. A couple of details stand out.
The father directed his attention to the donors and shared, "If it was not for your support, my daughter would not be able to get the assistance that has gotten her this far. I want all of my children to be able to participate in the Scholastic Assistance Programs." This came after she shared that she passed her level 4 Matriculation Exam in Science due to ENP's Scholastic Assistance Program.
"I want to be an engineer and I know that ENP will help me get there," she said.
I wish I had the words to describe the sincerity in the family's voice and the gratefulness that they exuded. At the end of our visit, the group began taking pictures with the host family expressing that they wanted to be able to remember people that had inspired them. As I got in the elevator with of few of these visitors, I asked, "What did you think of the experience?" One of the women looked right at me and said, "I had Goosebumps the entire time that they were talking." I am assuming that means that she enjoyed it. I could overhear how everyone had discussed their experiences on the bus ride back to our meeting point in Beit Shemesh. Among the chatter, my thoughts slowly drifted back to the future engineer and once more made me excited about the multiple stories that I have yet to hear.
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