Serve-a-Thon

Christian Brady, like many of the students who participated in the first annual AVC Serve-A-Thon, probably wasn’t expecting to feel the way he did after it was all said and done. He was probably thinking he'd go out, serve a little, and feel better afterwards like he had accomplished something meaningful. It seems, however,that God had much more in store for him and the rest of the student body than he could even imagine.

Christian, as well as a few other students, traveled to Apple Valley Christian Care Center as one of the many teams serving that day. It is a retirement home for people who have Alzheimer’s or some other condition that does not allow them to take care of themselves. These people can sometimes be shocking. It is almost difficult to look at them in the eye. Many people are timid at first in meeting with them. Christian too battled with this at first, but then he really got into interacting with them and discovered that these people were much more than meets the eye.

After learning a little bit about the Care Center, Christian was immediately introduced to an elderly gentleman by the name of Peter. He immediately began to “talk” with Peter on a whiteboard. Peter was deaf, so the only way he could communicate was to write on the board. Christian and he went back and forth in conversation discussing life and all kinds of other topics. He was reluctant at first about talking about his life, but after a while he warmed up to Christian and revealed that he had been a Navy gun captain in World War II. Christian was immediately interested. He was not speaking to just anybody; he was speaking to an American hero.

Unfortunately, time was against them, and Christian could only speak to the man for so long. After he left, he discovered he did not feel anything like he expected he would. Sure, he felt warm and accomplished, but it was much more than that. He had not just served, but developed a relationship with someone who many wouldn’t even care to talk to. He had learned that day that serving is not only a sacrifice, but a sacrifice with endless rewards. Finally, he discovered that giving even a small portion of your day to people in need can make a huge difference in someone’s life. At the end of the day, Peter may not remember Christian Brady, but Christian Brady will remember Peter forever.