After serving at the homeless shelter, I was so enlightened by the people's gratitude towards us that it made me realize how I should be all the more grateful for what I have. This made me even more enthusiastic about my CAS Project there, though it is still in its infancy.
However, after the event and after talking to my fellow church members about their reactions, I found out there were quite a few people that were disappointed with us. Scratch the word 'disappointed' because that would mean their expectations of us were not met. In fact, they did not even expect us at all. I agree that when we were setting up the food and our equipment, some of the people looked very surprised, as if we were barging in their territory.
I completely understood that because, especially with the bible study, they might have felt we were imposing ourselves and our beliefs on them. This made me realize even more that while I was naively becoming immersed in my own self-assurance, I became oblivious to their reactions, which all the more disproves the act of true giving. Giving is supposed to be a one-sided act where the giver does not need nor expect anything in return.
Their reactions also made me realize how poor the communication was between our church and their managers. I don't intend to put the blame on anyone but just to put to light that next time we try to hold a church outreach again, we should be even more aware to communicate our plans.
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