First MAD Project Service

Yesterday, on November 4, I officially started the "action" part of my MAD project. After school, my MAD group and I went to Mr. Meyer to help out around the art room. The first task that we were given was to clean the sink. The sink was filled with dried out paint and had globs of paint stuck onto it. We scrubbed the sink clean using sponges and towels. We removed the drainer and had to scrub that out too. After cleaning the sink up, 2 of us went down with Mr. Meyer to help hang artwork. We had to be very careful when pinning the artwork up because students have spent hours on it. I felt pressured as I hung it up. In the end, it looked decent. However, the organization and placement of the artwork could have been better. I will pay attention to that next time if Mr. Meyer asks us to help him with that kind of task again. Overall, it was an enjoyable first service. I had a better idea on what Mr. Meyer would like us to do.

Currently, we plan on alternating between Mr. Meyer and Ms. Hunter every week. Two students will go to Mr. Meyer and the other two will go to Mrs. Hunter. We will rotate every week. Depending on the need, we will adjust our schedules to satisfy the needs.

First SWD Meeting

On October 31, I had the my SWD meeting. We talked about the different kinds of services that we can help out with. Services included helping the children, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, mentally retarded, drug abusers, and people in hospitals. There is a wide variety of services that I can participate in. I don't really have a particular service that I especially want to help with, so I will explore the different areas first then focus on one particular kind of service if I want to.

Tai Po Organic Farm - October 11, 2014

On October 11, 2014, I went to the Tai Po Organic Farm again. This time, the work we did was not as tiring compared to last time. A volunteer started us off by giving us a tour of the farm. He introduced us to the nursery and the different plots in the organic farm.

After that, we planted broccoli and lettuce. We had to fill the pots with soil, cow manure, and seaweed pellets (provide nutrients). We mixed all the materials together. Then, we used the end of a gardening tool to poke a hole in the soil. We transplanted the young shoots, originally in a small pot, into the bigger pots we've prepared. Finally, we watered them.
 

It was a really good experience, I was able to help the plants grow and develop.

We went to help out in the nursery. We transplanted the baby shoots into small pots. We had to pick the baby shoots from clumps of soil and put them into their own small pots. I had to poke a small hole with a chopstick and put the shoot in. Then, I covered the empty spaces with soil. That is my favorite thing to do in the Organic Farm.

As I have said before, I really enjoy going to the Organic Farm. I can integrate a lot of symbolism in it. In order for our faith to grow, we need to have sufficient "nutrients". Those "nutrients" would include spending time with God and reading the Bible. I should continue to develop my faith.

Approved MAD Proposal Form

Here is the link to our approved MAD proposal form.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PdShI-wRNuX1xwiD1YQ4gf0rfIUmo2a4VNa-sTTmiK0/edit?usp=sharing

MAD - Proposal Form

Our group put together a proposal form draft. Here is the link to it:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wyDJdQonDjE3SApgOEcRixfK9lSYZC-pupFkEWgjSeY/edit?usp=sharing

MAD - Initial Ideas

During our first big group MAD meeting around a month ago, Victoria and I found something in common - we both wanted to help out the ICS community with cleaning and organizing. We formed a small group because of that. Tiffany soon joined us during that first big group MAD meeting. Rachel joined us during the second MAD meeting. We then shared some ideas on what we wanted to do.

These were a few of our initial ideas:
- Cleaning up the art room (gets messy, especially after painting classes)
- Helping the library organize (books, etc.)
- Helping teachers that are injured or could use some organizational help (Mrs. Hunter, Mrs. Wilson, etc.)

We're still coming up with ideas, but our main focus is to help the ICS community with cleaning and organizing.

To my group, I've proposed an idea about going to the food bank and helping out. That idea was put down because many people were not free on Saturdays. No problem. I will still go there myself to help out (this coming Saturday I will help out at the food bank). I'm also interested in Kiva (kiva.org). According to the senior in charge of managing it in ICS, it can count as a MAD project. In Kiva, you provide loans to those who need it. The people who receive the loans can use the money to buy seeds, textiles, appliances, etc. I thought about doing it for my MAD project, but I wanted to do something that can help the community in HK, including the ICS community. So, I've decided to stick with my group, participate in the food bank, and work with Kiva all at the same time. My main MAD project will still be helping the ICS community with cleaning and organizing.

Right now, my group and I need to think of steps and fill out the MAD proposal form by this week.

Tai Po Organic Farm - September 13, 2014

Last Saturday, on September 13, I went to the Tai Po Organic Farm. We met at Tai Wo station and rode a bus there. We walked through a village and reached the farm. A green-shirted guy introduced us to what we were going to do. Two other people and I have been here before, so we were put to work immediately. The rest of the group went on a mini tour of the farm. The three of us were given the task of pulling out old corn stalks. We were given tools to loosen up the dirt near the roots. When we got most of the dirt loosened up, we were (usually) able to yank the corn stalk out. It was pretty tiring, especially under the boiling sun. We had to remove around 20-30 of these corn stalks. There were many bugs and flying insects. The other group, the group that has never been to the Tai Po Organic Farm, planted seeds in the dirt. In total, we worked for around 2 hours and departed after that.

Throughout this service, I was reminded of God's blessings. Many people in China and other places in the world do this every day to make a living. Oftentimes, they don't get a lot of pay from it too. It reminded me to be thankful of everything God has given me. It was also pretty cool experiencing what some of my ancestors may have had to do every day. I wouldn't mind going back and working in the farm again.