Serving at Trunk or Treat 2021
Starting Over — In a Pandemic
My daughter and I moved here from Duluth, GA, in October 2019, and it still feels like we just moved here due to all the different adjustments with relocating and the pandemic — perfect timing, right?
For the past two years, I asked the Lord, “Why did you move us to this area? Why a job in Maitland?” We knew no one here before moving, so we had to start all over and find a genuinely good faith-based school, church home, friends, and business connections.
A Welcome Change
Starting over in all of these areas, we got too comfortable with isolation. We hadn’t had a chance to connect or appreciate the area we moved to, as everyone (myself included) was trying to make sense of what happened.
Despite this, I never lost hope and believed that God brought us here for a reason. God gives us what we need and brings people into our lives, even when we feel unprepared or forgotten by him. October 2021 was a turning point for us as we finally felt genuine connections happening.
Serving at Trunk or Treat
Our experience at Trunk or Treat was just the icing on the cake. I decided to sign us up to serve at the event for the Welcome Team, and I’m so glad I did. I really enjoyed welcoming families and handing out maps by the stop sign.
I also got a chance to wave goodbye and say, “Thank you for coming!” to families while they were leaving. I had so many people of all different, diverse backgrounds stop to say, “Thank you, all, so much for this event — it was amazing!” or “This was so much fun!” or “We will definitely be back next year!” “This was so wonderful,” etc…
One Family’s Experience
While serving, I met an out-of-state family who was vacationing in Orlando. They were looking to take their small kids somewhere for some Halloween fun and came across Orangewood’s Trunk or Treat!
They shared that they go to events like this in their home state that are nothing compared to what this event was! They commented on all of the work put in for the trunks, adding that having the kids engage in activities for candy was such a good idea.
They were in awe and wanted to tell everyone involved that this was the best time they’ve had at a Trunk or Treat! They said it got their vacation off to a great start. The family asked me, “Do you do this every year?” I said, “Yes!” And they responded, “We will definitely be back!”
The Answer is…YES!
So if there’s ever a doubt about if it matters or not to be the Church, breathing life into the community and living generously, the answer is YES!
I and the others mentioned above are just a few examples of the many people that were touched by this event. It gave hope and joy centered around love and community — something that is so desperately needed.
May this story give you hope and let you know how just sacrificing your time, money, and resources can make a difference in so many people’s lives!
Kehana L. Wills
