A Volunteer's Perspective: Karine Parker
Karine Parker is the Founder and Program Director of Be The Peace, Be the Hope. This organization empowers children/youth and teachers in at-risk environments by building resilience and self-reliance and inspiring Hope and Peace through social & emotional education and community & leadership development. Karine visited Grace House in the summer of 2018 to help us begin to address the emotional traumas these girls have experienced. Through art therapy and a special curriculum, the girls were able to gain tools that helped them process their emotions. After the trip, we asked Karine to share some thoughts about her experience at Grace House.
What was your initial feeling and impression when you first arrived at Grace House?
A strong sentiment of Peace
Was there a particular girl that stood out to you?
Every girl has a special place at Grace House India. It is a family of Grace. To me, each one of the girls stood out. They all stole my heart – the ones who were shy, the ones who were guarded, the ones who were joyful, the ones who were quiet, or the ones who were loud. Each one of them had a special gift. The common gift was the gift of Love. When I returned to Houston, a friend asked me if I wasn’t tempted to adopt some of the girls. I responded that it would be heartbreaking to do that and extract one of them from the Grace House family. They are all interdependent and supportive, and they are stronger together. This is why having one or two sponsors for each girl is beautiful and respectful of the Grace House family.
I also know in my heart that each of them will make a difference in her community. We need to support them for that.
What impressed you most about the operation as a whole?
The operation is well organized, with a great support system. But most of all, the Love that Stacey Smith infuses in the process transpires through each interaction with the girls, the house mother and mother father, and the community surrounding Grace House.
In what ways do you think Grace House is affecting these girls’ lives?
Grace House has the strength and power to change these girls’ lives through education, mainly through Love and Faith.
If you could gift any single thing to Grace House, what would it be?
Aside from more Be the Peace Be the Hope, the single “thing” would be Air Conditioning in the bedrooms.
Overall, how did your trip make you feel?
Joyous, hopeful, peaceful, and wanting to come back.
What thoughts did you leave with that still sit with you today?
The joy of working the program in a Christian environment, the loving presence of the Grace House girls, and the kindness of the staff and volunteers. It is a family.
In a single word, how would you describe Grace House?
LOVE
If there is one thing, you’d want people who have not visited Grace House to know, what is it?
We go to Grace House to give and support, but we receive so much more from the Children than we could ever give. So, I want to share with the people who have not visited Grace House yet: First, I am so happy for you. Then, please go with an open and simple heart to genuinely receive the wonderful Love the Grace House girls have to give. And if you want to discover who the girls are, all you have to do is spend time with them. They have so many stories to share and so many questions to ask, too! Look at them in the eyes with a gentle smile, ask questions too (about their favorite color, their favorite animal…), dance with them, sing with them… and listen in peace. This is where Love resides.