Three Cups of Tea vs. Service Learning

Saturday, February 7th, I attended my third service learning experience. Part of the assignment I have been given is to compare the book, Three Cups of Tea, with my service learning participation. In the book a mountaineer, Greg Mortenson, shares his story of failure in regards to his attempt at scaling K2, a mountain located in northern Pakistan. However, his efforts are not in vain when he loses his way, stumbling into a very poor, Korphe village. Here Greg's life calling is found and he charges to build a school for the people he grows so fond of in this village. This begins a long list of many humanitarian projects he spearheads. This man is admirable, courageous and devoted to a cause and I cannot compare the service work that I am doing to it. I am a part of feeding my communities homeless people not because I valiantly woke up one morning with a drive to do so, however I woke up to a letter from Phebe Shen letting me know that I would be participating in some type of service to learn, as well as to receive a grade, in her English 98 class. And though I have loved the opportunity, and surprisingly found that many of my close girlfriends are driven to this type of service with no Phebe Shen :), the comparison I find doesn't lie within myself. Sharon Shultz is the person whose work parallels that of Mr. Mortenson's, as she is Everett Community College's Service Learning Director, and it is she who has ample knowledge, ability and action to produce massive change throughout countless avenues in our communities. I am grateful to have had the privilege to work and meet with someone who feels so passionately as Sharon in regards to helping those in need around her, and who has been successful in linking students as an "army", and endless supply of people, to the work that is so desperately needed, whether in our streets or in our elderly care facilities.
I am confident that even when my time as a student comes to pass, whenever that may be, that Sharon will be an available and infinite source of knowledge to me and our community when ever we choose to make ourselves available to the work of service. Thanks to God, there are people as inspiring as Greg Mortenson and Sharon Shultz in our world. Thanks to teachers like Phebe Shen I have gotten off my behind to help be a part of my local community.