I have only been in Savannah for a short time and have been shown how God provides. When we give of ourselves and follow God into the unknown, He takes care of us. Since coming to Savannah, I have received so much more than I have given, and it is humbling.

Several weekends ago, the other volunteers and I were invited to watch a Formula 1 race with our elderly next door neighbor, Lola. She left a sticky note on our garage door with the details, and on Sunday we headed over to her house with a bag of chips and salsa. Her daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, granddaughter’s husband, and their dog were all there as well. Having never heard of Formula 1 racing before, Lola’s family explained the details of the race to me and the other volunteers. They were very enthusiastic about sharing the race with us and welcomed us like we were part of the family.

After the race, Lola asked us to stay for dinner. Her family was more than willing to pull up a few extra chairs, and the three of us took up one side of Lola’s enormous dining room table. Over an amazing meal of shrimp pasta, wine, and cheesecake, we found ourselves in a deep discussion on the flaws in the US healthcare system. Lola’s daughter works in healthcare law and her granddaughter is in residency to become a doctor. The other volunteers and I are all serving in healthcare settings, so the discussion was extremely relevant to what we see on a daily basis. Being able to hear their perspectives on the issue was very valuable.

I am constantly blown away by the kindness, generosity, and hospitality of the people I meet here in Savannah. It really is true that everyone down south likes to feed you! With that being said, I was not prepared for how willing strangers would be to welcome us in and treat us like family. Deciding to spend a year volunteering was a risk filled with many unknowns, but I am being shown time and time again that God will provide.

Kaylan Marshall: Savannah, Georgia