Tell about a project your Acteens group has done and what impact it made on you and your community.

By Lydia Huggins
2011-2012 TN WMU State Acteens Panelist

A recent project my Acteens group did was to show our gratitude for veterans for Veteran’s Day. We made cupcakes and thank you cards for the veterans at the Veterans Administration hospital in our city. We wrote encouraging notes on the thank you cards and decorated them with ribbons and stickers. We made regular cupcakes and we also made sugar free cupcakes for the diabetics. After icing the cupcakes and decorating them with American flags, we prayed over the cupcakes and cards. It took a whole afternoon to bake seventy-two cupcakes and two hours to write and decorate seventy-two thank you cards for the veterans that were hospitalized during that time. We spent a few hours at the V.A. hospital visiting each of the veterans. The time and effort it took to bake, write, decorate, and deliver our small gifts to the veterans was worth it when I saw their happiness from our visit.

I enjoyed handing out the cards to the veterans and visiting with them. They greatly appreciated it. Their families and the hospital staff were also glad to see the veterans remembered for their service to our country. We visited with one of the men for a while. He had had many struggles in the past year. Even in the most difficult circumstances, where others would have been sad and depressed, he still praised God and felt blessed. He encouraged us to keep doing good things for people because you never know what God will do and what a difference you can make in someone’s life.