The mid-way point in the week definitely brought many
highlights for each of the Serving Groups today.
Serving Group 1:
Today was Serving Group 1’s first day at their “anchor
site,” the Andrew Jackson Boys & Girls Club. For the next two days, the
group will be returning to the Boys & Girls Club to continue developing
relationships with the kids they met this morning. Although it took a little
while to warm up to each other because of our different backgrounds, after a
few games and some fun conversations, the group and the children were playing
together like old friends. For lunch, Serving Group 1 embarked on their Urban
Exposure project, an activity designed to help the team learn more about
homelessness in the city. With guidance/supervision from their leaders, the
group explored downtown Nashville in an attempt to find a needy person to eat
lunch with. The team was also asked to interview different types of people,
such as tourists and locals, to ask them about their views on the city and the
issues its people face. Many students from Serving Group 1 said that the Urban
Exposure was their favorite activity so far on the trip because it really
helped them put faces and stories behind the statistics we have encountered.
After the Urban Exposure, Group 1 celebrated Jackie’s birthday with a stop at a
local ice cream shop before returning to the housing site for dinner, which was
a catered Mexican buffet.
Serving Group 2:
Serving Group 2 returned to Y-CAP, their “anchor site,”
for another morning of serving with the children.
Today, the group felt like they made huge strides in
bonding and getting to know the kids. They were able to play a big game of
dodge ball, but also had more opportunities to talk to kids and really get to
hear about their lives. Like Group 1, Serving Group 2 also spent their lunch
and afternoon participating in their own Urban Exposure project. The group
split into three, and each of the smaller groups were amazed at the people that
they met. They said it was an honor to get to spend time speaking with people
who were so openly vulnerable and kind, despite their challenging
circumstances.
Serving Group 3:
Like the first two groups, Serving Group 3 returned to
their “anchor site” – Family Affairs Ministry.
They continued to build relationships with the students
attending the camp while also assisting the teachers with providing educational
and spiritual lessons. The group is super excited to put on their Sidewalk
Sunday School tomorrow, an opportunity they’ve been preparing for throughout
the week. The Urban Exposure was the afternoon assignment for Serving Group 3,
as well. They had the privilege of sharing lunch with two men who were homeless
who openly told their stories. The kids had an eye-opening experience talking
with the men, saying that it shattered their pre-conceived notions of
homelessness.
Serving Group 4:
Serving Group 4 actually began their day by diving into
the Urban Exposure project. The kids were really grateful to be able to share
in that time with different homeless people, getting to hear about their varying
experiences that led them to the city. The entire team was really engaged in
the conversations, and many said that it gave them a different perspective on
the homeless population. In the afternoon, Group 4 returned to N.I.C.E to
continue tutoring and building relationships with the refugee children there.
Serving Group 5:
Serving Group 5 also spent their morning at their anchor
site, Project Transformation, continuing to build bonds with the kids. Already
the group is wondering how they’ll be able to leave their new friends at the
end of the week?! After a fun morning, Serving Group 5 continued to the Urban
Exposure project. The group was amazed at how their hearts broke for the people
whom they had the opportunity to talk to. The team started to ask great
questions about what it would really take to end homelessness, and the entire
experience was really impactful for everyone.
By 5:30pm, each group had returned to the housing site
for their Mexican buffet dinner. After eating and cleaning up, the entire
Nashville team headed back out to have Porch Time at Nashville’s Bicentennial
Park. After sharing stories from the day and worshipping together, Lex spoke on
Faithfulness and Fruitfulness, encouraging the team to focus on areas where God
is calling them to be faithful, and trusting the Lord to produce fruit in His
timing. After the message, the team spent some intentional time in small
groups, and each leader reported having “breakthrough” nights with their kids!
We are so encouraged and blessed by what God has already
done in and through this team, and we can’t wait to see Jesus continue to show
up during our last two days in Nashville. Tomorrow (Thursday) night will be our
final Porch Time for the trip. Please pray for our last two serving days, and
especially for our last Porch Time and Small Groups, that God would really seal
these lessons into our hearts to help us live transformed lives back at home.
