Praise God for the beautiful weather, which has provided us with not only beautiful scenery/sunsets, but excellent opportunities to serve Him, as well. We've just passed the mid-way point of our trip, and Day 4 was a huge success on so many levels!
Serving Group 1 (Lex and Kyle) spent their morning serving with Food and Friends, an organization that delivers meals to people with severe illnesses and diseases. A few other serving groups have already helped at this site earlier in the week and, after a lot of positive feedback, this group was excited to experience the program for themselves. Most of the team helped in the kitchen with Kyle, while a few others went on the delivery route with Lex. Both groups added their rave reviews to the experience of helping feed dozens of people in need throughout the city. After serving at Food and Friends all morning, the team stopped at the Frederick Douglas historic house to eat their lunches. The students loved being in such a memorable spot, especially with the beautiful view of the city. With the afternoon came the opportunity to help with the renovation of a rundown church. Pastor Mike and his wife, Terry, were so grateful for the assistance. Their congregation had recently purchased the facility, and all 50,000 square feet of the church, school, gym, and other side buildings were in desperate need of cleaning, renovating, and general TLC. After working hard all afternoon, Mike and Terry prayed with the team, calling your children their "angels sent from heaven." This church hopes to someday host groups like CSM so that more students like our team can come to serve Washington, DC.
Serving Group 2 (Margaret and Aaron) started their day at Charlie's Place, a ministry that serves breakfast to those living on the streets. Facilitated by former homeless men themselves, the volunteers do an amazing job feeding, clothing, and spiritually investing in those in need. When the team finished at 10 AM, they ventured on a prayer walk around the community of the team housing site. The students enjoyed this unique opportunity to both learn about the local businesses as well as pray for community development. It's amazing to see group members really come out of their shells and grow in the spiritual discipline of prayer. Some kids who were hesitant to pray towards the beginning of the week are now voluntarily offering to pray out loud for the entire group - a true sign of God at work on this trip. In the afternoon, they visited St. Thomas More, an elderly home and rehab facility in Maryland. Your kids did an awesome job continuing to step out of their comfort zones by visiting and praying for the patients there.
Serving Group 3 (Tarah and Andrew) began rather early, but your kids awoke with a positive attitude and eagerness to serve. They began at S.O.M.E., "So Others Might Eat," a kitchen open to the public for breakfast and lunch. A few members of the group chatted with one particular gentleman who was very musically talented and entertained us with his piano skills. It was eye opening to hear a first hand account of homelessness. The team was filled with compassion when hearing about his struggles, but was encouraged by his hope and positivity about the possibilities for his future. After eating lunch at S.O.M.E., the group went to an after care program for low income families. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent the afternoon outside playing with the children. Despite a long morning on their feet, your kids rallied to meet the needs of others and selflessly invested into the ministry and the children there.
Serving Group 4 (Craig and KK) served in the morning at a Christian day care program in inner city D.C. In order to keep the kids engaged in their education, our students assisted by tutoring in Math and Reading. Although some of the younger children were easily distracted, this team displayed incredible patience and perseverance, the kind that can only come from being connected to Christ. After the tutoring sessions, the group channeled their musical talents and prepared the kids for an upcoming musical performance and play, which was a lot of fun. In the afternoon, the team went to the National Mall with the mission of gathering public opinion about homelessness in D.C. They asked tourists, Washingtonians, and public officials to gain a wide perspective on the topic. Surveying others helped them gain insight into an issue that's not often encountered or talked about in Williamsburg, and the group was challenged to rethink some pre-conceived notions about homelessness and what our responsibility as believers might be when it comes to this tough issue.
All four teams went to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner tonight. It was fun and interesting learning about the history of the restaurant and the plethora of renowned visitors they have hosted. For porch time, we walked through the FDR memorial and settled on a grassy spot near the Potomac River. Craig talked about "Incarnational Ministry" and painted a vivid picture of how we can not only show or carry Christ to others, but how we must also see God in the face of those we are serving. Your kids are seeing Jesus in others, as well as displaying that Jesus is alive and well in them. After porch time, the teams split up into small groups to again spend some great discussion time with their leaders.
As we've said before, we are so grateful for your continued prayers, and we would love to invite everyone to a corporate prayer meeting tonight (Thursday, 7/12) at 7pm in Moog Hall to pray for both the DC mission team and the NC mission team. Wrenn Holland, Deacon of Student Ministries, will be leading that time of prayer. As you pray, the DC team will be just starting our major porch time for the week, and we are hoping that it will have a big impact on your children as they reflect on their time in our nation's capital. Please pray that our time tomorrow night is encouraging, challenging, and transformational. We hope you will all be able to join Wrenn at 7pm in Moog Hall, and we look forward to updating you on how God answers your prayers for this team!
