Group 1:
Their day began at the Boys and Girls club! They played soccer, basketball, and a variety of other activities from story time to crafts. Across the street, a dentist was giving out free dental appointments all day. The group was able to take kids to the dentist throughout the morning. It was a cool experience for the students to see how important these things that seem so normal to us really are. Quick story: all of our students were playing basketball with the boys and girls, but a girl named Kami was playing with Carter and they drew some attention; the kids loved when Carter, one of our taller students, would play tough defense, blocking shoots and passes, but the kids got incredibly excited when Kami made a big shot right over Carter. It's been fun to see different ways we can encourage and engage the kids, often by doing things that they love so we can hopefully share what we love (Jesus!). This group then went to the Nashville Farmer's Market for lunch. After lunch, they learned about human trafficking in Nashville and throughout the country at End Slavery. After learning about it, they shared the vision of End Slavery by handing out flyers about sex trafficking to educate people in the neighborhood and hopefully prevent future trafficking. For dinner, this serving group went to a Thai restaurant and everyone loved it.
Group 2:
This group had an eventful day because it is one of the group members birthday, Luke Kincaid! They started off their day at the Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee. While they were there, they got to work in the garden. They picked weeds, harvested vegetables and prepared the land for the planting that they will do in the future. After lunch, the group joined group one at End Slavery where they got to educate the community on the realities of the slavery that still exists today. They then went to an ice cream parlor down the road where Luke's sister, Hannah surprised him from Chattanooga for his birthday. He was really surprised and the students loved being able to celebrate him today! They ended their day eating dinner at an Indian restaurant, Sitar, with group five.
Group 3:
Their morning was spent at the Magness Potter Boys and Girls Club. Similar to yesterday, they assisted the staff there in engaging kids, playing games, teaching computer, math, and music skills. The word of the week at the club is "caring," so we performed a mini skit to demonstrate a caring friend applying a band aid to someone who had scraped her knee on the ground. It's been fun to be able to return to this site and revisit the kids. Some names were reintroduced, but many are being sealed in the minds of the team as we learn about them and care for them throughout the week. In the afternoon, we were joined by Group 4, and together we visited Catholic Charities, who had recently purchased a new property. It was once was an old school and so it needs to see a fair bit of work to get up and running as a site to support families in the community. We helped move filing cabinets, shred old school documents, dispose of general trash, and clean up and rearrange various rooms. It was a lot of fun. Both serving groups then got ice cream at a local shop, visited a nearby store to buy Luke a surprise birthday cake (he's 30!), and then got dinner at an Istanbul restaurant with delicious rice, lamb and chicken.
Group 4:
This serving group went to Granbery Elementary School this morning and helped move desks, furniture and books into the classrooms in preparation for the new school year. They met with the principal of the school and he gave them his testimony, sharing deeper information about the school and surrounding community and how he has seen Jesus moving and how he hopes Jesus continues to move in an area with a wide wealth gap and a diversity of students. This group then went to lunch at a nearby park and joined Group 3 for the work at the Catholic Charities site, as well as dinner at the Istanbul restaurant!
Group 5:
First thing, this group went to the YMCA and played basketball. This group also got to witness a massive day care Olympics! A variety of day care's gathered this morning to compete in various games and competitions, including basketball relays, dance competitions, sack races, etc. They then went to "Welcome Home Ministries," where they met a man named P.T. who has been running this half-way house for 10 years. This program is for those wrestling with addiction, primarily men suffering with substance abuse, but this is ministry offers a healthy environment to help them quit and enter society with some newfound discipline and stability. While there, the serving group helped clean out the shed that receives a lot of donations of couches, tables, chairs, etc. For dinner, they went to an Indian restaurant, and enjoyed some Sonic for dessert!
Following dinner, all groups returned to the church for Porch Time. "Remember That Time," "I Saw Jesus," worship, and a message, it was great to hear the students reflect on the day, sing praise to God, and listen to Abbey share about incarnational ministry. This idea that God dwells in us and in those around us who believe in Jesus is a powerful one. God wants to use us to serve His kingdom, and He tell us that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
