Fun and Fellowship

Wow! I can't even begin to explain how amazing our time in Jackson has been so far. One thing that really resonated with me was meeting a girl around my age at the Easter Bash who also likes horses. For those of you who don't know I LOVE HORSES, so one of the jobs I was assigned was helping with the horseback riding. It made me realize how blessed I am for the many opportunities I've been given to grow as a rider and develop this gift that God blessed me with. I thought about how beneficial a riding program around here could be for kids like the girl I met, who don't have those same opportunities. I think God placed this on my heart as a potential difference I can make in the future. Yesterday night we shared about our experiences at the Easter Bash during team devotion. We all were struck by how welcoming the people in the community are here. We were once again reminded of this at church this morning. The gospel music was crazy awesome, especially when Alex and Tyler started dancing during one of the songs! It was amazing to see the congregation so on fire for the Lord, letting it out through their singing and dancing regardless of who watched them. Big John delivered a great sermon titled "It's Never Too Late". My favorite part of the service was when the congregation broke into small groups for prayer. We then shared a personal prayer request and a request for the world around us. During this time, we had the opportunity to meet different members of the congregation and pray with them. Today was also our last day with Dr. Perkins. He came for breakfast, accompanied by his great-grandson, Thad and Evan (staff of the foundation). It was an incredible time of fellowship and learning. Dr. Perkins discussed his vision that spending time with groups like us will help create a greater generation of leaders. The greatest thing about Dr. Perkins is how loving he is. On the first day of devotions, he started crying when talking about how much we mean to him and the hope that we give him for the future. His words have been such a blessing and have truly given me a different outlook on many aspects of life and faith.