Today was spent at the Miami Zoo followed by one final team dinner. It was crazy hot until a thunderstorm came through on our way home from the zoo and cooled everything off. This crew is tired (and a few are sunburned), but still making great memories and sharing LOTS of laughter – all while talking about graduation that’s coming in less than a week! Now it’s packing time as we prepare to head home tomorrow. See you all soon!
Today was an incredibly full day – ministry in the morning, then Hollywood Beach and boardwalk in the afternoon, a team dinner in the evening, and a fond farewell to our PPM leaders Becca and Makenzy.
Wednesday was filled with a lot of fun and games. We started the day at Parkview Baptist, teaching the kids about David and Goliath and reminding them that we always need to trust God, even when things look impossible. Then we had some one-on-one time with the kids in their classrooms. We colored, reviewed math facts, built block towers, and ran relays (meaning the LC students ran relays with 1 & 2 kids on their backs.) That was some hot, sweaty work!
In the afternoon, we went to the Miami Children’s Initiative and played games and sports with grades K-8. Everyone had a ton of fun with the kids and enjoyed doing homework and playing games with them. After that, we had devotions and talked about the great things we see in each other.
In our down time today we swam and played several rounds of Werewolf (which is basically Mafia) around the pool. All in all, it has been a fun day filled with competition and class bonding.
Some more pictures from today:
We did a lot of fun, eventful things today! We started off today (as we have been for the last 2 days) attending the Parkview Baptist Church and taught the kids about the story of Gideon and how you need to trust in God and He will provide for you. We then proceeded to join the children in their classrooms. I personally helped the preschoolers with their homework, I got to know a couple students very well. We later got to go outside and play with them. We gave them piggy-back rides, and I ended up running around with two of them- it was super exhausting!
Later in the day we helped serve meals to the homeless at the Miami Rescue Mission. I had the pleasure of sitting down with one person to get to know them better; he talked about how he wanted to become a pastor and then attend college. He also talked about how he knew a ton of different languages and wanted to learn more in the future. It really helped me realize that all those people without homes are more than just a number or a statistic; each and every one of them is a special person created by God with hopes, dreams, and ambitions.
We finally went over and visited the beach for devotions! After enjoying a Jamaican meal we went out swimming. This was the first time I’ve gone swimming in the ocean in a very long time, and it was my 2nd time ever. After playing in the ocean (me and Noah beat Jenae and Lydia in Chicken 3 times in a row and she never stood a chance) we all took the time to gather together to have our devotions. We learned about the Fruits of the Spirit and how they impacted Kenzi as she shared her very moving testimony. We also spent time encouraging Lydia (because it’s her birthday today) and praying for her. All things considered this was possibly the most eventful and impactful day of the entire trip, and I am blessed to be given such an opportunity!
More pictures from today:
Today we started off by going to Wee Care at Parkway Baptist. We were already in groups prepared to sing songs, tell a Bible story, and play games. There were a LOT of kids – ranging from probably 1-ish to kindergarten age. The first thing we did, once all the kids were in the auditorium was sing a few songs. It was really fun because some of the girls (about 5 years old) came up with us and helped to lead the songs! They already knew almost all the songs and sang with a LOT of energy! Then Noah, Andy, Stephen, and Logan told the story of Daniel and the Lion’s den. After that we sang some more songs – with the help of the girls again :). Then we split off into the different age ranges. I got to be with the younger 4 year old’s. They had so much energy, and while we tried to play some duck duck goose, it kind of turned into mass chaos… But the kids were super outgoing and seemed very comfortable with all of us. They are all so joyful and such sweet kids to be with – whether they were coloring or we were giving them “airplane rides” (which were a pretty big hit).
After that we had lunch and then some free time at the hotel. Then we went to a different school’s after-school daycare program in downtown Miami. We were split off into groups again, and Jenae and I got to hang out with the 3rd graders. We were going to play outside, but it started raining, so we wound up going back to their classrooms. The teacher wanted us to do something educational with them and so we (mainly Jenae) started teaching them some really simple algebra problems. The kids were so interested in the math and super excited to learn something new! We got to be with them for a few hours and it was so fun and encouraging to build relationships with them! I think we’re going to be able to go back to that school on Wednesday – which I’m super excited for 🙂
We got to have supper back at Parkway Baptist and it was made by a Jamaican man from their congregation. It was really good – a few different types of pasta and some bread (yes, mom, unfortunately no veggies….)
After supper we had team devotions with Becca and Mackenzy, which was very encouraging. I think that we’re still growing closer as a class, but I can tell these experiences are truly building memories and relationships that will last.
A few more pictures from today:
It has been a crazy-busy 2 days. Yesterday (Saturday) was travel and more travel. All went smoothly and without any snags or hiccups (apart from the fact that some of the boys were unable to stop at Taco Bell as soon as we landed). We are so thankful all went so well.
We met our 2 PPM leaders at the hotel: Becca and Makenzy. Sitting out on our hotel’s football field, with the Miami wind in our hair, we ate pizza and we had our first team meeting. We talked about service and being “All In” – even if it means we are uncomfortable. It wouldn’t be long before we had to put our “All In” lesson into practice.
This morning (Sunday) we visited our host church where we’ll be working this week: Parkway Baptist Church, a Jamaican-American church in the heart of Miami Gardens. We participated in their high school Sunday school class, then joined in the main service. The pastor had asked our group to perform 1 worship song as a whole group. This pushed a lot of kids out of their comfort zones, standing in front of a congregation of unfamiliar faces and singing. But they did it. And they sang their hearts out. (Shout out to Nathan for playing the piano on the fly to accompany our group – he nailed it!) We were so incredibly proud of these kids.
We had some down-time this afternoon (with swimming and playing basketball), then we went to an evening service at another church in Miramar. After a quick (late) dinner, we’re now back at the hotel and headed to bed. Tomorrow we’ll start our work with Parkway Baptist’s kids program, so there’s more pictures to come!
LC Senior Go! 