More of Jesus. More of love.

by Emily Laster, EM Summer Staff in Atlanta

What a wonderful whirlwind it has been.

This week we hosted North Ridge Community Church from Johnson City, TN. Our immediate impression was just to be amazed at how caring and generous these people were and our love for them just grew deeper throughout the week.

To begin our days, we all split up for morning projects. One team stayed at the Kroc Center, led a devotion, and helped with sports camp. One team went with Becca (my fellow EM Summer Staff member in Atlanta) to paint at a nearby apartment building. One team visited and played bingo with residents at Hapeville Nursing Home. Lastly, one team went with me to Peachcrest Boy's and Girl's Club where we played card games, lots of basketball, and learned many of their stories.

In the afternoon, our ministry was Kid's Club. We had three locations going at once, but the team was more than prepared for this task. They wonderfully led games, craft, and a Bible story each afternoon. The kids instantly fell in love with them. We gave many piggy-back rides and hair braids, as well as playing multiple games of soccer and kickball. That's one of the coolest parts about Jesus, His love can be shown through just being one of the kids. It doesn't have to be an elaborate sermon because I saw the light bulb go off in the kids' mind when the creation story was told, and they realized that the Lord of the universe created them in His image. A big part of my week was seeing the Lord who breaks down barriers. At one location, many of the children and adults spoke only Spanish. However, that did not separate us for long. We played and laughed the way The Lord intended His family to be—all as one.

One of the highlights for most of us for the week was canteen. Canteen is a ministry where we take out a food truck to places in the city with a high homeless population. The team, Becca, and I came back with story after story of how each person we met left an impact on us. All people have stories, great ones, and it's amazing what happens when we take the time to ask.

You see, from the surface you may wonder what you could ever have in common with some people you come in contact with, but the best part of relationships is set aside for those who take the time to dig deep. I promise you, you are more alike than you think. No matter where we went this week we all met people who are desperate for Jesus, desperate for love. And isn't that how we all are? I know I am, always wanting more of Jesus, more of love.

The mission team this week understood that and so willingly gave their time to show His love and we are forever grateful to have witnessed it. This first week was one for the books and we're very excited to continue this journey throughout the summer.

You must have a group size of at least 6 members to join this trip. Please view the Small Team trips or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.

View Small Team Trips

For most trips, you must have a group size of at least 6 members. Please view the Small Teams tab on each Community page or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.