Fellowship Greenville

We arrived and were greeted by our host pastor after a long day of travel. Flying into Jackson safely, we got to spend some time exploring the community. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a time of prayer and worship as well as some good stories to unite us as a group before some time of rest!

We got to experience the Mississippi culture in a unique way today by eating delicious fried catfish and practicing cornbread flipping. We received great service and conversation at Cock of the Walk Restaurant.

We finished off the night with some intense worship and a powerful debrief of the day. Having learned and experienced so much today, we enjoyed this time of processing and encouragement with each other. Kaitlyn shared an incredible devotion on compassion, which fit perfectly after our visit to the Civil Rights Museum. God is definitely moving in the hearts and minds of this group!

We began the day by meeting all the kids who came to VBS. You can feel the energy in the room as we prepared to share our lives and our love for Jesus with all of them. Our team was excited and ready to jump in and "build" on the foundation of Christ during this construction-themed VBS!

We all learned some motions to the catchy Vacation Bible School songs. The kids sang about how Jesus truly is our J-O-Y! We also played games, ate snacks, and learned how Jesus loves everyone. We are glad to have 3 more days with these fun kids!

This afternoon we got to partner with Care Center Ministries to help paint at a house that belongs to a sweet lady who spends so much time caring for others. So many wonderful conversations amongst our new friends and our own team as well. Nothing like serving the Lord with those who love Him!

After a good and long day of engaging with those around us, we got to swim in the reservoir and cool off. We ate a delicious dinner made by one of the Sunday School classes from our host church. Then we got to debrief and worship together where we heard great reports on the day's events. To end our night we enjoyed some down time with lots of laughs! Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

We woke up to another beautiful morning in Jackson. Our team got to make birdhouse foundations with the kids in order to remind us of our foundation in Jesus. This craft will be added to each day as we continue to learn to build our lives of the strongest foundation, Jesus the Rock!

Each group had a great time rotating through the Bible Lesson Station today. We learned about Paul encountering Jesus and having his sins completely forgiven and wiped away. Now we can continue the  "construction" of our hearts. Each group leader did a wonderful job helping their kids learn these important lessons!

Today we spent the afternoon with more painting and conversations. As the wall continues to be painted, relationships with those we are serving alongside continue to deepen as well. The house keeps transforming as we reflect on the transformation God makes on the "houses" of our own lives. 

We had a great time of prayer with Pastor this morning as we prepare to share the Gospel with our VBS kids. We are excited to see how the cultivation of these young hearts will help "build" a life sold out for Jesus. 

Another successful day at VBS! Our team keeps pushing through, doing incredible things this week. The kids have so much energy and we are excited for the chance to love on them. God is definitely moving in the lives of so many!

Our last day at the house project was today. We worked hard to get as much done as possible. The team did great working together with a lot of laughs and encouragement along the way.

We got to spend our worship and debrief time at the beautiful home of our trip leaders tonight. It was a great time of fellowship as we processed the events of the day! We are so blessed to be in this place with these amazing people.

VBS ended today with some sad goodbyes with the kids. We are happy to know all the kids were able to hear about Jesus, the Solid Rock. Afterward, we got to eat with the VBS volunteers from the church as well. Then we prepared for our Jackson tour scavenger hunt this afternoon.

We raced around Jackson to see some famous sights in this place! Our team split into 3 groups to cover the city and take pictures around town. We had a blast learning even more about this historic city of Jackson. One of these stops was the Bean which is a Jackson favorite!

We concluded our scavenger hunt at a local Jackson store called Swellophonic. It was an awesome place to pick up some merch specific to our community here. It will be a fun way to remember our new friends in Jackson! 

We spent a refreshing evening at Pastor's house celebrating the end of a successful week! We got to play games and eat some delicious burgers! We also celebrated JJ's 18th birthday with cake and singing. Tonight was a great wrap up to a great week!

We got to sleep in a little today before our last breakfast here in Jackson. Though we are sad to leave, it will be exciting the share all our stories with our friends and family back home. Goodbye, Jackson...for now!