Spring Arbor University

We attended Monument of Love, our host church's service and Sunday school this morning. Oh how this congregation is filled with the Lord's joy. From the vibrant worship to Pastor Joyce's message from Job, we were so filled and ready for the week of ministry! Monumental Love is so inviting and it just feels like family.

Today on our recreation day, the team enjoyed some cultural cuisine- Memphis BBQ! Central BBQ is a popular destination, and it was great for team bonding.

We spent part of our recreation afternoon visiting the Civil Rights Museum. This was an opportunity for the team to gain perspective on significant history in Memphis and the United States.

Visiting Beale Street is was not just an awesome stop to see downtown culture and life, but also ground zero for ministry in Memphis. Instead of letting our recreation day just be recreational day - we came prepared with granola bars and prayers to share for those less fortunate. God moved in so many BIG ways and opened so many doors for us to testify of His goodness in spite of lifes circumstances, and just be a reflection of Christ today.

For our last stop on our recreation day activities, we took a tour of Mud Island. It is a small park with a topographical map of the Mississippi River and great views of the Memphis skyline.

Today we had the opportunity to serve a ministry in Memphis called Isaiah 117 house. This ministry is dedicated to helping give children in the foster system the best care that every child should receive. They have a true passion for making children feel loved. We helped them with their quarterly cleaning that included; raking the yard as well as some landscaping, organizing and cleaning their storage area, and deep cleaning their house.

After we had completed the tasks that we set out to accomplish at the Isaiah 117 house, we took some time to pray with the staff that pour their hearts into the ministry. We were able to write Bible verses and prayers on the supportive wood beams in the house.

Our second ministry that we served at today was called Calvary shelter, it is a Christ centered homeless shelter in Memphis, helping to change many men’s lives for nearly 60 years. Our team had the opportunity to plan, cook, and serve a meal for over 50 men that live at Calvary. In addition to the meal, we spent time in fellowship with the men and got to know their stories.

After dinner and spending time talking with the men at Calvary, we joined them for their nightly Chapel. They gave us time to lead worship and praise God with the men from Calvary, who are growing daily in their relationship with Christ. We helped share a message after the time of worship, and proceeded to enjoy an ice cream dessert once Chapel concluded.

Each morning during breakfast, we take the time to share a devotional as a team. The students from Spring Arbor prayed on and prepared these devotionals for the week for the entire team to learn from, grow, and be inspired together.

Today we had the privilege to return to the Isaiah 117 house to serve. In contrast to yesterday, our objective today was to not only spread awareness to the community of the Isaiah 117 ministry and seek potential partnerships, but also to use these conversations with community members to share the love of Christ. Before we left this amazing ministry for the final time, we prayed with them and took a team picture.

The team posed for a fun selfie on the way to a ministry site today. It has been fun to see this awesome group grow together and bond, forming many memories that will last.

Our second ministry site today was our return to Calvary Rescue Mission. Once again, we had the opportunity to serve the men dinner and to further getting to know them and their stories. There was a birthday for one of their staff members today so we made a cake for all of the men that stay there. Calvary was kind enough to ask us to lead worship for their Chapel service again, it was powerful to see a partnership continue to grow and a blessing to be a part of it.

We had the chance to take on a fun little side quest at Calvary Rescue Mission. They had letters that needed to be stamped, and the team created an assembly line and completed the task.

For our final day of service for the trip we started the day at a ministry called MIFA (Metropolitan Inter Faith Association) and they serve Memphis through the Meals on Wheels initiative, they deliver meals to nearly 5,000 people in the city. They were kind enough to include us in their promotional video congratulating their ministry on 50 years of service in the Memphis community. We went to over 20 different locations to deliver meals with the team, and took opportunities to pray for/with each of the meal recipients.

Our second service location for the day was an organization called Neighborhood Christian Center. They provide activities and care for children in the Memphis community who don’t have access to many resources. We helped them prepare for their Spring Jam, their goal being to create a “tour of the USA” for the kids that aren’t able to travel for spring break. The tour will include reimagined popular locations around the US, giving the kids a chance to experience the country from their own community.

The team constructed a prototype of the Washington Monument to enhance the DC experience that the kids will go through during the upcoming Spring Jam.

While at NCC, another portion of our team worked together to construct the “skylines” of popular locations in the US for the Spring Jam.

Our third and final service location was still with NCC, however it was a different location. They provide an after school care program for students whose parents are still working immediately when school gets out for the day. We took time to get to know the kids, helping them with homework, and play games with them.

To cap off the day, we went to Memphis famous Dixie Queen, an ice cream and dessert shop. The team had a great time unwinding from the busy day and furthering their bonds while making new memories.