Hello All!
October 1st to October 7th, the girls on my squad were blessed with the opportunity to go to Fort Myers, Florida for a week of ministry. We left on Sunday and it was a 10 hour drive, but it was so fun! We stopped at a Bucee’s gas station and I’m still confused why a gas station is that big. lol
Once we got there and were settled in, we got our ministry assignments for the week. Each team was either helping rebuild a house or did landscaping work. We helped in the Harlem Heights community working on houses that were destroyed last year from hurricane Ian.
My team (team Harvest), was split for the week, so three of us went to one house and the other four went to another house. My team consisted of my team leader, Ally, and my two teammates, Katie and Claire. We got to work at a man named Johnny’s house. We got to put up cabinets, paint the house, install doors, and trim. I had so much fun helping out and getting to know Johnny at the same time. He is such a sweet man and even bought us lunch a few of the days as a treat! While we were working at Johnny’s we also got to know his next door neighbor, Miss Martha. She was so kind and let us use her bathroom everyday and gave us treats as well. She is such an amazing woman of God and I loved going over and sitting with her for an hour to just chat.
During the week there, we also were able to meet the rest of the Harlem Heights community at a dinner. We were able to hear their stories and how the hurricane impacted them. It was such a sweet night filled with amazing fellowship.
Once the week was over, we headed back to Gainesville, Georgia for a week of debrief. Debrief week is basically a big rest week, with the occasional meeting or one-on-one with our coaches, mentors, or leaders. We had worship each morning and then free time. I was able to rest a lot and spend so much time in the Word. During debrief week, I was able to have a one-on-one with my coach, Brandi. She is such a sweet woman and was able to give me so much wisdom and advice on how to get the most out of this amazing journey. I loved being able to talk to her. We also got to do a question panel with the male leaders. Us girls were able to ask them questions like, “How do we best respect the boys and encourage them in a loving way?” or “How did you know your wife was the one and how did you propose?” It was such a great night filled with laughter and even tears. Another activity that we were able to do was “Speed Dating.” It was speed dating in the sense, but not literally. We all got in two lines and faced each other and had two minutes to ask a question before moving on to the next person. It was such a fun way to have conversations with people I don’t usually talk to.
At the end of Debrief Week, we had our Worship and Commissioning Night. We worshiped for an hour and then prayed for each other in preparation of leaving to go to the Nations. My squad leaves on Wednesday to go to Guatemala for a month and a half. I am so excited to finally reach the field and do ministry everyday!
I hope you enjoyed this update and more are coming!
Blessings,
Emma
