Week 2-Prep Week

Hello from HOT and RAINY Daytona Beach! I don't think I have ever witnessed so many 5 minute thunderstorms in my life! It's very bizarre....at least to me. Anyway, we arrived at out housing site on Saturday night and were welcomed by the pastor, youth pastor, and several members of the congregation. We got a tour of the facility (it's pretty big) and found out the kitchen that we were going to be using for the summer hadn't been used/cleaned for almost 2 years! Not going to lie, I was a bit thrown off by it. I was not expecting that and neither was my team. But, after talking with Pastor Jack and hanging out with the youth pastor, Zack, we felt better about things. We found out that the church had been going through quite a rough time and that Jack and Zack had only just started at the church a month or two ago. We met many of the congregation members (there's only about 50) on Sunday and were welcomed with smiles and high hopes. I know that having the youth here this summer will be very helpful and encouraging to this church. :)

As a service coordinator, my job is to set up serving opportunities for the youth in that community. This week I have met with amazing people who work with homeless families and provide meals to the homeless, amongst other things. I was blown away by the passion and hard work that they put into their work. The soup kitchen, "Bridge of Hope" feeds up to 300 people a day, and numbers are even higher towards the end of the month. There's a security guard there named Bob, big biker dude, and he gives and gets respect like nobody's business. The area that the soup kitchen and the homeless shelter is in is pretty sketchy, but those people, many being volunteers, still go every day to help those in need. The executive director, Troy, told me a story about a man named Ezra who volunteered every day in the kitchen as the pot scrubber. He wore a floppy hat and talked to the people when he took breaks. He died two years ago, and come to find out, he was crazy rich. How amazing is that! Troy said nobody knew that he had money, and you wouldn't have known unless he told you. "Bridge of Hope" was designated the #1 charity for Ezra's foundation. I was almost in tears! I hope that I can live my life that way.

There's a lot of great people that we have met here in Daytona, and I am so excited for the youth to meet them as well. We still have a lot of programming and kinks to work on, but things are coming along. This week was tough, not only because of all of the tasks that needed to be completed, but it was also my brother's birthday. Even after 4 years, grief still hits me like a brick. I want so badly for him to just be here, to be present on earth. Thankfully, God has given me courage, determination, and a new day. I'm hoping someday He may give me understanding, too.

Tomorrow, we leave for a week in Savannah, GA. We are are all very tired. We are little reluctant because we feel we still have so much to do, but we also are very excited to see the GA team and interact with the youth.

Please pray for safe travels and for open hearts. Thanks!

I miss y'all!

Love in Christ,

Jessica