My teammates and I are in Pensacola, Florida this week on our CGA Capstone trip. The vision for the capstone trip is to build Kingdom and put into practice all we have learned this semester.
My team, United Chevra (united friends) made a vision statement before coming on our trip. Our vision was to impart who we are to the people we encountered on our trip and to build Kingdom through relational ministry.
This week we are serving a ministry called Currie House. Currie House is a homeless shelter for runaway and vulnerable teenagers. While they stay in the shelter, they’re coached on life skills and given lessons on coping skills, mental health, hygiene, relationships, and so much more.
My team has been charged with completing some much needed projects around the house while the teens are in school, and then spending time with them when they get home from school.
My favorite project of the week has been starting a garden on the Currie House property. This garden started from just a plot of dirt and has turned into a beautiful garden with rows and rows of veggies that will be able to be harvested and help the Currie House ministry become more sustainable and efficient.
Last night, my team and I met up with a fellow World Race Alumni who lives in Pensacola. She serves the college ministry at her church, and she asked us to help her teach some college students how to do ATL (Ask The Lord) ministry in downtown Pensacola.
My teammates and I got a chance to impart something that has been super impactful for us to some hungry college students last night. Seeing these students hear from the Lord and step out in faith to pray for strangers in public for the first time was incredible. I loved hearing how the experience impacted them.
The Lord has been really sweet to me on this trip. I feel like He’s just given me little gifts along the way that were just for me. I’m learning that the Father really does love to give good gifts to His children.
The garden has been such a sweet gift from the Father this week. I absolutely love to garden and I also have a high passion for excellence. Getting the freedom from this ministry to put my own creative twist on this garden has been so sweet. I’ve gotten to teach my teammates and some of the ministry staff how to start a garden, while also making sure that everything gets done with excellence. Creativity is a big part of who I am, and I’ve gotten to impart that to my teammates and to the kids at Currie House.
Two of the college students that I met last night were also a sweet gift from the Father that I felt were just for me. They reminded me so much of myself when I was their age. Hungry and wide eyed and eager to learn and experience the Lord in a new way. We had great conversations and I got to watch as they loved complete strangers in their city without hesitation. Afterwords they invited me to their cutie little home to watch a movie and chat some more. I love ministering to high school and college age students, so this was a huge treat for me. They encouraged me and loved me so well, too.
Our vision to build kingdom through relational ministry and to impart who we are to others has come to life in just a few short days. I’m thankful that The Lord placed me in a position to give and receive this week.
Would you like to partner with me on this trip?
You can sponsor a project or a full day of ministry by donating to the fundraising tab just above this blog title. Or you can venmo me at @Abby-Eades.
Grace and peace from Florida!
