The Stewart Center team met up with the Stewart Center kids and everyone took MARTA (via train) to go down to the capitol building for a rally that the area freedom schools participated in. The point of the rally was to urge congress to pass legislation to provide healthcare for every child in the United States. The teams were able to help watch the kids as they chanted, listened to information about healthcare needs, and interact with other freedom schools. The kids had a great time and we did too. But it was an atypical start to the day.
After a group lunch back at the Stewart Center, the students got some free time to blow off some steam before jumping into their daily reading program. All the students then rallied together for a worship session led by the Southeast team (namely, Joanna Hester). Then we led students through a rotation of workshops - teaching, outdoor activity, enrichment, and crafts. Each team had their own challenges and surprises as they learned more about the chemistry of the kids in their groups. We had to scrap some of our prefab workshop plans to make things work. In the end, we learned a lot and made some good connections with the kids.
The children at the Stewart Center were a handful. Living in a community marked by poverty, broken families, and a lack of supervision, students responded quickly to the affection and attention of our team. They were very lovable, and sometimes simultaneously challenging to get focused or involved in the activities. The team left the Stewart Center happy and exhausted.
The Walton Reserve team spent the day in the activities building of a government subsidized neighborhood complex. We didn't know exactly what we were walking into when we arrived. Being greeted by a warm and loving staff helped bring a calm that we needed. They were very gracious in allowing us to join them and to partner with them through the day's activities. Although the students weren't supposed to arrive until 9:30 a couple of them showed up earlier than anticipated and were very excited to learn of "visitors." Breakfast rolled along and we finally realized that this was going to be a great experience. Some students were very open to receiving us; as others were a little shy at first. It was a great mix of kids. The ages ranged from Kindergarten to 5th grade; and even some a tad older joined with us as volunteers.
We were shocked to realize that we would be participating in Tae Bo, which is a cardio workout that brought memories of Jazzercise to the table. It was exhausting but great to see the students engage and get active before the start of the day. After Tae Bo we ventured outside for a bit of recreational time . . . which turned out being a very intense match of kickball. The kids were so much fun to be around and just had a great time playing with our team.
Miss Turner led us in worship as well as devotion. For those of us used to the "big show" worship that Southeast has to offer were taken back to something a little more stripped. We were led in worship acappella with a hint of R&B and soul. It was great worship. She then led us in a devotion going through the story from Acts 12 where Peter is thrown into prison by King Herod and the church earnestly prayed that God would release him. The students as well as some of us helped to reenact this story to bring it to life for everyone. All in all it was a great shock to see exactly what we were getting into. Nobody expected it to be this way. God is really doing great things in our team as well as the students and staff. He took our plans that we had made in Louisville and just obliterated them. Which is so great for us as a team; it gives us more of a chance to step up in our role on this mission and in the "Body of Christ" as a whole.
When the site activities were over, both teams headed back to Rescue Atlanta to eat. After an early dinner, the entire team got a teensy bit lost on the way downtown to a homeless outreach ministry called Shelter House. There, pastor Dave introduced the team to the ministry of shelter house as well as his (amazing & thought-provoking) testimony. This quick meeting dissolved into an evening of conversation with homeless men and women. Some had entertaining or disturbing chats with the folks who had come into the center to wait for dinner. Others went to participate in the worship service that was in progress for the center's guests. Eventually, all the members of the team wound up outside to "love on" the folks who had come in to get something to eat. Many of these conversations ended in prayer and words of encouragement. Although largely out of our comfort zone, the team did a great job of sharing the love of Christ with a group of people who are often the invisible in the community.
A quick run to WalMart was in order, so we stopped to pick up some much needed (mostly edible) supplies. Then we headed back to Rescue Atlanta for the night to decompress from the day. Sitting in a circle on the top of a hit that overlooks the Atlanta nighttime skyline, the group shared laughs, stories, and heartaches from the day. The team is starting to feel a little bit of the weight of what we've come here to do. It's a grab bag of emotions - compassion, joy, discomfort, heartbreak, encouragement, and so on. Even so, we look forward to the next part of the journey starting at an early morning hour tomorrow. And tomorrow, the teams trade sites with each other.
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