Day 74 & 75

Keep your head up

     So Monday night the 2 mission teams arrived! Both from Indiana! Woohoo! We had orientation Monday night and took them to Kroger for breakfast!

    

Tuesday

     Today we climbed Stone Mountain. It was pretty humid... but something I loved about both teams this week is how they waited for the entire team as they were climbing up the mountain. Pastor Andy always says how as a team we are supposed to be together as a community through the good and through the bad. Seeing that these groups have already begun to do so... well that just makes us interns happy :)

     After Stone Mountain we hit up Cici's where I always eat too much... the dessert pizza is the best of course (even though I had to wait like 10 minutes for a brownie... ) After lunch we returned to our parish and hit the streets! Our group started at Peachtree and Pine. There I was able to go to the top of the Lot to talk to several of my friends who welcomed me in. I introduced them to the team and we just began to talk. I talked a lot to Vesta who told me about her new job at Evo's and one day we interns are all gonna visit her. She was able to give a group extremely good advice about the city. She told them how we each choose our decisions and it's up to us to want to make a change in our lives. A lot of the guys from the street accept that their life will always be how it is now. But, like Vesta, people can decide to get out of the situation they are in and, like Vesta, can continue to make a positive impact in her life and others. 

     I also spent time with Tonette! She made sure I had a place to sit and we had a nice conversation! She told me how she is waiting to get her SSI and I told her I'd keep her in my prayers- so please anyone and everyone who's reading this do the same :) After the Lot we went to Peachtree Center for dinner and Joshua and 'Dre surprised us there! They walked with us to Woodruff where we let the team separate into their groups and talk. I was also able to find out how someone who I am extremely close with manipulated me. I am not gonna lie I was kind of sad to find this out... but it is times like this where one has to rely on God to make things better. I know that everything happens for a reason and that through all this something good will come out of it. Until then.. what can ya do but pray?! Manipulation hurts and it feels crappy... but so does a lot of things in life... and what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger! That's something that I was able to take in as an intern this summer. Everyday there are good and bad things that can and will happen. You can either make the best out of a bad situation or let it take you down. Well lemme tell ya, no matter how much you want the bad situations to take you down, as long as you trust and confide in God, He will always bring you up. 

      Through this specific situation... He will bring all of us up. So please continue to keep us in your prayers :)

Jenny Sample