Florida

We had an absolute blast hanging out with our junior high students on their free day! We kicked things off with lunch together at Armature Works the food was great, we were able to just sit, eat, and laugh together. After lunch, we took a walk along the beautiful Riverwalk it gave us a chance to slow down, take in the views, and enjoy some meaningful conversations.

But the fun didn’t stop there we made our way to Clearwater Beach, and that’s where the day really came alive! From playing in the water to relaxing in the sand, it was so refreshing to just enjoy the sunshine and each other’s company. Our students had such a great time, and it was amazing to see them just be themselves, have fun, and make memories.

Days like this remind us how powerful community is and how much joy there is in simply being together

Today was another full day of serving. We started the morning with a devotional on building relationships and learning to really listen to other people’s stories. Because it’s easy to serve all these places and forget about building those relationships and hearing what god has done in someone else’s life. We spent most of the day serving at Metropolitan Ministries, which is a lot like our City Center back home in Fresno. They serve people in crisis and our students had the opportunity to be part of that. One of our teams worked outside spreading mulch to help beautify the campus. Even in this Florida heat they kept positive attitudes and worked hard to get it done. Another group served in the kitchen helping prepare meals that go out to local jails, and also meals for the employees and families who live on site. It was powerful to see our students take ownership of their roles and serve with joy. It’s been really cool to watch some of our quieter students begin to open up and find their rhythm on this trip. They are talking more, laughing more, and stepping out of their comfort zones. Since we finished serving a little early today we took the students shopping for a bit and then came back to the Airbnb where they immediately crashed for a nap. Tonight we had a cookout dinner with Pastor Jordan on the grill and the kids did the sides. It was amazing!!!

Wednesday was such a powerful day. We had the opportunity to go deliver furniture to two homes in partnership with New Life Warehouse. This organization partners with recently displaced families to support them as they re-enter housing. They provide furniture, decorations, tools, etc all through donations.

The students completely unpacked and assembled the furniture leaving the families with homes ready for them to live in. We also got the opportunity to have the students prayer over the families.

The students then went back to the VBS where they continues to serve by factoring crafts, games, and more. We finished the day by attending a local youth group. It was so exciting to see students from other sides of the country worshipping together.

We are so exciting to see that God will do tomorrow!

Today our students had another amazing day. We started the day out serving at the new life warehouse. That’s where our students received donations and built furniture for families in need. This organization daily receives furniture, bedding, dishes, etc. They help unhoused people who have recently come out of being unhoused and just got into new apartment, or families who have been sleeping on floor in their house. It was amazing to hear the stories of lives changed and even people who have put faith in Jesus because of it. Our students worked really hard, and even helped another group of teenagers who was there serving also. They served with great attitudes and had tons of fun doing it. Can’t wait until tomorrow because we will be going to deliver some of the furniture that we built or received today. We then went straight to the dream center downtown and of course on the way there the students fell asleep in the van. But at the dream center there was about 50 students between elementary, and junior high. We had a chance to do a vbs, arts and craft, worship, bible teaching with them. There was also a gym so they had a chance to have some free time. We got back to Airbnb and of course just like Florida weather it was in the 90s and then started pouring raining for 30minutes then the kids got in pool after. During our devo I asked the kids some highlights so far. The answers were amazing they talked about realizing how good they have it, how all the small things they are doing is making huge impact, how they are excited they get to serve, and how much they realize how blessed they are. In the devo tonight I reminded them that as they represent Christ it isn’t just shown in their words but also in their service, motives, attitude. They are so excited for tomorrow to go and see these families and go to a local youth group. 

Today, we had the incredible opportunity to serve with our JHI students in Florida as part of our ongoing mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Our morning began at Reach City Church, where we partnered with their team to support the local food bank and assist with facility clean up. It was a joy to contribute to the work this church is doing to meet both the spiritual and practical needs of their community. We were also blessed with a time of fellowship over a delicious lunch at Fred’s Restaurant.

In the afternoon, we continued our outreach at Metropolitan Ministries, where we helped prepare food, cleaned the kitchen, and served in their thrift store. Each task was a reminder that no act of service is too small when done in love and obedience to Christ.

It was a powerful day of ministry, and we are grateful for every opportunity to pour into others and watch our students grow in compassion, humility, and servant-hearted leadership.

We made it! 
Today began early as we all met at the airport at 4am. We are so grateful for all of the travel mercies we received and we look forward to seeing all that the Lord has already prepared for us this week.
Tomorrow we will start strong working at a food pantry in the morning and then serving in the afternoon with Metro Ministries!