What an amazing week! I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that we are so, so grateful for the opportunity to come to Envision Atlanta. Thank you to everyone who supported us in prayer and with finances to make this happen. It has been a privilege and a joy to serve alongside the Envision team to shine Jesus' light in the Clarkston community. As we learned in Sports Camp, the church community was built up as believers joined together in prayer and worship, sharing their resources, and eating and fellowshipping together (Acts 2:42). And we did all these things and witnessed for ourselves how God brings his people from all over the world and continues to build his Church today! Please continue to pray for our students as they begin a new school year this week, and for our leaders too as we begin a new school and ministry year. Pray that we would continue to lean in to what the Spirit is teaching us through our experiences this week as we process and ponder our next steps in our own lives. Pray that we would clearly see the works that the Lord has already planned for us and for willing hearts to join him in that work. Pray for the Envision staff as they continue to serve the refugee community through after-school and ESL programs, that they would continue to work with unity and that they would be strengthened and encouraged for the hard work ahead of them. Again, we are so grateful for each of you who have sent us; may God bless you as you continue to serve him as well!

Christie J (Adult Leader)

We spent all day Saturday at Myrtle Beach together to both shorten our return trip, but also to rest and process our wonderfully full week with Envision Atlanta. 

We’re coming home and this is good. Home is where we belong now. Being able to step outside of our familiar routine to understand and serve the refugee community of Clarkson was good, too. 

As our students return home please ask them specific questions about their time away. Please ask them how they felt, what they saw, who they met, why they got up every day instead of sleeping in, what was easy and hard and why. Ask them where their next mission trip will be (their school). Please also be patient with our students as they continue to make sense of what God is doing in our world generally and their own hearts specifically—some of us are still trying to understand that at 50, after all. 

But most importantly, praise God that He is powerful and mighty. Praise God because Jesus is the only way to know the Father. Praise Him because He loves the mother whose 10 children were killed because they left Islam for the only hope of salvation in Christ just as passionately as He loves you. Praise Him because Jesus is not content to let us remain in our overly comfortable lives. Praise Him because He is gently inviting each of us to say “yes” to Him every day, all day—in little and then bigger ways. 

I wasn’t supposed to be on this trip. I was supposed to be at home eating watermelon, preparing for the coming school year, and sleeping in my own comfortable bed. I didn’t go to any of the many meetings to prepare for the trip. I didn’t chew through the resources given to better understand to trip. Yet here I am. There was an unexpected need (not to God) and I said “yes” to God. It was hard and came at a small cost, but I’m so very glad God invited me to join Him. He’s inviting you to say “yes,” too.

Matt T (Adult Leader)

As I sit and reflect on this past week, I have so many thoughts in my mind. This week was filled with so many moments, lessons, and reminders of how much I need Jesus.

Throughout the week, I was reminded of my own sin and the ways that I doubt the Lord, get angry, and try to rely on my own strength. Again and again, I was reminded that I need Jesus every single day and that He must be the source of my strength. When I try to rely on myself, I will fail. I need Him more than anything else.

One specific area I struggled with this was being the youngest leader on the team. I often felt spiritually attacked in this area. Would people know I was a leader? Was I acting like a leader? Was I fitting in with the other adults? I found myself wrestling with these questions and wondering what it was supposed to look like for me to lead well. All of these moments relying on myself instead of the Lord. 

At the same time, I was constantly amazed by how much the other leaders were willing to lay down for the students. Even when they were tired, they didn't let that stop them from putting others first and loving the students. Watching them serve, sacrifice, and continually put the students before themselves was a powerful reminder of what Christlike leadership looks like. It challenged me to look beyond what leadership appears to be and instead focus on what it means to serve out of an overflow of Jesus in my heart.

Along with these lessons, I was continually reminded of the Lord's provision and His power—and how often I fail to rely on both. One day, we read a portion of John 15 for our devotion, and the Lord challenged me with two questions:

Will you trust in My vine? Will you trust in My power and wisdom?

As I wrestled with trusting the Lord, He met me there and convicted me. I was reminded that I don't have to have everything figured out. I don't have to prove myself, rely on my own strength, or trust in my own wisdom. I simply need to remain connected to Him and trust in His power and provision.

Looking back on the week, I am grateful for all the ways the Lord challenged me, convicted me, and reminded me of who He is. This week was rich with God moments and lessons that I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. 

As we head home, I pray that the students will continue to reflect on what they have learned and the ways the Lord has worked in their lives. Trips like this can change us, and my prayer is that this trip would not simply be a meaningful experience for these students, but that the Lord would use it to shape them more and more into the image of Christ.

Anna Raquel D (Adult Leader)

Thank you to everyone who has supported our trip and prayed for our team this week! We had a great week together and grew as a community. I’m thankful for each leader and student on our team! Everyone did an amazing job and took care of each other well! It was a blessing and privilege to work with Envision Atlanta. We learned so much from their staff and had a blast serving with them! The EA staff is very involved and intentional within their community. The direct impact they have on the families in the community is remarkable! This intentional, missional living is one main encouragement that I’m wanting to bring back to my school and community. Please continue to pray for the EA staff and ministry. 

Jill Z (Adult Leader)

Today we wrapped up sports camp for the week! It has been such a blessing to be able to partner with the Envision Atlanta staff to build connections with local families. This week I’ve had the joy of leading some of the huddle activities during sports camp, and it has honestly brought me so much joy to see how God is working through the kids. Many of them made good connections from the Bible story to their own lives, and I’ve truly enjoyed seeing how the kids are growing and learning together.

This morning I had the opportunity to help out in an ESL class regularly hosted by Envision Atlanta. This was a new experience for me, so it was good to see how learning languages and doing ministry can go hand in hand. I’ve also had the opportunity to ride along with Envision staff to pick up/ drop off kids for the first round of sports camp. I was able to connect with the kids about school, and some even shared a few pieces of their walk with Jesus. 

Overall, this week has been such a good opportunity. I feel that the Lord has taught me many things and I hope He will continue to work through myself, the rest of our team, and through the Envision Atlanta staff.

Hannah K

After some breakfast, a group of us went to a cafe called “Refuge”. They have some really good coffee, as well as some smoothies and refreshers. But the really interesting thing about the cafe is that they hire refugees for around a year to teach them how to be baristas. So Refuge is a way for refugees to have a good job for a year and then go out into the work force with the skills of a barista.

In the morning we did some worship (I got to use a tambourine) and had a morning devotional about remaining in the presence of God. Then we power washed and vacuumed the Envision vans that the tutoring kids ride in. Before camp started we did some work for the tutoring ministry by getting materials prepped for the tutors.

I was part of the huddle team during camp, and we had a pretty good day today. We were teaching the importance of community, and the kids had some really good thoughts. The 11U had a scrimmage that I got to watch. It was really cool to see all the kids play! Then we had the 13U kids for the third section. The huddle team had to adjust our lesson to fit the kids better, and I think we did a really good job pivoting. Our activity fit the lesson really well, and the kids were really engaged.

It’s been really cool to see God moving this week in our team and in a lot of the kids. There were some really great moments. We also got to interact with some other people in the community, and it was amazing to see the different cultures and customs. The people are all so nice, even though they come from some really difficult backgrounds. It’s been an amazing week so far, and I hope we planted some good seeds for the future.

Asher G

This morning saw our group on the road to the EA farm site about half an hour from Clarkston. There, the staff talked through a devotional on Psalm 23. It was actually presented from the perspective of the shepherd; who David was claiming as his shepherd and the role of raising sheep. My attention was particularly drawn to the “house” of the Lord which can also be interpreted as the “flock.” How wonderful is it to think that we will surely dwell in God’s flock forever? 

The next part of our day was slightly less wonderful as we shoveled what sheep and goats leave behind, but I’ll spare you the details. :)

Of course the afternoon was filled with Sports Camp, and we had three different groups of kids today! I was feeling pretty tired, but I and many others in our group found the joy and energy of the kids infectious! Tonight ended with debrief with Mr. Jason and Ms. Toni; it was really a time of group prayer that made my heart so happy. We thanked God for the many conversations that He gave us today with the kids, and for giving us the energy to keep going today while fighting off some sleepiness. I’m so thankful that God allows us to talk with Him! 

Charis T

Today we had the opportunity to go to a farm that breeds livestock for the purpose of butchering them. The refugees sometimes have a hard time trusting where the meat came from or what’s in it. The project we had to do at the farm was scooping out manure in the goat pens so they could lay down more hay for the goats. Let’s just say it didn’t smell the best. It took a lot of sweat and work but eventually we got one barn done and didn’t have a whole lot of time to start the others. Then we sat down and ate lunch with the family that owned the farm and we said our goodbyes and headed back to get ready for sports camp. Most of us were pretty tired and it took some effort to get up to get everything set up for the kids. When we finished setting everything up we prayed and sent our bus drivers out to pick up our first group of kids. They had arrived and we got the day started. I was playing soccer with some of our team and some of the kids and I tweaked my knee and ankle so I sat out for a bit and waited for my knee to feel a bit better. My knee kept hurting and I felt kinda helpless because we were supposed to be cheering the kids on and I felt like I wasn’t doing anything helpful but then some of the older kids showed up early and we started talking to them and having pretty good conversations. Then this little girl came up and sat down after her session was over and we started talking and passing the soccer ball to each other and it felt like playing with a little sibling she was so happy and excited to have someone to play and talk with. Every time I would miss the ball and go get it she would start playing hide n seek and it was just the sweetest thing. At the end of the night she was talking with me about her church and I got to ask her some questions about her faith and I got to share with her what Jesus wants us to do in life. It was all a very special moment and I’m so glad I got to have that experience with those kids today. We ended the night with sharing highlights of what happened today and prayed over the team and everything that happened today and now we’re wrapping it up with some socializing and lots of laughter

Aspen S

Today in Atlanta I had the opportunity to talk to a physical therapist named Ron who emphasized his love of serving in ministry in combination with his occupation of physical therapy. The past number of months I have felt that God is calling me to pursue a career in physical therapy, but I’ve often wondered how to continue living a life on mission while being in a generally non-missions focused field. This made meeting Ron a huge answer to prayer. Ron explained to me that being a PT makes serving and ministering surprisingly easy, since physical therapists build relationships with their patients as they work to help them recover, often leading to opportunities for deeper conversations. Along with this, Ron described to me how Jesus’ ministry greatly included and was furthered by healing people, which goes along perfectly with physical therapy. It has been a joy this week to find some surprising affirmations and answers to prayer from God on how I can continue living a life on mission, both while I’m here in Atlanta and when I return to PA.

Max H

Today the devo talked about immigrants in the bible like David, Ruth, Abram, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We worked on the Envision property and a local park trimming bushes, lawn mowing, leaf blowing, and more. 

For lunch we had chicken and Mac and cheese, after lunch we had two young adults who are refugees share testimonies with us. The first individual used to be a Muslim from Africa and through some faith and family struggles, they have fully learned to rely on and be guided by the Lord. The other person came from Congo with a mother taking care of many children and coming to the US. With a lot of loss and depression, God met them and they are currently making encouraging videos online. They have started a bible study group and they had many members. 

Day two of sports camp was great and many kids feeling the great community we are helping to build. I personally got to talk to a young girl. She questioned why Jesus died on the cross. She understood why he did it, but she didn’t like that he died, because he didn’t break any rules so he didn’t have to die, but i said it’s because he loves us so much that he wants to give us a opportunity to live with him forever. Me, Christie, Asher, and Olivia went to go visit an Afghan family’s home. They served chai that tasted like Mountain Dew and some raisins, candy that I’ve never seen before, cashews, and hazelnuts. They were incredibly nice, very hospitable, and loving. Coming back from the Afghan family. We all went to a Nepali restaurant and had chicken, lamb, goat, and shrimp, and some momos which are dumplings basically. Coming back our debrief just talked about any fix’s within the camp and our highlights. And the day capped off with Jill declaring she is cool and hip.

Isaiah S

We started our day with some good-old-fashioned fellowship on a lovely hike up Stone Mountain. At the top of the mountain we enjoyed some worship, a devotional on the Lord’s Prayer, and a spontaneous game started after kids found a large puddle with a path of stones through it. 

Our lunch today was at a local Ethiopian restaurant where we enjoyed delicious food and spectacular coffee. 

Then began our first day of sports camp. Kids would rotate through stations of soccer, Bible message + snack, and a game. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to interact with the kids and share the gospel. 

We wrapped up the day with Angela, an Envision worker with the Alliance, guiding us through a loss simulation. Before the simulation Angela had us write on slips of paper: 4 of our favorite possessions, activities, people, and a word to describe our identity. Angela read through real stories of refugees and throughout the stories our papers got ripped up. First within 30 seconds we had to choose one of each section to rip up. Then the slips of paper were chosen at random for us, and we were unable to see what was chosen till the end of the simulation. Our whole group was deeply moved, and we got a glimpse at the reality and horror refugees experience.

Josie Q

I had an amazing second day! We first had devotions at the top of Stone Mountain State Park and talked about the Lord's Prayer. I saw some flowers growing through the rocks up there, and they just reminded me that through the hardest times, growth is still possible. 

We then went to this Ethiopian restaurant with some of the best food I've ever experienced. The owner told us how the food is made and how to get those specific flavors. In the end, we had popcorn and coffee. 

It was also the first day of soccer camp. It was so fun to interact with the kids and see how welcoming they are. At the end of the camp day, the girls played soccer with an all girls team and had lots of fun. They were the same age as us so we had a lot in common to chat about. 

After camp was over, we did a "loss simulation," which helped us to understand what the refugees go through a little bit better. We had pieces of paper that represented things that we held dear to us, and one by one, they were ripped apart until we had around 2 left. We then got to look at what we had left and reflected on how this would feel if the pieces of paper were to be true. It really helped to put into perspective the things that we call "important" and how they dont really compare to bigger things that would be on the line if but in the refugees' shoes. It was a really moving and life changing experience to end the night off with, and overall, the day was really educating. 

Evie W