Monday June 15- Day 2--Awareness and Ice Cream

 

Good evening, Framily, 

    Today, we began the day with Morning Watch, which is a time to spend time with God in prayer and through Scripture to center. This will be something we do each morning. 

    Following this we walked around Haywood Street, in the city of Asheville. Rebekah, our guide, took us around downtown Asheville. She showed us how the less fortunate got their essential needs and how they live each day. 

    Also, we stopped outside churches to hear about how they helped the community. Some of the churches let people heal physically and mentally while others help provide clothes and they make sure that nobody goes hungry.

Below: "FROG's" Group walking in front of one of many murals. 

    As we explored, we noticed how "targeted" some rules were. In the library and Pack's Park, they have rules about having to have good hygiene to be able to use the spaces. Also, in several other places they had the rules about being fully clothed, not being able to bring tents, or setting up any kind of shelter structure. Some places even prohibited sleeping! 

    As we read these rules and then met people who are unhoused, we realized just how hard it would be to be a person who is unhoused. Certain people may not have the pleasure of keeping clean and having the luxury of nice clothing as we do.  They may not have the guarantee of a place to sleep without always being in survival mode.

Below: In Front of the Art Museum (One of the stops on the tour)

    During the afternoon, we hosted an Ice-Cream Social in Pack's Park, open to anyone who wanted ice-cream. Many people came, and some of them told us their stories. As more people came, more of us got to meet and make new friends. 

Below: The "CIA" Group Serving Ice Cream

Below: "FROG's" Group bonding with Community Members

    

    We saw God through the connections we made as the youth and the adult leaders through the others we served.

    Tonight we talked about 1 Kings 19: 1-8 and about our day in small groups. This piece of scripture reveals to us, that God will be there to lift us when our cups are empty, no matter how many times it takes.

    We worshipped outside under the stars too. 

Below: Worshipping

    Lastly, we did an activity with each person getting got two cups, one with water and one with none. On the empty cup we were supposed to write the things that drain us and fill the empty cup with the full one. We then went to different activities (Art, Music, ETC) to symbolizing filling us up.

-Kaela and Ansley

Below: Author, Kaela holding glass from Tuesday June 16

Below: Author, Ansley with her dad, Josh on June 16

Note: Additional videos will be posted on the FVUMC Youth Ministry Facebook Group