Today was our first full day at the World Impact/AIM camp in Newark, NJ. Thankfully we were able to sleep in a little before eating breakfast and heading to church. Our group was split up between three churches, each very unique. Team A was assigned to the 24/7 Community Church located on the first floor of our building. The 24/7 church has a fairly small congregation but the love of God was abundant. The preacher’s wife was lively and “giddy” as she described herself this morning. Being a predominantly African American congregation, the volume and energy was absolutely incredible. It did not feel like a small church by any means and was certainly not a church with little personality. The sermon, although short, was powerful and moving. Unfortunately we were unable to visit for long since lunch was about to be served. After lunch our entire group went on a prayer walk to a local park. After a heart-felt prayer the group branched off to play with the children present and explore the area. A couple people drew out a hopscotch pattern while a few others played baseball. We had to leave our new friends to get back to camp for our next adventure. The group met up with one of the camp leaders to go scouting and hand out fliers. Smaller groups branched off to canvas different areas in search of children to invite to our Vacation Bible School which is starting tomorrow. It’s interesting how many preconceived notions everyone has prior to really experiencing a community. When you think of the people of Newark, NJ you probably wouldn’t assume they were kindhearted and willing. Yet, this is what was experienced by our groups today. They found that people were eager to hear our message, excited to send their children to VBS, and hopeful for companionship. A couple of us stayed behind to attend the “Shalom Church” which is a Spanish service located in the 24/7 Community church. This was an amazing experience but also a challenge. The entire service was in Spanish although one woman kindly translated for our group. Both experiences this afternoon were eye-opening for those involved. We are all eager to discover our activities for the rest of the week.
With love,
Greg, Josiah, and Rebecca
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