Party with a Purpose Video
Party With a Purpose – “Food” for thought . . .
More “Food” for thought . . . .
“This week has given me a huge opportunity and blessing to reach others in a way that I have never grasped before. The simple work of making food for someone shows such love because it is taking time off your schedule to make something special for someone you care for. It gave me a chance to give others a love that most don’t have. I think the day that impacted me the most was the last day when a lady came to Cobb Street Ministries looking for a home and she did not understand English so I translated for her to the lady that owned in the place. God’s timing worked out so well that that would be the day that that lady would show up the day that I could translate. This week was full with love and so many good memories with my friends that I can now call family. Before this week I never knew anything about cooking, but now I can say that I can make an oreo cheesecake and other desserts proudly.”
-Michael Pardo
Camp Grace got stuck in the Atlanta traffic jam yesterday, but made the best of it. Everyone was happy to arrive home. We were happy to see them. Sounds like they had a great week!
Our last day…
Rising early, we cleaned and finished packing our belongings then shared a breakfast of leftover bagels, eggs, fruit, and hash-browns, unfortunately without fries. After buying more supplies, we were able to complete the platform that will be used as a group game on the obstacle course. While one crew was doing this, the others were cleaning the cabins and apartment that we used during the week. (Parents, your kids do know how to use cleaning supplies, so feel free to continue this trend at home:) Once the platform was finished we were honored to be the first to try it out.
As a reward for our hard work, we spent a couple of hours on the climbing wall. Just as every other piece of equipment, building, furniture, etc. the wall has quite a story of God’s provision for Camp Grace. Conquering fears, everyone had the opportunity to harness up and climb the wall, some for the first time! While waiting their turns, the other students were able to learn a new game, “gaga ball” that is a mixture of four-square and dodge-ball.
After much thanks from Lucas and Carrie Farmer (the camp leaders) we set off for a special lunch in Macon.
The restaurant is called Satterfield’s and though it looks like an old hole-in-the-wall sort of place, their bar-b-q is delicious! At this point, we were doing okay on time but knew that it may be an extra hour to account for interstate traffic. An extra hour…ha!
Using GPS, we could look ahead to the solid red lines of traffic going into and through Atlanta. So, to the side roads we ventured. 4 hours later, yes, 4 hours later, we were greeted with familiar smiling faces as we pulled up to CPA. What a blessing that we made is safely, but a shorter trip would have been nice. Thursday night, the kids were sharing about how the team had worked so well together during the week and the fact that the 10 of them would never be serving in that way together again. I suppose they should be careful what they ask for next time. God answered their prayers to spend more time as a team.
Parents, thanks for sharing your teens this week. It was a treat getting to know each of them more as we worked side-by-side to accomplish much at Camp Grace.
Rock Ranch team members worked on various service projects today and completed their art projects from Monday.
Epic Adventure returns home. They survived rain, sleet, and snow. Still, they had smiles on their faces.
Today I experienced one of the most awesome days of my life. First, the team assembled sandwiches like a well-oiled machine in the Cornerstone lunchroom, then we traveled to a mobile home right around the corner from North Cobb High School. This mobile home complex was home to many very, very poor families. It was humbling to see these happy people living with what small possessions they had. It made me rebuke myself for any times I am not content or thankful for my life. We played with a family, while the mother did chores, and then walked up the road to help a mother with her autistic son by removing a plant in her front yard. It was invigorating to help these families and hopefully affect their lives positively, in a Christ-like way. It was eye-opening to realize that all around us there is poverty, and even in small increments like this, we can help those people who face struggles that seem insurmountable at times. Lastly, we went to Swift-Cantrell park to eat and enjoy (with bucket$, Hardcore Parkour, and telling old stories about Mom’s child care) the beautiful day.
impact2013 
Written
on April 6, 2013