Serving Atlanta 2026: A 2 Route Day (Monday, January 5)

Today was the second day of going on routes and the first day that our group went without other volunteers. Although there were people from 7 Bridges with us, the people who volunteer on weekends did not come along. I liked this better because we were able to talk to and pray for more people in the smaller group. It also allowed us to have more conversations in the group and grow closer with other people on the team. I also felt more comfortable talking to people and giving them lunches because I had done it before. One moment that I could see God at work was on our morning route. There was a lady who came up to us and asked for a lunch. I gave her one and asked if I could pray for her. She said, “I don’t want to pray. I sold my soul to the devil” and walked away. A few minutes later, I saw her standing by herself along the wall and went over to give her another lunch. She took it and I asked if I could pray for her again. This time she was very accepting and said yes. I prayed for her and her situation with others. After the prayer she asked me how I learned how to pray like that and was very accepting. I saw God in how her view was changed from not wanting prayer to being very appreciative of it in just a few minutes.

I also enjoyed the night route that we went on. Although we went to some of the same places, the city seems different at night. There were more people to give food to and we also handed out clothing and blankets. People on the street were especially in need of these things because of the weather. Although it wasn’t as cold as it is in Wisconsin, it was still too cold for most to be sleeping outside. While the weather was beautiful during the day, it cooled off a lot at night and we saw peoples' needs for warmer clothing.

I also enjoyed helping clean up around the church during the middle of the day. There were a few hours in the afternoon that the guys cleaned up trash while the girls sorted clothes. The main job for the guys was to organize produce and determine which was still good and which was not. The food that was bad was thrown away along with other trash around the yard. I was also surprised by how many people come in for food and other things during the day. The entire time that we were outside there were people coming and going to pick up and drop off food. It was cool to see how many people 7 Bridges is able to help even though there aren’t too many people working there.

~ Paul Katsma

Today was a long but exciting day! We left our hotel about 7:45 am and knew we had a big day ahead of us. Once we got to 7 Bridges we started the day with personal devotions and quiet time. During this time I read psalm 84, a psalm of David. Something that stuck out to me about this psalm was David’s pure adoration for the Lord. David was crying out in the midst of his pain and the first thing he turns to is the Lord. He acknowledges many of the Lord’s attributes including his steadfast love, mercy, and holiness. How much healthier would we be spiritually if we consistently sought out the Lord first instead of distracting ourselves with the things of this world? Many things today were powerful but a couple interactions especially stuck out to me throughout the day.

First, after the group finished eating lunch, we came across this man on a bench named Rodney that talked to us for probably 5 straight minutes without interruption. None of us understood all of what he was saying but it was so clear that he just wanted connection. A lot of people on the streets don’t have any friends or family around and they just want to have a normal conversation with another person.

Along with the regular route today, we got the privilege to go on a night route. A lot of people in our group recognized the darkness that comes out at night and there was this dramatic shift that took place between the morning and night route. It was a special treat when some of the people we encountered insisted on praying for us instead of us praying for them. We met this guy named James wearing an all red jump suit who was so excited to pray for us and he kept shouting “prayer call!” at the top of his lungs so that the whole group would make their way over to pray with him.

Another encounter was with a man named Husani. It was clear he had some struggles but I believe that he had a clear knowledge of who Jesus Christ was. He also prayed for the whole group and said that in Jesus we are all equal and we all have the same blood which was really powerful. Finally in devotions tonight Mr Hendrikse was talking about how we could have all the head knowledge in the world but still be lacking in our faith if we weren’t living it out. The guys in the ministry are so knowledgeable of the Bible because they are constantly studying it, but they are also some of the hardest, selfless workers, who have a clear saving faith in Jesus Christ. I’m looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings and how God uses this special group to accomplish his work in Atlanta.

~ Anna Fortuine

Today was a great experience for our group here in Atlanta. After waking up early, we headed to 7 Bridges to begin preparing for a morning route. We packed 170 lunches, consisting of food items like fruit, chicken wraps, and salads from Chick-fil-A as well as various other items like Uncrustables and chips. To start the route, we went outside to participate in prayer as a group before driving around Atlanta. Along with the lunches, we handed out donations like hats, gloves, socks and jackets.

One meaningful experience I had was with a guy named Ricky, who was about my age and newly homeless. After praying for him, he told me that he hadn’t prayed yet today and seemed very appreciative and grateful for the lunch and hygiene items we gave him. After finishing our route and eating lunch, we immediately got back to work at 7 bridges; with the guys organizing food - sorting out the good from the bad, and hauling many items to the trash and the girls sorting clothes and packing the lunches for our night route.

We had a Bible Study led by AJ, one of the men in the ministry, and then we prepared for the night route. This was very exciting for me as apparently night routes had different “vibes” than regular routes. In front of a full homeless shelter, we interacted with many people outside, showing God’s love. At the end of the day, we all reflected on our experiences. The experience which the group felt was the most profound was our interaction with Husani, a young guy who was deeply appreciative of our work. He said that even though we are all different due to our race and life experiences, we all are brothers and sisters bound together through our love for each other. Looking around and seeing our group’s own uniqueness along with the various individuals at 7 Bridges, it is definitely true we are all bound together through our love of Christ.

~ Jonathan Engels

This was a great way to start the working week and it was a day full of laughter, sunny weather, and lots of prayer. We started off with morning devotions and it is just a great way to center oneself on Christ while having a bit of time to reflect on life. It is probably one of the best parts of the day. After that, we packed about 170 lunches that we were going to take out on our route. We made some sandwiches with bologna, some with turkey, and others with peanut butter and jelly. Once all the lunches were made we loaded them into the vehicles and we also took some of the clothing donations with us to hand out while we were walking. The morning route was quite fun and I got to meet so many new people. There were two main highlights to this trip. First, was when I got to meet these two men in the parking lot of a small store. Their names were Belgian and Anthony and they were just so genuine and sweet and, looking back, kind of scary. I had the opportunity to speak with them on my own and it was such a breathe of fresh air to get to speak with them. They had such vibrancy and their gratitude was unmatched. The second highlight was with this other guy named Nico and I had met him because he crossed the street to get a lunch and so this was another opportunity that I got to pray with him one on one and he was just so grateful and felt so blessed that he gave me a hug after which had totally made my day. In both of these instances it was 100% by the power of the Holy Spirit that I was able to walk up to these men and pray with them because that was definitely out of my comfort zone, but in the end, are these are going to be some of the most cherished memories that I will be taking home with me.

Looking back on today I am so very thankful for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. On Saturday I struggled with getting myself out there and praying with the men and women that we encountered. I kind of stood back and watched as Rubi was doing it. I could feel the tugging on my heart to get out there and just be bold, but taking the physical steps was not that easy. This morning was a different story. I felt comfortable just going up and talking to random women and giving hugs out to some of the guys that I met. It was truly the work of the Holy Spirit. The beginning of Acts 1:8 tells us, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” I felt the Holy Spirit today. I was doing things I could have never imagined doing before. That is definitely my biggest takeaway. God is here. He is real and he is working.

~ Naomi Doss