Serving Atlanta 2026: Arrival Day! (Friday, January 2)

It was good hanging out together as a group at our hotel last night, and after a good night of sleep we were well rested and ready to make our way to Atlanta. We left Bowling Green, KY shortly after 9:30 am this morning and after a stop for lunch at Steak-n-Shake in Chattanooga we made our way to Atlanta. We stopped at Walmart for a few supplies and then rolled into 7 Bridges to Recovery around 5:30 pm. Charles, the head of the men’s ministry at 7 Bridges, led us through a brief orientation. He shared a short history of 7 Bridges and expressed his gratitude to our group—especially our school—for being such a faithful and consistent presence over the past decade.

After our orientation we unloaded all of our donations and our gear and settled in, and then went downstairs for pizza. Kim and I had the opportunity to meet with 2 of our friends we met in the ministry several years ago. They are no longer in the ministry, but we have maintained our friendship and they always enjoy driving over and meeting with us and talking to our team.

After spending some time together after pizza, it became clear we wouldn’t be able to sleep in our usual space, so we made the decision to move to a nearby hotel. While it was an unexpected hiccup in our plans, we leaned into prayer throughout the rest of the night and followed the Lord’s leading. We are grateful we trust in a sovereign God and for the grace He shows us through His people.

Tomorrow will be our first time on route together as a group. We are meeting at 7 Bridges around 8:30 am and will start out with some quiet time, personal devotions and journaling. If time allows we will begin sorting through our donations before heading downstairs to make lunches for the route. Tomorrow evening there will be a couple members from our team posting about our time on the streets.

Thank you again for your prayers. They are very much appreciated!