Worship at 7 Bridges and Georgia Aquarium (Sunday, January 4)

Today we were able to attend the service at 7 bridges for our Sunday morning worship. This service was vastly different than any service I am used to but it was overall a good experience. All that attended were very passionate about worship and were not afraid to show it. Personally I enjoyed the way that the leaders, Chris and Charles incorporated prayer into the service. They prayed up in front together with a couple of men before church, over the service and then they also prayed many times during the service. At certain times i could see the men of the ministry praying on their own which showed how much their faith meant to them. Chris and Charles both preached about how our choices affect our future. This was particularly meaningful to me because multiple times Chris reflected that choices that he made when he was young still affect his life now. 

After the service we sorted the donations that we received from the SCS community so that we can give them out tomorrow when we go out on our route. Afterwards we had lunch and then headed out to the Georgia Aquarium. This was a great experience to see so many creatures that you will never see in the wild. I enjoyed watching the dolphin show because of how intelligent the dolphins are. They could listen to instructions and follow their instructor. After that we had dinner and then went back to have devotions.

~ Daniel Alsum

Our third day here in Atlanta was a great experience. It was full of fellowship with one another, whether we were eating together, at church, or at the Georga Aquarium. I personally enjoyed my experience at a church which was much different than mine at home. The congregation consisted of around 15 people, mostly men from the ministry. Even though it was unlike any service I've witnessed, I appreciated how the members were so passionate and in the Word. The pastor read from many different places in the Bible, but mainly focused on Mark 1, which supported his message about listening to God's calling. One thing he said that really stuck out to me was "doing good things can lead to good results, however obeying God's will for our lives and doing right will lead to righteous results". 

After the sermon our group ate lunch and prepared our donations that we'll be handing out Monday and Tuesday during our routes, but once that was completed we headed to the aquarium. I really enjoyed it and I was really happy with my experience. It was so cool to see different pieces of God's creation up close. I cannot even fathom how thoughtful God was in creating each and every one and I thank him for his creation, as he made it for us to enjoy.

~ Kate Zylstra

Jonathan and Paul were asked to help with an illustration

A group shot after sorting donations:)

Checking out the "Predators of the Deep" exhibit

Ready for the dolphin show

It was amazing to see this large whale shark up close

Group shot outside the Georgia Aquarium before heading for supper

A stop at The Varsity

It was a great day for our group. After supper we went back to the hotel to reflect on our morning worship service and share our favorite experiences at the aquarium.  Getting to bed at a decent time tonight as tomorrow will be a long day.