Our first day we started out with breakfast under the pavilion. Then, during our seed thought we learned what joy is and the different fruits of the spirit. We were then told by our ASM leaders that we had to do a quick change of plans. We were supposed to go canvasing at Bluegrass Greensource, but due to the weather (rain), we could not do it. Instead we did RAGS (Random Acts of Grace and Service).
Before we went out we did some games that involved teamwork and communication. One of these activities involved having four or five people with blindfolds who could not walk or talk. Everyone else had to communicate with each other to make a certain shapes while holding a rope. We learned that communication is important in order to accomplish a goal. Then we went to lunch at a park near the church where we are staying.
After lunch, we went into Lexington to do the RAGS. Each group was given one dollar for each member, and go out do small services to the community. My group in particular went to a hot dog stand and bought four water cups and a bag of chips. We walked around the city and handed out the waters and the bag of chips. We talked to the these people and learned a little bit about them. Then we went to a Subway and bought a sandwich. We gave the sandwich to a man in a wheelchair. We prayed with each of these people to help them out and to always be with them.
We came back to the church for dinner, debrief, and worship. During debrief we talked about the different things that happened during the day. One of things that I enjoyed was seeing how grateful the people were when we gave them the water or the sandwich. During worship, Luke Buzby talked about attitude and how it changes after different events. For me, I was a little uncomfortable going up to random strangers and starting conversations with them. After doing it a couple of times, it became easier to go up and talk to people. Even though our initial plan fell through, it still came out okay. We may have changed people's lives by do the random acts of grace. We are looking forward to the rest of week, and hope that they are as enjoyable as today!
-Colleen