My spring break began on Saturday, March 16 with meeting 425
other Clemson students at kite hill at 5:30am. I was able to gain one of the
most incredible experiences by traveling with Clemson FCA for a mission trip.
We split into 5 caravans; leaving campus in 15-minute intervals, for a 9-hour
drive to New Orleans. The van ride to NOLA was spent sleeping, bonding with an
awesome group of new friends, jamming out, food, and a game of “mildly-warm”
seat. We finally arrived in Metairie (where our hotel was) at about 4pm,
relaxed and ate dinner before our first worship session! Chris Armfield, the
pastor for City Lights Church in Greenville, SC, was our speaker for the week!
He did a great job leading us all into deeper thinking and self-discovery of
some things God was doing in each of our lives. Each group was assigned to
attend a different church on Sunday morning, and then given the afternoon to
explore! My group decided to go uptown. We got snowballs (like sno-cones but
made with cream-based syrup), enjoyed sunshine at Audubon Park, and met a man
walking his pet turtle, Reese! Monday began our mission work; we were assigned
to a warehouse where we sorted through items that had been donated for a thrift
store from 8am to 1pm. It was a great experience, in that we were able to talk
to some of the people working there, hear some of their stories, and see what
God was doing in their lives. We got to spend each afternoon exploring the city
and having some bonding time! One of my favorite NOLA experiences was Café du
Monde, where I enjoyed delicious beignets and café au lait. We also saw street performers,
local artists, jazz bands on the street, took a stroll in the French quarter,
and, of course, Bourbon Street. Another thing I was so excited to see was the
Potchatrain Bridge; it crosses Lake Pontchatrain and is the longest bridge in
the world – almost 24 miles long! Wednesday night worship was the best! About
40 people were baptized, including a man that one of our groups had led to
Christ. We had communion and it was some of the best worship I’ve ever been a
part of. We left New Orleans, wanting more of its beauty, culture, and
all-around experience, on Thursday at 6:45am. I am so glad to have been a part
of such an awesome trip and couldn’t have asked for a better spring break!
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| Chocolate/Blueberry Snowball |
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| Reese, the pet turtle |
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| Group 30 |
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| Beignets |
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| we about dat life #swerve |
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