Whirlwind Missions, Day Two

Today was our second and final day working with Whirlwind Missions. We continued our "cultural safari" by visiting a large indoor Hispanic market and food court, an Indian grocery store, a middle eastern bookstore, and the "Global Mall."

So apparently I'm gonna find a husband in Atlanta by the end of the week. And then the team plans on leaving me behind. #ATL2015
— Haley Bengtson (@haleybengtson) January 15, 2015

I think some woman at the shop tried took hook me up with her 23 year old son. And I think I was bribed with jewelry. #ATL2015
— Haley Bengtson (@haleybengtson) January 14, 2015

LT But he apparently works at a financial agency, so I might as well meet him. 😏
— Haley Bengtson (@haleybengtson) January 14, 2015

Our team, plus Ashley (behind Rob - Whirlwind staff member)

The above selfie was taken by our friend, Vasya, who has joined our team for the several days that we are working in Atlanta. He is the son of the woman who we met with at Steak 'n Shake during our first night in Atlanta.  It has been really cool to have him along, get to know him, and see him jump in and serve alongside people he had never met before with a great attitude. Definitely a testimony to the unity of the body of Christ!

Preparing the salvation bracelets

Since today was our last day at the apartment complex we had been working at, we chose to make bracelets with the kids that we could use to share the gospel. The bracelet we created has six colored beads on it: black, representing our sin; red, representing Jesus' blood; white, symbolizing that we have been washed "white as snow"; blue, symbolizing baptism; green, signifying continued growth in Christ; and gold, our eternal reward in heaven. It's oftentimes hard to get a room full of elementary age children to sit down and be quiet so that you can deliver a message, but Brandon did a great job of keeping things simple and easy to understand.

Last day working with Whirlwind. Had such an amazing opportunity helping kids learn about Jesus. #ATL2015 #bcmvt
— Haley Bengtson (@haleybengtson) January 15, 2015

After we finished with Whirlwind Missions, we returned to the church that we are staying at to relax a little bit for the first time on this trip. We made spaghetti and bread for dinner, although Haley complained quite bit about the "tomato sauce" that Brandon, Adam, and I had bought during our first shopping trip on Sunday night. In our defense, would you not agree that this jar does contain "tomato sauce"?

I asked for a can of tomato sauce, and get this. #boyswillbeboys #ATL2015 pic.twitter.com/slDJQbMz7q
— Haley Bengtson (@haleybengtson) January 15, 2015

Cooking dinner

After dinner and our devotion was done, we decided to play a game called "Body Body" I had never played before, but it was absolutely hilarious. Imagine seven college students running around in an area that's pitch black, trying to avoid being "killed" by one of the other six people. In order to assassinate someone, you simply squeeze their shoulder. At that point, the "body" lays on the ground, waiting to be discovered by the other players. We played in a couple of complete dark rooms and a hallway on the top floor of the church. The crazy thing about it is that once you take away sight, you can be inches away from someone and them never notice you. The reverse is true as well, however, and that can be particularly unfortunate if the person you're standing next to is the "murderer." We also had a fake potted tree that kept getting moved around the game area in the dark. Occasionally someone would run into the tree in an unexpected place, and you would hear them yell in surprise. It was a lot of fun.

Tomorrow, we plan on spending the day at First Baptist Church Doraville, helping with whatever is needed. Then, we will head back to downtown Atlanta to serve at Atlanta Mission. Please pray for us unity and energy on this last day.