By Zach Christensen

I would like to tell you a little about my trip with the Youth Group to Mississippi. There were a few things we noticed right away: First, the humidity! However by the second or third day I was used to the heat and it didn’t bother me really at all. The other thing I noticed throughout our whole trip was the amazing friendliness of the local people. Even if they weren’t members of the church, they would wave and honk their horns. This really made me and the rest of the group feel welcome.

Thursday, we worked on the church grounds tearing out brush. Friday, I stained some cabinets in a house that was owned by Holy Temple. Saturday, the whole group worked on repainting the church’s sanctuary.

On Sunday we attended the church service and it, to me, was amazing! The energy in the whole place while the choir was singing, or Pastor Glenn Allen was preaching, was simply awing! Then we drove back up to Jackson where we stayed at the Perkins Center and listened to John Perkins.

On Monday we met with John and worked doing maintenance at the Perkins Center. Then we had a barbecue with Wayne Perkins (John’s son), and stayed at the Marriott.

A few things that stood out to me on the trip were the energy of Glenn Allen when he was preaching, the friendliness of the locals and the warmth of John Perkins. This truly was a trip of a lifetime. I will never forget my time in Mississippi.