Local Missions Cartersville
Follow along as our students go out to impact their world for Christ!
For full albums of photos, join the Spring Term 2025 FB Group.
MONDAY
Written by Lauren Raessler, Upper School Spanish Teacher
We started our morning with a devotional from a series called “I AM” from the Passion Movement. This is a series focused on the “I am” statements from Jesus found in the book of John. We talked about how it relates to our chapel series of “I am” statements that declare who we are in Christ. Today’s devotional was about Jesus being the bread of life, and that He is all we need.
We then split into teams and played some games until it was time to board the bus. You’ll have to ask our students about the pool noodle game!
We boarded the bus and drove to Cartersville, where we spent the morning visiting with senior citizens at the Fountains Assisted Living facility. The students interviewed residents to learn about their lives and will put together a slide show tomorrow to share with the facility and the residents’ families.
We spent time in the memory care unit interacting with the residents and attended their church service. We sang several classic old hymns and listened to Pastor Tim as he spoke about changes we can make in the new year as we strive to follow Jesus.
One of our most powerful conversations was with a resident who is temporarily in assisted living due to suffering a heart attack. She took several students aside and reminded them that even though they aren’t old now, they will be— and there’s a God in Heaven who has a good plan for their lives until the very end. We were all inspired by her positive outlook and faith in Jesus through this hard time in her life.
For lunch, we enjoyed a pizza buffet at Mellow Mushroom. We went back to NCCS to debrief and discuss where we saw God working today. Even though this is a local missions team that isn’t traveling, it was good for us to be reminded that God is at work here at home and in our community, and we can be the hands and feet of Christ right here when we are.
TUESDAY
Written by Kate Honaker ‘28, BirdieClare Powell ‘28, Reagan McLaughlin ‘28, Lili Cousar ‘28, Knox Honaker ‘28
Today we had the opportunity to visit the house museum called Rose Lawn. The House itself was beautiful, with its historic charm and intricate woodwork. We had the sweetest tour guide who led us through the Rose Lawn house telling us about the history of Sam Jones. Jones was a pastor and former attorney. Through his ministry, Jones became a beloved figure, not just for his preaching but for his genuine care for people. He welcomed many evangelists into his home, such as Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and many more spiritual leaders. It was amazing to hear how a single individual could have such a lasting effect on a community.
After lunch, we also got the chance to visit the Humane Society in Cartersville. We were amazed with the kindness and care every staff member showed the animals. From playful puppies to reserved cats, each animal showed its own kind of love. It reminded us of how God shows His love through simple, everyday actions like providing care and shelter to those who are vulnerable. Walking away, we felt inspired to live with more compassion, seeing that even small acts of kindness can reflect God’s greater love for all creation.
WEDNESDAY
Written by Lauren Raessler, Upper School Spanish Teacher
This morning, we visited Live2540, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping sick and malnourished children in Liberia. This organization got its name from Matthew 25:40, which says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
We watched a video about how the organization began, and we learned about how the ministry has evolved. Recently, the Jesus Loves Me medical center was built in Liberia, and it offers both inpatient and outpatient services for children. The goal is to raise enough money to add a surgical center and a birthing center in the next few years.
We then visited the Love Shop, where we learned that the profits from t-shirt sales are used to buy special formula, provide nutrient-dense peanut butter packets for sick children, and build the medical center. Our group enjoyed purchasing tees and other items from the shop to help with their mission. We also donated $100 on behalf of our Lower School partner prayer class, and this will provide roughly 200 meals for children in Liberia!
We then braved the cold weather and completed a scavenger hunt of downtown Cartersville. The girls found more answers than the boys did! Afterward, we warmed up with cookies from Agan’s Bakery and bagels from Nagel’s Bagels.
Finally, we served at the Good Neighbor Homeless Shelter. Our students worked hard cleaning the windows— both inside and outside— and sorting the clothing closet with winter wear for the residents.
We were able to see ministry opportunities both at home and abroad today, and we are excited to see how God continues working through our group the rest of this week.
THURSDAY
by Jack Allan, class of 2027
Today, the Cartersville Spring Term went to Trinity Methodist Church in Cartersville to help with the “Backpack Buddies” program. There was an ‘assembly line’ of sorts that had been set up with all manner of easy-to-make foods, which we used to pack hundreds of grocery bags to be given to kids who don’t have access to food every day of the week.
We filled up 900 bags with meals consisting of foods like Ramen, Pop Tarts, Canned Food, and macaroni and cheese. The bags, sorted into pods of 20, were stored in boxes to be transported to where they would be handed out at local schools. We finished off the activity with a group picture in front of the bus.
After this, we returned to the school where we thought about where we saw God in the spring term, and received letters from a 3rd grade class that had been praying for us throughout the spring term. We enjoyed a lunch of catered Chick-fil-A, and then ended off the day finishing off the oral history slide show for the Fountains residents as well as Valentine’s Day centerpieces and bookmarks for the facility.