Southwest Adventure
Follow along as our students go out to impact their world for Christ!
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MONDAY
Written by Coker Ormsby, class of 2026
This morning, Monday, January 6, our Southwest Spring Term team embarked on a long journey across the country with the goal of seeing Christ through his beautiful creation. We began the morning at 3:00 a.m. as the team loaded up for a 4-hour plane ride from Atlanta to amazing Las Vegas.
When we arrived, we grabbed a bite to eat for breakfast/lunch and took a quick bus tour of the Vegas strip. Following our quick Las Vegas adventure, we headed toward Valley of Fire National Park, just northeast of Vegas. There, the team got to experience breathtaking views along with fun rock climbs in incredible terrain.
Our team is now heading to an early dinner in St. George, Utah, and will finish the day in bed at our home for the next three days in Cedar City, Utah. Our team has experienced 4 states today (Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Utah), so it is safe to say everyone is ready for a good night of rest!
TUESDAY
by Jessie Claire Churchwell
Today when we woke up in Cedar City, Utah, it was 29 degrees. This was quite a change from the 40's and 50's of yesterday! When we were loading for Mt. Zion National Park we saw flurries!
Even though we were on the highway, it was impossible to ignore the unique beauty of the American Southwest. The huge, flat valleys and endless rocky mountains is an incredible contrast to the environment of Georgia. I felt as though we were in an entirely different country.
The journey through Mount Zion was overwhelming in both toughness and beauty. It was wonderful to soak in God’s beautiful creation! After filling our bellies we went shopping in Springdale. It was cool to go in the small shops and to spend this time with our friends.
When we got back to the hotel we were greeted by snow. Everyone was so excited because we hardly don’t see this back at home.
Grant Broeckelman, Jackson Elbert, and Troy Mastrogianakis brought an amazing devotion to end this amazing day. They focused on the spiritual side of the events that happened yesterday and today. We are grateful for all God is doing through this opportunity!
WEDNESDAY
by Sarah Fitzpatrick, class of 2027, and Anna Powell, class of 2026
“We started our day by eating breakfast as a team along with playing some card games together. Then we read over the devotion ( sharing the gospel- saving lives) (John 14:6) Followed by a prayer over our time for serving. Arrived at food pantry to serve— set up materials, clean Christmas decor and helped clean worship area and outdoors. Got lunch with groups. Gave prayer cards and rubber frog to some soldiers we met at lunch.”
Then, we went back to help serve at the food pantry by providing meals for families in need and praying over meals and family’s, along with having meaningful conversations. We ended the day by serving over 500 families and over 1,200 individuals. We then ate dinner as a team, where a couple guys challenged each other to eating jalapeño peppers (they succeeded).
After serving and eating dinner, the team leaders surprised us with Axe throwing and a rage room- very stress relieving. We then head back to our hotel and closed out for the night with prayer and reflection of the day. We focused on people’s willingness to be open to our religion along with their gratitude for even the smallest things. We are very thankful for True Life Center Church (Cedar City, Utah) as they opened their doors for us to serve and were very thankful and blessed.
THURSDAY
by NCCS student Campbell Van Orden
Today we woke up and got ready for the day. We made sure everything was packed before we went down to eat breakfast and leave. On the bus, we read our morning devotion while on the way to Pink Sand Dunes.
We got there and rented snowboards and sleds to be able to go down the big sand dunes. It was very windy and sand was kicking everywhere, but it was a lot of fun. The time came where we had to hike up the sand back to the bus.
From there, we left and went to get some lunch at Wendy’s. After lunch we went to a visitor center and looked over at the beautiful scenery. From there we went to check into our hotel for that night.
After a few minutes of grabbing layers, we headed to the Hoseshoe Bend to watch the sunset over the Colorado River. After that amazing view, we went to eat some dinner.
Lastly, we got back to the hotel and had our team devotion.
FRIDAY
by NCCS students Micheal Perry and Andrew Sutton
On Friday we woke up and ate breakfast at 8:00. We left the hotel at 8:30 a.m. and then headed to Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon had incredible views and showed God’s beautiful creation through the close-up views the sand. The Navajo tribe has opened up this canyon for us to see another side of our world from underneath. Our guide was part of the Navajo clan.
After the tour we headed toward the Grand Canyon, and on the way we stopped at a Navajo trading post where we ate lunch. After lunch we went to the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon was beautiful and was a great reminder to appreciate God’s creation.
After the Grand Canyon we headed to our hotel in Flagstaff, stopping at the Galaxy Diner on Route 66. Everyone enjoyed a nice diner meal accompanied by a delicious milkshake! We then arrived at our hotel in Flagstaff and had our devotion led by Ryan and Daniel. It was on prayer and was a great reminder to be grateful for the things we have. Finally, we headed to our rooms and are ready to head back to Atlanta tomorrow. It's been an incredible week!