OurJesusJourney goes to Savannah, GA

May 2018

After spending my (Erin) birthday and Mother’s Day in Lee, FL, we headed up to Savannah, GA. There, we connected with Pastor Andy Vaught of Higher Ground Church. Higher Ground was such a neat old church! A narrow building with a high steeple with a neat angle to the church. They have a large baseball field, as well as a large parking lot and a lot of land around it. It was perfect for setting up camp!

We set up under a large tree and got comfortable. We had access to the church, though…the kitchen, the restrooms, etc. They were very hospitable! The weather, however, became very rough and windy a few times. We actually lost at least 2 of our poles on our tent in the windstorm. After that, we had no choice but to seek shelter inside from there out.

One night, while we were still outside, there was a group that came up to play basketball at about 1 AM. Unfortunately we had to ask them to leave, though, because it was too loud, as it was right next to our campsite and we’d just gotten to sleep. The same group, though, showed up about midnight another night when we were staying inside. When they saw us, they started to leave, but Matt made sure and catch them to tell them they were welcome to play basketball that time. It was a group of 5 young men, aged 17-22. Matt talked to one, who shared a bit about himself and his raising. This put Matt to the test. He knew God was presenting him with an opportunity for ministry. He grabbed his Bible, I grabbed a large bucket of ice water and cups, and we headed outside to watch them play ball with our kids and then “have Church.” Or should I say, “Be Church?” We were blessed to sit outside, on the ground, and talk to those boys for about 2 hours, sharing the Gospel and answering their questions with the Bible. It was awesome!

Matt was blessed to preach on a Sunday morning at Higher Ground. You can see that sermon on Youtube @ https://youtu.be/ezgE6EDaRLc.

One day, we had to do laundry…no small feat for this family of 6! There was a couple in the parking lot struggling to make a repair on their vehicle. As usual, Matt offered help and we wound up spending HOURS with them! Matt shared the Gospel and we also met another Christian, a Veteran, Gary, who used his own AAA Membership to tow the couple’s vehicle to Higher Ground Church for the night. It was an awesome time of ministering and just loving on those around us, as well as being blessed with pizza and groceries from Gary. God is good! And we MUST share that with others!

Another BIG event that happened because of the kindness of Higher Ground was the replacement and repair of our exhaust system on the Suburban. WOW was that a huge gift! They really looked out for us, because the gas mileage and the noise from the vehicle was so bad! They went far above and beyond in many ways!

The last day we were there, we finally took a breather and visited the beach. It was a wonderfully beautiful day! Matt and the kids really love the water and they just swam and swam to their heart’s content!

We had a wonderful stay at Higher Ground Church and are so grateful for the wonderful things they did for us! We love our new family in Georgia and look forward to visiting them again one day!