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| The Justice Ride Team |
“I really appreciated you on the Justice Ride! I can't
imagine how much effort you put in that week, but know that you made the week
fantastic! … I really don't know how to describe to you how much you welcomed
me and made me feel a part of the group! I can't wait for the next Justice
Ride!” – Ellianna, a first-time Justice Rider
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| Ellianna takes advantage of an opportunity to pray with a student at Florida State University. |
Our team just completed the most exhausting week of the
year: the spring Justice Ride. On this trip, I had a new perspective instead of
simply doing outreach. You see, we are a discipleship organization - raising up
the next generation, equipping and preparing them to take on the culture of
death and win. Some of my specific roles were overseeing/organizing outreach
setup, watching for problems throughout the day, working security, that type of
thing. One thing about this Ride that was special to me was that for the first
time my sister, Elizabeth, could join us! I loved having her as part of the
team and being able to spend time together throughout the week.
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| Elizabeth creating dialogue with a Florida State University student. |
Once, towards
the end of the week, as I was going around our outreach site and checking in on
the Riders, I noticed that something wasn’t right with Elizabeth so I pulled
her away for a minute and asked what was wrong. She was seeing the apathy of
students who could look at the bloodshed of innocent humans and walk on by,
deciding they didn’t care, and she couldn’t believe it. She told me that it
made her want to cry, so I told her to go ahead and I hugged her as she cried.
I tell this story to help explain my view on this Ride. I
saw riders young and old become convicted to work harder to end this injustice.
I got to watch as new riders, who were originally scared to approach students
on campus, grow to confidently defend their beliefs and excitedly come up to me
to share another story of a mind being changed, an interesting conversation
that they had, or ask a question on how they could respond better to a certain
argument. I get to invest in the lives of other young people like Ellianna and
encourage them in the work they continue at their own schools and campuses.
I am indeed privileged to play a part of this life-changing
experience.
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| My colleague Ian leads us in a time of devotion - preparing our hearts through prayer and worship the Sunday before our outreaches began throughout FL. Truly, a band of brothers and sisters preparing to storm the gates. |
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| James, a first-time rider prays with a student on outreach. |
