We met an incredible family at our first stop. They welcomed us in right away as if we were family. As we talked more we began to discover that us stopping there was part of an journey of obedience for their family. It was amazing to see how God had woven together the details for us to be there. We loved getting to know the kids too. :)
Rangers in Selma had highly recommended Ocmulgee National Monument, so naturally we had to check it out! I'll be honest, it was not as incredible as we thought it would be, so that was a disappointment. However, that could be due to exhaustion. We arrived, went into the visitor center, and walked around a little bit before heading outside to check out the mounds that were the main purpose of the national monument. We stopped by the car to get an umbrella. Upon arriving to the car, I realized that I was too exhausted to look around, so I took a nap. A much longer nap than I'd planned on... It felt SO good! We then proceed to walk around and look at the mounds that had been created as houses by a native people years ago. One of the mounds was set up as example of what it may have looked like back when they lived there. There were two other mounds that we could climb on top of and get a look around. While not as impressive as we had anticipated, it was eye-opening to think about what that area may have looked like when people were actively using the area as homes.
On our last morning there we volunteered with the mom and two of her kids at a church where they serve a hot meal once a week for people who need them. Alyssa and I were assigned to doing dishes. At first that may seem like a small task but in an operation this big, there were a lot! It was fun getting to know the people who regularly participate in this ministry. Although we were only there once they greatly appreciated our contribution. We loved finding another opportunity to support an incredible outreach.
We then headed north to stay with the mom of someone from our church at home. She was a 90-year-old spit fire! We loved staying with her! She loved having people staying with her; we were invited multiple times to stay with her again whenever we were in Georgia. Her passion was and still is National Sports Car Association of America. We enjoyed learning more about something we knew so little about. Our days were spent exploring; our evenings were spent eating dinner out with our hostess (her treat! :) ) and watching tv. It was so relaxing and refreshing.
Our main exploration during our time near Atlanta was at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site. We were able to see the church where MLK and his father were pastors. A museum set up in the church shared about his life and the lives of his family members. I had no idea that his mother was murdered during a church service because of the civil rights work of the family! Martin Luther King, Jr. seems like an incredible man who I would have loved to meet. He stood strong for what he believed in without being dissuaded by fear. After walking through the church we returned to the visitor center for a tour of the house where MLK was born. The tour guide was incredibly knowledgable and engaging. He told many stories about the growing up years of MLK as we walked around the house, seeing the sites. One of the focuses of the tour was that MLK was a normal kid. He had his naughty streak, as the many stories about him demonstrated, as well as the good qualities. He was a normal guy, not a superhero. Yet he grew up to complete heroic acts. We left touched and moved by seeing these sites.
In the middle of our time, I received an email that I was invited to interview for the Communication Disorders Master's program at the school that I had applied to in November. This meant that all of our plans had to be rearranged because I would be flying back to California for the interview at the end of that week. It was a crazy, exciting, scary time with much sleep deprivation. I am happy to say that all of the craziness ended with my acceptance into the program in March...and I will be beginning that journey soon (as in tomorrow!).
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