Belmont, NC and Rock Hill, SC

On Wednesday, I arrived in Belmont, North Carolina, to stay with the FOCUS missionaries. After getting unpacked, one of the missionaries and I met up with the student volunteer coordinator at Belmont Abbey College. From there, we went to Open Arms Ministry in Gastonia, NC. Open Arms Ministry is a nondenominational Christian Church and soup kitchen that hosts a service followed by a dinner every night. We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the service, help serve dinner, then sit down and share a meal with everyone who came by! On the ride back, we made an impromptu milkshake run, then continued on our way.

On Thursday, I made the trip to Rock Hill, South Carolina, to work at Tender Hearts Thrift Shop. Tender Hearts Ministry is an organization that is committed to “keeping a tender heart towards those in need”. At the thrift shop, I spent time unloading the donations from the truck, pricing them, and placing them in the proper places in the store! After my time at the thrift shop was over, I made my way back to Belmont.

On Friday morning, the FOCUS missionaries invited me to join them for their team breakfast followed by a movie! After that, I used the rest of the day to continue planning for the upcoming stops.

On Saturday, I spent the morning at Belmont Abbey College cheering on the participants of the Special Olympics soccer tournament! At the end of the tournament, I grabbed a pen and paper and asked the players if I could have their autographs! Afterwards, we all spent some time talking and enjoying pizza. Later that evening, the FOCUS missionaries had some people over to watch another movie. Following the movie, we all made a midnight trip to Charlotte, NC, to venerate the relic of St. Maria Goretti, the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church. If you are not familiar with her story, I would highly recommend looking into it! It will amaze you!

Lastly, I officially decided to make it home for Christmas! As of right now, the plan is to complete the lower 48 states by Christmas and then do Alaska and Hawaii after New Year’s Eve! I didn’t take family and friends for granted before the trip, but I have learned to appreciate them even more since being on the road! If I have the opportunity to complete what I set out to do and still make it back home to celebrate Christmas with my family, I think it would be foolish not to.

Thank you to Brendan and Wesley for hosting me. Thank you to all of the FOCUS missionaries for the work that you do. Thank you to Anja and everyone at Belmont Abbey College who is serving God by serving others. Thank you to everyone at Open Arms Ministry and Tender Hearts Thrift Shop who is passionate about making sure the needs of the less fortunate are being met. And thank you to all of you who continue to support me and pray for me!