Jon Glock’s challenge to the Ensemble prior to our spring break tour was that we would be agents of encouragement to everyone we met on this trip (including each other). Sixteen students, representing four different countries and six different states, came together as a team to encourage and bless people across the country. We encountered a wide variety of cultures, worship styles, and people from different backgrounds, and it was neat to see how our common bond in Christ was a unifying factor in each of those settings.
On Friday, March 7th, the Ensemble sang at Luther Manor, a retirement community/nursing home in Dubuque. The next day, we were privileged to sing as part of the Missionary Study Class (100th Anniversary) at Lombard Gospel Chapel in Illinois. Those in attendance were from all over the Chicago area, and we heard a word of testimony from one of the founders of Operation Mobilization. Saturday night, the students enjoyed the hospitality of believers from Palos Hills Christian Assembly where we worshiped and sang the next morning.
The rest of the trip was spent in the southeast at Decatur Bible Chapel (just outside of Atlanta), Overbrook Gospel Chapel (Greenville, SC), and Fairbluff Bible Chapel (Charlotte, NC). We were welcomed with open arms at each chapel, and we had amazing times singing and sharing our lives with these believers (including a few Emmaus alumnae).
We were overwhelmed with the love, hospitality, and generosity of these believers, and one highlight for the students was the homestays with families from each chapel. This trip provided a unique opportunity for students to connect with new believers and to discover mutual friendships with people around the country. Also, we were able to minister to people of all ages, including children. Several of the children in the audiences got very excited when we started singing This Little Light of Mine since they recognized the words. Even the opportunity to be a testimony to our bus driver was significant, and it was encouraging to see him in the back of the audience practically singing along by the end of the tour.
We are very thankful for the numerous ways God provided during this tour. The students developed stronger friendships with each other in the process of working together as a group, and we believe that each one of them was encouraged as much as the people to whom we ministered during our travels.
Thank you to all who prayed for us last week!
Click the link below to view a video recording of “All Creatures of our God and King” from one of the tour concerts.
