Greetings my friends,

We awoke this morning with an air of expectancy: we were visiting the fabled Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church! Upon awakening, we breathed in the essence of musk and saw the gleaming vacancy sign of the Knights Inn shining bright in our eyes. We prepared ourselves for a day packed with excitement.

We arrived at the church while Sunday School had half an hour left. While the kids were being educated about God's word, we joined the adult session. Already, we saw signs of the most invigorating and entertaining service we'd ever been a part of. The charisma that these adults were displaying already was more than I had seen in any Mennonite churches I had ever been in combined. The congregation and the speakers were very communicative and intimate, with members joining in whenever they felt the urge. The passion that was displayed by our new friends was uplifting and invigorating. Amen! The relatively small choir of about 12 people shook the building. Goosebumps covered many arms as Marvin Gaye's doppelganger led the choir, as well as the drummer and bass player. We sang three of our own pieces, and the reaction was far more vocally enthusiastic than what we are used to in our Mennonite churches. "SING IT! SING IT!" was heard all throughout our pieces.

Reverend Harry Toussaint started soft and over the next hour and a bit worked his way up to his bold conclusion--"God is greater than all circumstances." The Reverend had energetic earnestness flowing from his mouth and body. His speech eventually gave way to an improvised chant/song, in which the pianist and drummer soon entered in. As the words of God flowed out like a rushing river, it was as if we were being splashed by the Lord's will. It was obvious that everyone in the building was a believer. The congregation, as well as the Reverend, were engaged as though they were hearing the most fascinating story ever told. If anyone is able to fall asleep, they must be straight trippin'. A service like that--that's what the edge of your seat is made for! Can I get a witness? HALLELUJAH!!!

Our brothers and sisters were kind enough--gracious enough--to supply us with a homemade southern home-style meal, including fried chicken and collard greens. Never had so many "amen!"s been exclaimed after the doxology. A Canadian-style gift of maple syrup and Saskatoon berry jam was presented to RJC's longtime friend Billy Morgan.

We were treated to an afternoon swamp tour, which made biology incredibly interesting. We were treated to alligator, wild boar and blue heron sightings, among others. Currently, we're at Camp Christian. We begin our brief stint with Habitat for Humanity in the morning, and we're very excited to keep on keepin' on. CAN I GET A WITNESS?! UHH!!

With Love,

Travis Hebert and Nick Hawrishok