Cross Connection allowed us to spend an incredible week in service for our friends in Asheville. We primarily spent our time with Haywood St. Church, making friends and serving those who are experiencing homelessness.

It’s a very heavy week when hearing the stories that we’ve heard from our new friends, but so filled with the spirit and hope. Many powerful encounters were experienced and God absolutely showed up!

Monday we arrived and got situated at “Camp”, met the staff at Cross Connection (CC) and then we all got in the vans and brought ice cream to Pritchard Park in the middle of Central Asheville. We played fun music and brought chalk to draw with and a ball to play with and basically had a free, fun, and safe party for the community of Asheville!

On Tuesday we walked the “Path of Awareness” where we walked close to 8 miles in the shoes of our unhoused friends. We saw the locations of where they spend their nights hoping to sleep and how far it takes to walk to anything that can provide for them. We also saw all of the organizations and opportunities for them to receive any assistance.

Wednesday was spent all of the morning serving Breakfast and Lunch to any who would come to Haywood St. Church. We appreciated how we served them meals “Family Style” to retain dignity and treat others like people and not like “other”. Then we went into the church and worshipped with everyone and were floored by how powerful of an experience that was! Hearing unhoused folks sing about the hope of Christ and serving us communion and speaking about how important community was impacted all of us greatly.

Thursday was more of a labor intensive day where some of the groups went and cleaned up the heaps of garbage off the walking paths while others worked at Haywood St’s garden leveling tables and getting rid of weeds and clearing paths. We then spent the afternoon learning about Deep Time, a coffee shop that hires those who have been incarcerated and is reducing the amount of jail time returns (Recidivism) by over 30%! Later that evening our Camp hosted a big cookout and softball game where everyone got to eat to their hearts desire and play fun games with us.

Friday we got in the van and returned home.

After each day we would have time of sharing and small groups while also having worship of our own. It was truly a beautiful week. Very thankful for CC, Haywood St. Church, Deep Time and many others who serve the community of Asheville.

–Ben