Thank you to everyone who donated sport chairs for our New Orleans mission trip. Because of your generosity, we were able to give out dozens of chairs to individuals who had been sitting on crates, cardboard, or the pavement. These chairs weren’t just practical—they were reminders that someone sees them, values them, and cares.
One moment that will stay with us happened beneath a tree.
After grabbing lunch, our group was heading back toward street ministry when we noticed a man selling cold waters from a cooler. While most of us stopped to talk with him (he actually turned out to be someone we met last year), one of our students noticed a woman sitting quietly under a nearby tree—almost blending into the background.
The student simply walked over and sat beside her. No big speech. Just presence.
As they began to talk, the woman shared that she had been going through a heartbreaking season. Most of her family had passed away. She felt completely alone. She said she takes the bus every day to that same spot, just to watch people and escape the silence of her house.
Then she said something that stopped us: “I had made up my mind to take my life tomorrow.”
But that day, she wasn’t invisible. She was seen. She was heard. She was reminded of her value.
We gave her one of the sport chairs. She smiled. She laughed. She received prayer. And when we left, she was different.
Hope had replaced hopelessness—all because one student noticed her and sat down.
From all of us at The Walk Youth Group and Building 229, thank you. Thank you for giving so much more than a chair.
The Walk Youth Group
Venmo: oneneednow
Building 229
Thomas County area ministry