Elevate 2011 Part 6

We parked by the aquarium and went into the gift shop.  I was on the hunt for gifts for my girls.  After walking around the store about 5 times and picking up about 20 different things, I finally decided to get them some cute little magnets that had a shark and a penguin floating in each.  (They liked them!)  The guys were a bit excited when they found a stuffed AquaBear (well kind of).  After that we decided to walk across the bridge to find Clumpy's.  It was hot, I had shin splints from The Hike From Hell, it was a pretty long bridge to walk across, and it was HOT!  Luckily, Clumpy's is an ice cream place! I guess it is a tradition to go there every year.  It was delicious! We also went on the carousal (it was a very interesting carousal!).  Then we started the walk back across the bridge.  Someone had the bright idea to play signs while we walked.  This was quite a feat because in order to play the game you have to be in a circle facing each other and one person is in the middle with their eyes closed for 10 seconds at the beginning.  It was fun and helped pass the time though!  (Note: This was a bridge just for walking so we did not play Traffic Signs, though we did think about it for a second)

We went in search of stores that had souvenirs.  We found a Moon Pie Store!  We learned that Moon Pies were made in Chatanooga.  But most importantly, John found his set of mustaches.  There seven different mustaches (one for each day of the week).  Unfortunately, they were fake fake mustaches because they didn't stick very well.  Therefore, we had to wait until we got back to use them.
During our walk through the city we learned a very important lesson.  We happened to pass a homeless person sitting on a bench holding out his hand.  Later, we talked about it.  Each of us admitted to having an urge to stop and help him, but no one wanted to be the first person to do it.  We all realized that we need to listen to those thoughts more often.  I typically rationalize things to myself due to danger, etc. I think that it can't be the Holy Spirit speaking to me, because it's a smart thing to do.  However, helping someone is a good thing and I'm guessing that when we have an urge to do something good that it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us.  I have been trying to listen to the Holy Spirit more often.  I have been so blessed by God, and I feel selfish not sharing those blessings with others.
When we returned for dinner, we found tape for the fabulous mustaches.  This was when we were introduced to Covenant Dave.  John, Adam, Monty, and Covenant Dave all put on a mustache and we went to chapel.  They got a lot of funny looks and many compliments! At one point, we saw one of the band members on stage look over with a puzzled look and then smile.  
That night at chapel, the worship was once again amazing.  I was brought to tears, again.  (I'm guessing I cried about 8 times this week).  At one point during a great song I looked around the room.  I would guess that about 90% of the 250+ people in the room had their eyes closed and hands raised as they praised Jesus.  It was very humbling to see God's power at work amongst those teenagers.