We started off the tour with a concert in Manhattan last night. This was especially neat for me since it was at the church that I grew up in. That church was one of the most important communities in my life as I was growing up, and the Bethel choir has been a great community to be a part of in college. It was really meaningful for me to see these two parts of my life merge. After the concert, we all dispersed to the various houses of people from the congregation who were hosting us.
This morning, I went for a run. It was still fairly dark out when I left and throughout the run, I was able to watch the sun rise. It was a beautiful way to start off the day. It has only been about 14 hours since we started this tour, but there have already been some great moments of fellowship, hospitality, and beauty. As we head to Topeka now, I’m looking forward to many more of these great moments throughout the week.
-Oliva Gehring