Maryland Day

Today was Maryland Day, and we spent the day at the University of Maryland in College Park.  Our church, Grace Community, had made today the annual Servefest, which is a day when many in the church body go out into the community and serve in many different capacities.  Some do yard work in the community at certain schools, or at the homes of the needy.  In addition, there were various activities where groups of church members participated in supporting other groups or individuals, such as cheering on the students at a local special needs school that has a parade.  My daughter, Melody, and I participated in a prayer walk at the University of Maryland, which is why we also were able to experience Maryland Day.

The Prayer Walk was sponsored by Cru, which is a self-described "group of communities where the gospel captures hearts, transforms lives, and launches men and women into a lifelong adventure with Jesus Christ."  I met several wonderful young men and women who are involved in this organization and participated with us and a number of other people from Grace.

We were led to various spots around the campus where we would stop and pray together for the people related to the spot chosen to pray.  They include The Diner, near Ellicott Hall, where we prayed for the incoming Freshman at the school; Byrd Stadium, where we prayed for student athletes; the Alumni Center, where we prayed for the alumnus; Stamp Student Union, where we prayed for the many minority students on campus; and the international language hall, where we prayed for international students.  We ran out of time to pray at the Armory and at the campus Chapel.  It was a really enjoyable time, and we made some great connections with wonderful people.  Upon completing the walk, we were invited to join Cru at a fundraising dinner in mid-May.

Melody and I then joined in on the Maryland Day festivities.  The campus really gets into the spirit of the celebration, with every school sponsoring a booth around campus and manned by students.  There were plenty of food booths, too, and entertainment supplied by students.  We made our way around McKelden Mall, then returned to the union.  We had some Chick-Fil-A for lunch, and though I would've preferred eating something on the mall, Melody was very satisfied to have some comfort food.  After eating we made our way into the University Book Center to do some shopping (and get some Maryland gear).

Melody was wearing one of her mom's "Images" t-shirts.  Images is the campus tour guide organization, of which Teresa was a member.  We saw a group from Images and approached them.  They immediately saw Melody's shirt and really made a big deal out of it, calling it "vintage".  Melody was beaming and we told them that her mom was a member of the Images back in the 90s.  They seemed impressed.

After a great time shopping and wandering around campus, we made one more stop, at Cole Field House, the previous home to the basketball teams before the much larger Comcast Center was built on the other side of campus.  Melody was excited to see it.  Then we headed home.

It was a great day!  Melody has decided she wants to go to Maryland when she graduates from high school.  We'll see...a lot can happen between now and graduation.  I certainly will endorse the idea!  Go Terps!

Have a great evening, everyone!