Our Nashville residents recently spent a fun-filled day on Percy Priest Lake with the team from In His Wakes! Founded in 2003 by former slalom world record holder Kristi Overton Johnson, In His Wakes is a nonprofit ministry that uniquely uses water sports to share Christ’s love powerfully and interactively. Through In His Wakes and their multiple programs, Johnson’s goal is to combine her love for water sports and her passion for seeing young people learn about the love of Christ.
The “A Day to Remember” program allows residents to see that their lives have value and purpose through participating in a variety of water sports and challenging themselves to do things they never thought they could do. Not only do they get to have a fun day at the lake, but they also learn how to take a leap of faith by trying something new in a loving and supportive environment.
We are so grateful for this organization and the volunteers who donate their boats, water skis, wakeboards, and tubes as well as their time to support the residents and provide them with a fun and impactful day on the water.
As the day wrapped up, seven Mercy residents decided to get baptized. It was such a special moment for all residents, staff, and volunteers, to see these residents take the next step in their walk with Christ prompted by the In His Wakes activities. Each resident walked away from the day with a smile on her face, feeling accomplished and supported after facing fears and trying new things.
Here is what some of our residents had to say about their day spent with In His Wakes:
“Wow. Today was amazing. We had the chance to do so many things that we would not have had the chance to do outside of this event. I even got baptized. I conquered a lot of fears and stepped out in faith in a lot of ways. In His Wakes will go down as one of the best days of my life!”
“I was pushed past my fear of water, and encouraged by other residents, staff, and In His Wakes volunteers helped me accomplish something new!”
“Today I learned to do more than exist. At Mercy, I’m learning to do more than survive, I’m learning to thrive. This was such a good reminder to keep doing what God wants me to do and step into a life He desires for me.”
“I kept pushing to conquer fears and redeem past bad experiences I had suffered. Today I was able to associate new and life-giving memories with being on a boat and on the water, and I got to do things that I really enjoyed!”
“I had the best time today! We had the chance to do a lot of things we usually would not be able to do, and it was such a good reminder that we need to “Get Off the Dock” in life. In His Wakes gave me new perspective on how to live my life on purpose.”
“Today I had a chance to enjoy the day on a boat and to get baptized! Today marks the beginning of a new life in Christ and a life lived for God. In His Wakes was awesome, and I’m so thankful for everyone who made it possible.”
“The biggest impact for me today was being able to push myself to do something new. I got to be baptized and reaffirm my faith and my purpose in Christ. The people at In His Wakes were so helpful and kind, and it was a great reminder of how we need to stay in God’s ‘wake’ so that He can pull us in the direction we need to go.”
“Today was awesome. We got to do so many cool things and enjoy water sports. We were surrounded by people who cheered us on when we did something new, and who supported us even when we fell off. Being baptized was definitely the highlight of my day, and I can’t wait to tell others about this opportunity and how God used this in my life.”
“I got baptized today! I’ve been wanting to get baptized for a while, and this gave me a chance to do that! I feel like this event had so many cool parts to it, and I really got to see Jesus through how the volunteers and staff supported us. I was afraid that they would be mad at me for falling off or not getting it right on the first try, but no one ever got angry, and they were so encouraging. I’m so thankful for this!”
We want to thank everyone on the In His Wakes team, both staff and volunteers, for creating such an impactful day for our residents. It will always be “A Day to Remember” for each of them! To learn more about In His Wakes, you can visit their website here.
