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We wanted to check in with some of our first interns from the summer of 2011: Stephen Felker, David Luter & Alex Thompson. They have supported DSA from the very beginning and continue to love and pray for our ministry!
 Stephen Felker
"In many ways, what T. Mac was doing at the time was unheard of and one of the only examples of loving the poor and vulnerable that I knew of. Certainly T. Mac had numerous growing pains as he worked through what it looked like, but for college sophomores, the sacrificial nature of what T. Mac was doing, the long-term commitment, and the Christ-centered nature of it all was so unique.
That summer we probably had around 30-60 boys everyday coming to learn reading, math, and play basketball. We worked through simple multiplication problems in that month with students. The camp was held in this factory building, which at the time was as hot as possible for a Mississippi summer. We had massive fans blowing all day and I’m sure we all lost a lot of weight that summer!
When I look at where I am today, I know that Delta Streets had a major influence in my life decisions. My family moved to Memphis to work with Memphis Teacher Residency in many ways because of the impact of Delta Streets. Seeing the commitment to Delta Streets that T. Mac demonstrated was quite moving. The mission of DSA and its commitment to Greenwood despite the success or failures of the school, mirrors in so many ways the love that Jesus has for His people. It’s for this reason that I continue to keep up with DSA, pray for the ministry, and point people to its great work and mission."
 David Luter
"I first heard about Delta Streets when I was at Mississippi State and in the spring of 2011, T. Mac came to one of our Thursday night RUF meetings to give an update. At that point, the school hadn't been established and a big part of the ministry was a summer sports camp and tutoring. T. Mac mentioned that he needed some college guys to help him run the camp. After all that I had heard about Delta Streets, I was in. Myself, Stephen Felker, and Alex Thompson had a ton of fun that summer with the kids and I'm sure we learned more from them than they did us.
Our end-of-camp trip to Atlanta was awesome. We loaded up a bus early one morning for a whirlwind daytrip to Six Flags and a Braves game. Most of the boys had never been outside of Greenwood, so it was fun to see the awe in their eyes as we rolled into Atlanta. Six Flags was basically empty, and we'd ride a roller coaster three or four times without ever getting off. I can still hear the screams of the boys as we dipped, jumped, twisted, and turned through the park. Experiencing that trip through their eyes was so much fun.
I wholeheartedly believe in Delta Streets. The Lord is using DSA to make impactful, tangible changes (both physical and spiritual) in the lives of its students and in Greenwood. In my time there, I saw the foundation and core principles of the ministry already in action. Through the years, as DSA has grown, the ministry has built upon that foundation and remained true to its mission and principles. I'm so proud to support DSA and am excited about the work the Lord is doing through DSA. Work that, no doubt, is producing eternal fruits."
Alex Thompson
"I interned at DSA in the summer of 2011 and 2012, and during a spring break as well. T. Mac came to speak at RUF at Mississippi State about Delta Streets. As a Danny Wuerrful fan and knowing about Desire Streets, that type of ministry for youth in underserved areas was always close to my heart. After learning about what T. Mac was trying to do with Delta Streets, I knew this was something that I wanted to do. I also spent 7 years growing up in Greenwood when my dad was a pastor at Westminster Presbyterian, so it just seemed like a perfect fit that the Lord dropped in my lap. I called my parents that night on the walk home from RUF and told them I was going to intern with Delta Streets that summer.
There are so many good memories from being an intern. Whether it was taking the kids to a Grizzlies game or Six Flags, bus rides between activities, running sports drills and camps, helping  with different school subjects, or just hanging out and building relationships with the students and other interns, there are so many great memories that have stuck with me.
After interning there and keeping up with Delta Streets, there was never a question that we would keep supporting this ministry. My time at Delta Streets was one of the most impactful experiences during my college years. Continuing to watch what the Lord is doing through Delta Streets, how it is growing, and the impact it is having has been really encouraging and special."
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at the end of August! This past February, I was talking to this same donor about the gym project, and the 25,000 sq ft renovation project was discussed, not by my choice, but the donor's. Realistically, the old Delta Chevrolet renovation project was 5-7 years down the road, if not more. But because of another $1 million pledge from this family in Dallas and money available through Covid, we start renovation next week with the hope of being completed by early January! The total project will cost $2.65 million, but we are only short $1.13 million at the moment.
