Speaker with Down syndrome and NBA forward captivate crowd
In an interview-style convocation Aug. 30, Michelle Norwood and her son Hunter shared the amazing journey that would soon become the business of a sweet treat.
With Hunter being the CEO and Michelle the founder, they created their business called A Little Something Extra Ice Cream. The ice cream truck is not just a business, but a ministry as well.
“Through this journey of Down syndrome, we have met so many incredible people,” Michelle said. “And we knew immediately we didn’t want to keep this to ourselves, and so the first year we trained 12 of Hunter’s friends. Now we have 40 young adults from Georgia … who work with Hunter.”
“I grew up in a rural area and there was never an ice cream truck,” Michelle said. “And so we wanted to do something that had never been done, and God gave me piece by piece how to build an ice cream truck.”
Through this ministry of a repurposed FedEx truck, Michelle wanted to create an abundance of opportunities for young adults like Hunter.
“One of our big dreams is to create as many opportunities for people as we can because I know there are so many families who have the same concerns and walked the same path as ours,” Michelle said.
“We hope to just keep adding and adding opportunities, and it’s been the best experience.”
They brought their ice cream truck with them to Lynchburg, where Liberty University students could try the ice cream
for themselves.
With the love of ice cream, the Norwoods continue to share the hope and the love of Jesus Christ through A Little Something Extra Ice Cream.
On Sept. 1, Liberty University welcomed Jonathan Isaac, an NBA player for the Orlando Magic. Isaac spoke about his experience standing for his beliefs during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Isaac discussed his fear of being “cancelled” and how his relationship with Christ helped him trust God to guide his life.
“I’m so excited to be here, I can’t say it enough. This is insane — I didn’t know that you guys existed; I didn’t know that any of this was here, and I’m just so glad to spend the morning with you guys,” Isaac said.
Growing up in Naples, Florida, Isaac struggled to find a community until he discovered basketball. He recalls setting his entire identity in his ability to play basketball, which led to intense anxiety during his college career at Florida
State University.
“I was having this dichotomy of working so hard for love and trying so hard not to lose it by playing badly that my anxiety was just through the roof all the time,” Isaac said. “For me, it speaks to the reality of relationships with Jesus Christ — finding my identity in him, finding my strength, my confidence, my purpose and trust in him.”
After speaking with his pastor, Isaac made the decision not to kneel during the national anthem and to not wear the political shirt that his teammates were wearing. Isaac recalls praying throughout his stand for the impact his actions would have.
“I remember praying, like ‘God, purify my motives. Let this be about you; let this not be about me,’” Isaac said. “And after the game is over, I grab my phone. I’m everywhere, I’m being plastered everywhere, and the heartbeat of what I shared was that I believe that we all fall short of God’s glory; and if any of us are throwing stones at any person, then we are throwing stones from a glass house.”
Isaac spoke about how if humankind’s love for each other mimicked God’s love for his children, there could be real change and reconciliation between races.
“At the end of the day, Jesus said that if he’d be lifted up, he would draw all men to himself,” Isaac said.
Teel is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion