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Tents of America comes to Ball State

Ball State student Hadassah Harris brought Tents of America to the Quad this weekend. This national movement hopes to increase spirituality and reenergize students on campuses across the nation.
Ball State student Hadassah Harris brought Tents of America to the Quad this weekend. This national movement hopes to increase spirituality and reenergize students on campuses across the nation.

MUNCIE, Ind. (NewsLink) – A national movement came to campus over the weekend due to the work of one dedicated student.

Hadassah Harris partnered with Awaken the Dawn, an organization based in Washington D.C. with a goal of putting up tents on college campuses across the nation. For this year’s event they successfully launched more than 400 tents across the nation. One of those was right here in Muncie.

Located on the Quad, Harris pitched their tent for the weekend. 

“This is 50 hours of worship and prayer. So, people, students, the Muncie community, churches, and people around the region have been coming here.” Harris said.

The tent remained open for all 50 hours, with a rotating team of students who sang, painted and praised together over the course of three days. 

“I have had maybe eight hours of sleep this entire fifty hours.” Harris said.

But despite their apparent lack of sleep, Harris believed that “students here have gained a rest. A lot of students come by between classes, and they just discuss the peace that they feel.”

This belief was reflected by those participating in the event. At hour 39, the tent was flooded with students chatting and laughing together, community members passing out bracelets, and students stopping by to paint or share prayer requests.

While Harris and her team were focused on the need in the community, the national movement, she said, held a more extensive impact.

“I think it’s impactful worldwide. Nations are gathering, they’re gathering in Washington D.C. But it’s more than a gathering, it’s a movement,” Harris said. 

For questions or comments about this story, contact the author at aesterle@bsu.edu