Approximately 275 students participated in a spring break campaign from March 7-16 to one of eight U.S. locations or one of nine international destinations.
Sophomore Katie Mitchell traveled with her mission team to Ensenada, Mexico, to serve the City of Children ministry on March 7. This ministry began in 1970, and their goal is to teach the word of God to the orphaned and endangered children of Mexico.
According to www.cityofchildren.com, 620 children and adults have become Christians with and 800 people have been reached through Baja Missions.
“The Mexican government allows us to teach the gospel because we are giving their children a good home, good care and education,” the City of Children website reads.
Mitchell said that she had been on this trip before and was very anxious to see the people she had bonded with previously. Mitchell said the community the mission team served in was El Zorrillo.
“This was the day that we were able to hand out the shoes that the student body donated at the basketball game,” Mitchell said. “Let me just say what a blessing that was to those people. Although they were only able to take one pair per family, someone was getting a new pair of shoes that day, and everyone was beaming about it. It was a blessing to be able to witness that day.”
Junior Ryan Glidden was part of the mission team that traveled to Kingston, Jamaica. The group partnered with a local church to do VBS as well as work on landscaping church property. This was Glidden’s second time to make the trip to Jamaica.
“I saw God through the enjoyment Jamaicans take from the simple things that we take for granted,” Glidden said. “My favorite part was their energetic worship.”
Sophomore Kathryn Phillips went on a mission trip over spring break to Catacamus, Honduras. According to Phillips, the team built a house, worked at a physical therapy clinic and worked at a handicapped orphanage.
“I stayed at the handicapped orphanage all week,” Phillips said. “We did two vacation Bible schools for a school and a church.”
Phillips also explained that her father, Bryan Phillips, professor of exercise and sports science, was the director of their mission trip. She said that the group left the Friday before spring break and was gone for 10 days.
“It’s my home away from home, and when I’m there, I feel true happiness,” Phillips said. “I know everyone else (on the mission team) does too because of the love and blessings those people are to us.”
