Written by Sophie Thibodeaux // Graphic by Wagner Valdez
A number of students on campus will participate in both abroad and domestic mission campaigns during the upcoming spring break, which begins on March 4.
Students have the opportunity to travel to another country and serve in a variety of ministries, or stay in the U.S. or Searcy area and participate in service projects within the given community.
Joy Tittle, director of spring break missions, said they currently have students going on eight different trips, three of which are international trips. Two will occur in Mexico, while the other will be in Nicaragua.
“The City of Children is the mission in Ensenada, Mexico; City of Angels is in Cozumel, Mexico; and Mision Para Cristo is in Jinotega, Nicaragua,” Tittle said. “And then we have five domestic trips.”
The domestic trips include missions at Impact Church in Houston; Roots Mission, a Native American reservation in Kayenta, Arizona; and Water’s Edge, a Church of Christ in Laconia, New Hampshire, where students will work at a church plant. The football team is also taking a group of 15 students to Riverhead, New York, to work at the Timothy Hill Ranch. Tittle said there are also groups staying in Searcy to do service projects all over the city.
Kyle Thompson, assistant director of community connections, discussed what the projects in Searcy will look like.
“This experience is different because we take the students to various organizations in Searcy or White County that are doing good serving their neighbors,” Thompson said. “So we will go visit to understand what they do, how they do it and the effect it has on their neighbors. And then if possible, we will do a little service activity for them if they’re needing some assistance.”
Thompson also shared some examples of past projects students had done in Searcy.
“We’ve gone out to New Horizons food pantry, and we’ll work and serve with them all morning, do a tour and then hear their story on why they opened and what they do,” Thompson said. “On Monday nights at College Church is caring and sharing, where they host meals for the community, and so that was our Monday evening meal to work and serve, but also get to eat with our neighbors.”
Junior Bible and family ministry major Landon Gardner talked about the opportunity a past spring break mission to Ensenada provided.
“The trip to Ensenada, Mexico, and the City of Children is a wonderful opportunity to bless children from crisis situations and bless them with friends and a sense of familial belonging,” Gardner said.
