Missions trips fulfill needs, spread hope

sampWhile many students spent spring break sleeping in and laying out on the beach, 130 Carson-Newman students and staff, spent their 2011 Spring Break serving those less fortunate during the Spring Special Projects Other Than Summer (S.P.O.T.S.) trips. This year eleven teams traveled to many different locations including such far away places such as Bulgaria and Alaska.

With an average trip costing around $900, financial issues are something that can keep many students from going on the SPOTS trips. This year fund-raising helped offset those costs, according to Chad Morris, associate director of Campus Ministries.

"We were very blessed this year in our fund-raising.  Our missions team worked very hard and through Jail-A-Thon, pancake dinners, face painting at homecoming, and some key donations, Campus Ministries was able to provide a 20% discount for every person who participated in S.P.O.T.S.," he said. "We are very proud of this and try especially hard to reduce the cost of S.P.O.T.S. so that finances alone will not ever be the reason someone cannot participate."

Morris added, "Our Spring S.P.O.T.S. experiences was once again a highlight for Campus Ministries.  It is a continual blessing to see how God challenges, provides, and use our students to do His work throughout the world in which we live.  This year's participants described S.P.O.T.S. trips as inspiring, amazing, challenging, impactful, addicting, eye opening, awesome, and beast mode!"

ALASKA

Seven students traveled to Alaska for the week. They did several different things from cleaning, painting and organizing a youth center. They also were able to sharing the love of Christ with teenagers and children and even got to embrace their outdoor skills by cutting and splitting wood, riding "snow-gos" (snow machines) and building forts.

For Jaime Fitzgerald, her first S.P.O.T.S. trip also involved her first time being on an airplane. However, this trip was also a time of reflection. "This was also a time where my relationship with God was renewed and strengthened and I'm excited for this new journey in the deepening of my relationship with Christ," she said.

SOFIA, BULGARIA

Mary Morris led a group of students to Bulgaria. This was the first time a S.P.O.T.S. team had traveled to this country. The group worked with Ridgway and Bulgarian Child ministries in Western Bulgaria, serving by leading Sunday school for the kids at a Baptist Church near the Romanian border. For the remainder of the week the team fit and gave out shoes to the needy children in the area.

The team stayed the week in Berkovitsa and traveled each morning to the small nearby village of Borovtsi. In Borovtsi they spent each day renovating and doing light construction at the soon-to-be Bulgarian Child Training Center. The center will serve young men who have grown up in orphanages, allowing them to have the opportunity to be trained academically, spiritually, and in the areas of life and job skills. The team worked hard throughout the entire week; "On our last full day, we visited a home for handicapped children and ministered to them there," said Morris.

KENTUCKY

Eleven people traveled to Cumberland, KY to work with Angie and Terry Burkeen at Club 180.  "Club 180 is a community ministry that the Burkeens started about six years ago. It's a safe place for children in difficult situations, said team leader Abi Parker. "The club also offers karate, gymnastic, dance, and music lessons at the club."

The team painted and helped construct a ministry outreach to young single moms. Esther's Closet will help provide diapers, baby clothes, and toys to women in need. In addition, they cleaned up a park to make it safer so the community could enjoy it more.  

The team also worked to redo the floors of the Poor Fork's Arts and Crafts building that had some water damage from the heavy snow this winter. The building is a mountain crafts co-op that helps provide income for the senior adults in the area as well as keep the heritage alive and well. The store is extremely important to the community.  

"In all of the physical labor, we were able to build relationships with the people there and minister to them, as well as be encouraged ourselves," Parker said.

PENNSYLVANIA

Ten people went on the Philadelphia trip. The group stayed at Arch Street United Methodist Church. The team worked with several organizations to help the homeless. They partnered with different ministries including the Bethesda Project, where they "basically just hung out with some homeless men in the shelter," team leader Adam Tilson said. They also worked serving the homeless meals and sorted clothes for a local charity.

CHATTANOOGA

The team that traveled to Chattanooga got to do many different things during the week. They spent time building relationships with children. They also worked odd jobs, such as moving stuff around from different houses, tearing up carpet in the chapel, and landscaping.

During the night the group would hang out with the kids, watching movies such as "Despicable Me," and roasting marshmallows. They also took some high school girls to the mall. "The Chattanooga trip was a well balanced delight of team bonding, encouraging others, loving others and being encouraged!" team leader Megan Hurst said.