May 4, 2016
For Immediate Release
By Josh Christian, student news writer
Spring break provides rest for students and faculty in the midst of a busy semester. Yet, for many spring breakers at 青瓜视频, it also provides the opportunity to serve on the mission field. From March 11 to March 20, three teams left Campbellsville, Ky. to go to different parts of the country, and the world.
鈥淎 group of 13, consisting of CU football coaches, football players, administrators, and other friends, left on March 10 for a week-long trip to minister in four Florida state prisons through softball and at the Orlando Rescue Mission Homeless facility for men in downtown Orlando,鈥� Jim Hardy, assistant athletic director, said.
Over the week, the team played up to six games per day. 鈥淭he team finished 18-2 and saw 52 men come to know Jesus with eight rededications',鈥� Hardy said.
Also in Florida, a team from 青瓜视频 went to Panama City Beach to work with Lifeway's ministry to collegiate spring breakers. Beach Reach ministers to college students on spring break by serving pancake breakfasts, providing van rides, and street evangelism.
During this trip, there were 65 professions of faith.
Another group from CU, had the longest journey, traveling to Neply, Haiti. While there, this team of students and faculty moved a few tons of rock for a house's foundation and constructed three-foot-long bridges. The team built a cabinet facing, 11-feet-long and three-feet-wide. The team also worked with special needs multiple times during the week.
鈥淲e assisted with the daily feeding program for around 115 kids,鈥� Ed Pavy, director
of campus ministries, said.
Pavy said that the team was also involved in a twice-weekly teen ministry, doing laundry
by hand for several families, and other light construction projects.
鈥淭he work was hard. The days were hot and long. The team was fantastic. The organization we worked with (myLIFEspeaks) did a wonderful job of hosting us and organizing the work we were given. It was a great success all around,鈥� Pavy said.
鈥淭he trip was eye opening. It was cool to experience God revealing himself to me in a new way,鈥� Aaron Smith, CU sophomore, said.
Smith, along with several other students, were a part of the team in Haiti.
鈥淭he most remarkable experience I had was with a kid named Blenton. He was my buddy at the orphanage. We were doing a craft. We were supposed to color in a cross with different colors. Once we finished, we wrote our names and then I began to write creole words around the cross. I wrote the word love in Creole. [The word] 鈥榣ove' translated in Creole is 鈥楻enmen'. He then wrote the word 鈥榣ove' in English. This just showed me how God could speak even through language barriers,鈥� Smith said.
鈥淢y ultimate goal was to show Christ's love to those kids. I wanted to be a servant to the people and children of Haiti,鈥� Austin Stillwell, CU sophomore and part of the Haiti mission trip, said.
Sharing his most memorable experience, Stillwell said that he loved their translator, Willy. 鈥淗e was there to help communicate, and the Creole words I learned, I learned from him,鈥� Stillwell said. 鈥淲illy was almost 50 and had lived in the village his whole life. He knew four different languages: French, English, Creole, and Spanish. He helped us out so much,鈥� Stillwell said.
Each team made their way back to Campbellsville, Ky. safely.
青瓜视频 is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering over 80 programs of study including 24 master's degrees, seven postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.