The long-awaited Spring Break looked different for every student at Har-Ber. As the week came to an end, students used social media to share their experiences. In particular, Instagram exploded with posts of students on mission trips. What would prompt a student to devote their entire week to working, one might ask?
“Mission trips are a great way to refocus your heart and life. Serving others is so refilling,” said sophomore Courtney Pleggenkuhle.
Pleggenkuhle and a team of students from Northwest Arkansas spent the week serving the community of Puebla, Mexico.
“The best part was being around other kids my age from a totally different culture and seeing how The Lord can use us all even though we are totally different,” said sophomore Bren Paterson.
Paterson spent a week with children at Casa Aleluya, an orphanage in Guatemala. She and a team of students from Northwest Arkansas built relationships and shared the gospel with the kids despite the language barrier, as well as renovated areas of the orphanage.
“Our job as Christians is not just to look good and love on people, it’s to care about people’s souls,” said sophomore Jordan Setser.
Setser and a group of students from Northwest Arkansas were challenged to take this perspective and share the gospel throughout the week. Setser’s week was filled with early mornings, extensive Bible studies, and evangelizing on the streets of inner-city Memphis, Tennessee.
“There was so much poverty…they lived in shacks with dirt floors, there were dogs with diseases everywhere,” said Pleggenkuhle.
For Pleggenkuhle, the living conditions in Puebla were heartbreaking. In addition to serving the area, students return with a broader view of the world and a sense of appreciation for the simple blessings in life.
“I learned that The Lord’s plan is sovereign and if we listen to God and obey Him then His plan is going to end up so much better than we can imagine,” said Paterson.
These students walked away with lessons and experiences far beyond expected. If you asked each student what they learned on their trip, the list would be long and distinguished.
Whether it’s Guatemala, Mexico, or Memphis, these students were pushed far out of their comfort zone and challenged to put aside their own desires. Despite the different destinations, there is a clear common theme throughout these mission trip experiences.
“I learned that God definitely does answer prayers, and that God is a God through all cultures,” said Pleggenkuhle.