No matter what school you go to, spring break has always been a big part of the college experience. While many head to the beach to get a tan, or back home to catch up with family, most college ministries usually take a mission trip of some sort. The usual fare is a trip to the beach to witness to tourists, a work trip to help with disaster relief, or to the inner city to minister to the poor. I have personally been on each of these types of trips, and all have been great experiences.
This year, however, our college team wanted to do something different. In light of our developing international ministry, Jenna Wayment came up with the idea to take international students on a sightseeing trip during the break. So last week our team took 46 students to Washington DC for five days. Half of these students were from China and India; the other half were American students from Crosspoint Church. The result was a wonderful trip – probably the best one I have ever been on!
Our trip began Sunday, March 14, and after a day of travel, we arrived in Annapolis, MD and headed to host homes set up through Weems Creek Baptist Church. The host homes were what made the trip so great. Not only did we get to share rooms with students from different countries, but they were able to experience life in the home of an American family. We had breakfast each morning with our family, and spent one night eating dinner together. I heard several stories from the internationals that this was a great time of fun for them.
Our trip began Sunday, March 14, and after a day of travel, we arrived in Annapolis, MD and headed to host homes set up through Weems Creek Baptist Church. The host homes were what made the trip so great. Not only did we get to share rooms with students from different countries, but they were able to experience life in the home of an American family. We had breakfast each morning with our family, and spent one night eating dinner together. I heard several stories from the internationals that this was a great time of fun for them.
Monday through Wednesday, we spent our time in the DC area. Together, we saw the Capitol and Mount Vernon; the rest of the time groups split up and saw everything from the monuments, the Smithsonian museums, Arlington Cemetery, the White House, Chinatown, and the International Justice Mission. At the end of the day we were all worn out, but it was worth it! Wednesday night, we ended with a potluck dinner provided by Weems Creek and then walked around downtown Annapolis.
A big thank you goes to the folks at Weems creek for being so hospitable to us and cooking us great southern food! You all were great!
The next day, we headed home and made it back safely. Overall, it really was a great trip. So many friendships were formed and we were able to have endless conversations about what we believed, cultural differences, and ultimately, about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the reason we went out of our way to show love to these students.
Please pray these friendships continue and that the Gospel will continue to be displayed to the nations through our church!
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