Spring break mission teams bring light to others

From staff reports | 04/01/2024

Serving others through spring break mission trips is a longstanding tradition at Lipscomb. 

During spring break 2024, 215 students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of Lipscomb served around the world to share the Gospel in 10 international and two domestic missions. Missions included medical clinics, engineering projects, partnering with ministry groups and work in Nashville among other projects. 

“As director of the program, the best part of my job is hearing all the personal stories, reflections and gratitude for the way these experiences impact the lives of students, faculty, staff, alumni and our host partner communities,” says Tyler Kemmerer, director of missions at Lipscomb. “When the work is hard, these stories keep us going and we are anxious to hear them once again, to get that glimpse of the Spirit's all-encompassing work in the world.”

Lipscomb Athletic Missions participated in a mission trip in Nashville. "Serving in Nashville allows our student-athletes to grow in their understanding that we have the opportunity to live on mission with Jesus everyday," explains Chris Klotz, director of spiritual formation in athletics. "We so often think of missions as something we go and ‘do’ and then return back to our normal lives. However serving in Nashville has helped deconstruct that idea as our students experienced the power of seeking the Lord, being filled and led by His Spirit, and pouring out the love of Jesus right here in our own city."
 
The team worked with several local ministries and came alongside their staff to love and serve the people they care for. Partners included Dream Streets, Connecting Kindness and Project 658 Nashville. Acitivities included hosting a sports camp, giving foster students a tour of Lipscomb and visiting a juvenile detention center. "Through this local opportunity, God is preparing us for a life of living on mission. It's crazy to see what God can do when we simply show up,” explains sophomore track athlete Lucy Litwin. 
 
The team was comprised of track and field student athletes who chose to spend their spring break investing deeply in the Nashville community. Sophomore transfer Gabe Martin shares, "The mission is in your own backyard, you just have to go outside to look."

The women’s soccer team spent time in El Salvador hosting soccer clinics, teaching English and visiting a special needs orphanage This was the team's ninth trip to partner with Sports Outreach Institute. We will be teaming up with the indigenous staff working side by side to run soccer clinics, teach English, visit an orphanage for children with special needs and work in various communities we have built relationships with over the last 10 years.

“I was able to see … the unique gifts and talents the Lord has given each of my teammates to use to glorify him,” shares Maggie Haskell, a sophomore on the women’s soccer team. “Each teammate got to uniquely express themselves through the Lord's gifts and talents He has given them, whether it was taking care of the little kids, playing games with the older kids, or even talking to people who were by themselves.” 

Other spring break 2024 missions include:

• Cozumel: This team worked with the children of Ciudad de Angles, planning and hosting a community carnival and supporting the local church. 
• Ecuador: Working with Hacienda of Hope, a children’s home to provide a safe haven for abused and neglected children, this team worked on a variety of projects at the home including gardening, engaging with the children and distributing food to the surrounding community among other work. 
• Ghana: A team from the Peugeot Center for Engineering Service in Developing Communities connected the network system at the administrative offices and residences at the Village of Hope and prepared for the installation of full-coverage wifi in the high school and the rest of the campus. Internet capabilities will greatly enhance the opportunities for the VOH organization. 
• Guatemala: This medical mission team provided basic medical and dental care to serve the Kekchi Mayans in the villages spread throughout the remote areas near Senahu, Alta Verapaz. 

• Guatemala: In partnership with Health Talents International, this team is staffing and running daily medical clinics in rural villages along the west coast of the country. 
• Honduras: Led in partnership with Hillsboro Church of Christ, this mission team engaged with the community of Mateo by constructing houses for people in need and working with members of the local church. 
• Honduras: A team of engineering students, faculty and professional engineers is working with host partner Honduras Outreach International (HOI) on implementing a solar power system for the HOI campus school.
• India: In this mission, a team from the Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering’s Peugeot Center partnered with Hope Worldwide.

• New York: This team partnered with Shiloh NYC, a Christian nonprofit organization to offer community programs that enrich the lives of youth physically, mentally and spiritually. The team worked with Public School 179 to support the teachers, staff and students in their school day and connect them with the mission of Shiloh to equipping New York City at-risk youth and their families with tools that build hope, confidence and the skills to attain their goals.
• Saba: Members of this team completed various projects at the only elementary school, middle school, and high school on the island and also hosts a variety of events for people on the island. 

This summer, 13 mission trips are planned including engineering projects in Honduras (two), Guatemala; a Department of Social Work & Sociology mission in partnership with Agape Children UB to support children and families around Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; a Uganda team partnering with the Kibo Group to serve rural communities to develop holistic and sustainable solutions to poverty; medical missions to Nicaragua and Malawi; a College of Pharmacy mission to Honduras; a mission to Brisbane, Australia, in partnership with Redlands College; a community engagement and support mission in Perth, Australia; a team will visit Ireland, Albania and Greece to work with youth groups; and a women’s golf mission in Scotland.

Learn more about Lipscomb Missions.