“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to tear down and a time to build.” (Eccl. 3:1-5) The week in Kentucky was a time to build for Amy Ebben, InterVarsity staff at Carroll College- Waukesha, WI, and nine InterVarsity students as they traveled to the Appalachian Mountains to renovate homes in Clay County.
The group volunteered through an inter-denominational ministry called Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). This ministry works to serve the poor in Appalachia through meeting physical and spiritual needs.
This ministry opportunity was a cross-cultural experience as the participants left behind suburban Waukesha to live in the hills of eastern Kentucky. “I just think I’ve taken away a different set of values and a different understanding of what it means to be rich in Spirit and in God,” said Jennifer Lanoue as she watched the families’ reactions to their improved homes.
The residents of Clay County continue to appreciate the students giving up their time and energy to help people in need. “Before the students came, my roof leaked, my walls were decaying, and my bathroom was unusable. I’m grateful for the students’ help. I know there are good children in the world, but I never dreamed that there were young men and women like this that would give up their spring breaks to come and help people out that need help,” said Irene, one of the residents whose home was renovated. The residents of Clay County were also struck by the InterVarsity students’ willingness to make sacrifices to serve others, especially their elders. “One of the students told me that she could have been on a beach or anywhere, but she chose to come here, and she wouldn’t have taken a day back,” said Clara, a CAP recipient, as she stood proudly outside her renovated home.
God reminded students that they have lessons to learn from all of his people around the world. John, one of the students, had this to say about his experience, “I learned, among other things, that I can’t go into a missions trip or relationship with the attitude that I am going to ‘help’ them or ‘save’ people. I need to look at these people who have been created in God’s image as my equals, who are precious in God’s sight. Also, we have so much to learn from these people of various cultures and ethnicities. They embody part of the face of our heavenly Father, and there is a lot that we can learn from them, if we go into it with the right spirit.”
Many InterVarsity chapters around the country participate in various service projects, both locally and globally. They want to share the love and gospel of Jesus Christ in tangible ways throughout the world.
