In one way or another, all of us were affected by Hurricane Katrina and offered our support and prayers to its many victims. I had hoped to take students to help with the rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast, but agencies like Habitat for Humanity indicated there were logistical difficulties in hosting large groups of unskilled college students.
Then a student forwarded an e-mail from the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) Community Outreach Office, saying that they were quickly organizing a Winter Break trip for students, faculty and staff the week of January 7-15. Even though I’m not a student, faculty or staff, I sensed God asking me to recruit InterVarsity students for this adventure. Four of our students, and one non-Christian friend, signed up for the trip to Biloxi, Mississippi.
I was surprised when the Community Outreach Office asked me to join the 50-person team, to lead prayer and discussions of Christian spirituality. This was an incredible opportunity. I prayed that God would use the experience (along with the 28 hour-each-way bus journey), to draw people to God and that God would use us to minister to the Gulf Coast residents, workers, and our fellow UConn teammates.
The experience challenged the way I and my students usually think about missions and evangelism. I enjoyed being on a level playing-field with UConn administrators and students, all contributing to the effort in our distinct ways. I don’t know if we could have made those kinds of connections any other way.
It is my prayer that spiritual fruit will come from the interactions with UConn students, and that they will become interested in the gospel. The 50 Mississippi project students will be invited to join InterVarsity’s Spring Break (March 4-11) project with Habitat for Humanity in Lancaster, PA — in the heart of Amish country. There we will be able to go deeper into Scripture and into an experience of authentic Christian community.
At InterVarsity, our vision is to see students and faculty transformed, campuses renewed, and world changers developed.
Teams from some InterVarsity chapters will continue to participate in clean up efforts along the Gulf Coast this spring and this summer. Details here.
