Posted: 3/31/08

Religious violence not
exclusive to Abrahamic faiths

By Graham Walker & Greg Warner

Associated Baptist Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP)—The three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—are the most violent of the world’s religions, scholars say. But all faiths can resort to violence on occasion.

A common characteristic of violence among the Abrahamic religions is radical end-times expectations. The apocalypticism of the Taiping Rebellion in China (1845-1963) was taken directly from the book of Revelation and led to more than 20 million deaths. But apocalypticism also surfaced in the syncretistic beliefs of the contemporary Aum Shinrikyo cult, which also borrowed from Revelation.

• Aum Shinrikyo

Aum Shinrikyo was a destructive doomsday cult centered in Japan. Their name was a combination of Aum, which is a sacred Hindu syllable, and Shinri Kyo, which means “supreme truth.” It appears to be a syncretistic religion combining elements of Buddhism with Christianity. It has been rejected as an illegitimate Buddhist group by Buddhist leaders in Japan.

Aum Shinrikyo terrorists released the nerve gas sarin in a Tokyo subway station March 20, 1995. The gas killed 12 passengers and injured over 5,000. Over 100 Aum members were charged, including its leader, Shoko Asahara.

Asahara was born partially blind in 1955 as Chizuo Matsumoto. He was trained as an acupuncturist, operated a folk medicine shop, and opened a yoga school. He traveled to the Himalayas to study Buddhism and Hinduism. This led him to organize the Aum Shinrikyo in 1987, which reached a peak membership of about 20,000 worldwide, many drawn to the group’s rejection of Japan’s corruption and materialism.

Using the book of Revelation and the writings of astrologer Nostradamus, Asahara predicted major disasters for the final years of old millennium. He called for the group to fight in a final world revolution against the enemies of Japan, including the U.S. The group established chemical factories and stockpiled various chemicals, as preparation for this Armageddon, and launched at least nine biological attacks on different Japanese targets, including the legislature, the Imperial Palace, and the U.S. base at Yokosuka.

After the arrest of Shoko Asahara and others for the sarin attack, Aum Shinrikyo changed its name to Aleph in 2000. Rika Matsumoto, third daughter Asahara, has now taken charge of the cult.

• Sikhism

Sikhism combines elements from Bhakti Hinduism, Advaita Hinduism and Sufism, with an emphasis on tolerance and coexistence between Muslims and Hindus. Sikhism grew on the borders between Islamic and Hindu regions of India, which have been violently contested areas for centuries.

Between 1981 and 1994, thousands of young men and perhaps a few hundred women were initiated into secret fraternities of various rival radical Sikh organizations. Their enemies were secular politicians, police, Hindu journalists and community leaders.

In June 1984, Sikh terrorists seized a Sikh holy shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. When Indian security forces retook the temple, 500 or more people were killed, including many innocent worshipers. Six months later, India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards as revenge for this act of profanity. On the following day, more than 2,000 Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and elsewhere.

In 1991, over 3,000 people were killed during disturbances in the Sikh-dominated province of Punjab. Sikh extremists then attacked the Indian ambassador to Romania. The Romanian government helped to capture the Sikhs. Later that year militant Sikhs kidnapped a Romanian diplomat in Delhi in retaliation.

• Hinduism

Hinduism generally is viewed by outsiders as a peaceful religious system. However, there have been violent incidents, such as the 1948 assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, a champion of non-violence, by Hindu fundamentalist Nathuram Godse.

The doctrine of Hindutva asserts that Hinduism, as the ‘indigenous’ faith of India, must be dominant and that all ‘foreign’ religions must be subject to the will of the majority. For a time, a certain form of fundamentalism has exerted considerable impact on Indian mainstream politics. The Bharatiya Janata Party was formed in 1980 as the political expression of Hindutva.

Hindu fundamentalism is manifested in the family of Hindu nationalist organizations known as Sangh Parivar. In 1992, Sangh Parivar activists stormed and destroyed the 16th century mosque in Ayodha, setting off riots between Muslims and Hindus, which killed thousands.

In late 2007 and early 2008, Hindu fundamentalists in the India’s rural region of Orissa attacked Christian churches and villages, burning many and forcing thousands of people to flee into the forest. Hindus in the region say Christian mobs responded in kind. Some people blame anti-Christian rhetoric of politicians and residents; others say it is a social and not religious problem.

• Buddhists and Hindus in Sri Lanka

Tamil Tigers are fighting for independence for the Tamils, a mostly Hindu population in north and east Sri Lanka, the island nation southeast of India. Tamils have suffered persecution by Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese Buddhist majority for decades. An estimated 70,000 people have died since 1983, 5,000 in the last 18 months. Violent opposition to the Tigers is now led by hardline Buddhist monks.

Graham Walker, a former missionary and seminary administrator in Asia, is professor of theology at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta.

Posted: 3/20/08

For UT students, spring break missions was Grand

By Erin Findley

University of Texas

TUSAYAN, Ariz.—As arid terrain and life-sized cacti gave way to snow-capped mountains, students from the University of Texas Baptist Student Ministries knew they were nearing their final destination. 

Far from the sun and sand familiar to spring breakers, the team of five arrived in the small town of Tusayan, Ariz., outside Grand Canyon National Park.

The students embarked on a four-day journey, laying the foundation for future work in the Grand Canyon. In the mornings, the team prayer walked residential areas, park facilities and tourist sites.

Members of the University of Texas Baptist Student Ministries team scouted areas of ministry at he Grand Canyon. • Watch Video Reports From Spring Break Ministry

• See Complete Spring Break Ministry Coverage Here

For some, the idea of praying intentionally for strangers was new. 

“The prayer walking was a good thing—not just for the community, but for our own prayer lives,” said Ryan Ellis, a member of the team.

In the afternoons, the team passed out bottled water and offered to take pictures for tourists. Volunteers’ underlying hope was that through conversations they might be able to share the concept of God’s grace with passersby.

“When I was handing out water, I wanted to give freely, how God gave his Son,” UT student Thomas Guerra noted. “I know it doesn’t equal nearly as much, but I wanted that to be the emotion behind it.”

Having begun to quench the physical thirst of park visitors, the team made way for a sister group from the University of Texas at Arlington to quench spiritual thirst in the park. The UT-Arlington team and a team of summer missionaries will continue to serve alongside the Grand Canyon Baptist Church.

Posted: 3/20/08

TCU students focus on
giving during spring break

HOUSTON—While many college students went looking for what they can get during spring break, a group of Texas Christian University Baptist Student Ministries students looked to give.

TCU student Alex Pierce.

The team of four invested their time in ministry projects and in people throughout the Houston area.

They worked with several groups that helped to provide food to hungry residents. At the End Hunger Network, they prepared hundreds of pounds of vegetables used by Meals on Wheels and other food-assistance programs. 

At the Gano Street Baptist Mission Center, they stocked the food pantry and bagged and distributed food to many needy families. They also spent afternoons working with the teen and pre-teen ministries at Gano Street. 

“We had a really great response from the students who went,” said BSM Director Blair Prevost. “I think it was a great learning experience for them and I pray that it will be a catalyst that gets them even more involved in missions.”

Posted: 3/20/08

Texas State students minister in Mexico

By Josh Morgan

Texas State University

MATAMOROS, Mexico—Each spring break, the border towns of Mexico are flooded with American students searching for a week of freedom.

This year, a group from Texas visited Matamoros to share a different type of freedom.

A Texas State University student hugs a child at the Matamoros Children’s Home in Mexico. • Watch Video Reports From Spring Break Ministry

• See Complete Spring Break Ministry Coverage Here

A 21-member team from Texas State University stayed at the Matamoros Children’s Home, where they ministered to the 150 children and also took part in maintenance of the home, including extending the driveway.

The team also provided an afternoon children’s outreach for a church and its surrounding neighborhood 45 minutes away from the home.

After prayer walking the area the first day, the group led an afternoon outreach for about 50 children that included worship songs, Bible studies, crafts and games.

The outreach enabled the Texas State students to share their Christian faith with the children.

The children showed the students that joy can abound in each person despite having little, trip participants said, noting people can be sustained by the joy of Christ in their lives.

“It was amazing to experience such a huge language barrier and still see God working in their lives through it all,” said Faith Morgan, Texas State Baptist Student Ministries intern in charge of organizing the children’s ministry.

Posted: 3/28/08

Aggie BSM students minister
at ‘Mardis Gras of the North’

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

NOME, Ala.—Each spring, racers pack their sleds and hook up teams of dogs to challenge the Alaskan landscape as they race more than 1,150 miles for the Iditarod championship.

This year, a little bit of Texas hospitality was waiting for them at the finish line.

A team of 14 from the Texas A&M University Baptist Student Ministries volunteered as part of a larger group to support the race, specifically helping visitors in Nome, Ala., where the race ended. During the day the group provided free hot chocolate, coffee and Bibles to people throughout the town.

At night, they helped keep the streets safe in the “Mardis Gras of the North,” where bars stay open until 5 a.m. The volunteers provided vouchers for free cab rides and helped people make it home safely.

Katherine Jaynes, Elizabeth Sobol and Jeff Turner work on the concessions team during a Texas A&M BSM mission trip to Alaska.

“We averaged about four hours a sleep a night, we were so busy,” said Chris Boule, an intern at the Texas A&M BSM.

The Texas A&M team also staffed a concession stand for a basketball tournament for Alaska natives, with all the profit going to help a local women’s shelter. Before the tournament was through, the group had raised $10,000, which was going to be matched by a grant.

God honored the team’s servant attitude and allowed them to enter into spiritual conversations with people, Boule said. In all, 45 people professed faith in Christ.

“Alaska is not like the lower 48,” Boule said. “It’s a totally different world. But the people are amazing and so gracious. You just fall in love with it immediately.”

Posted: 3/28/08

Baylor students serve in Louisiana
& New York, collect gift cards for Union

By Rebekah Hardage

Baylor University

WACO—For most college students, spring break is a chance to head to the beach or the slopes for a little fun and relaxation away from the classroom. But hundreds of Baylor University students used their mid-March vacation as an opportunity to serve others through various mission trips around the United States.

Baylor’s Baptist Student Ministries sponsored a trip to South Louisiana to help rebuild homes for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Thirty-one students and staff headed to Plaquemine’s Parish, located just south of New Orleans, to share the love of Christ through both word and deed.

Shanna Ware of Round Rock brought in several hundred dollars worth of gift cards for Baylor’s “United for Union” drive to help meet the immediate needs of Union University students affected by a Feb. 5 tornado. (Baylor Photo)

Baylor BSM Director Clif Mouser felt led to take the mission trip back to Louisiana after several ministers in the area shared the tremendous need for continued help with the recovery process.

Volunteer coordinators planned for the students to assist in building four houses. Students roofed, painted, hung sheetrock and trimmed the homes alongside other BSM students from Texas A&M University.

Before they left for the mission trip, Baylor students felt there was more they could do for Plaquemine’s Parish than simply provide manual labor.

“They came up with the idea of a block party for the church,” Mouser said. “The students took the initiative to plan something in addition to the recommended program, and I was very proud of them.”

On Sunday, March 9, the BSM group hosted a cookout and games at Port Sulphur Baptist Church. Although the turnout was lighter than hoped, Port Sulphur’s pastor expressed his gratitude to the students for helping the church become a more visible presence in the community.

Mouser expressed his delight in the success of the mission trip because he saw some of his students “catch the vision” for ministry

“There is a place for everyone to use their gifts and talents to serve,” Mouser said. “I saw students grow in their understanding of how they can express their personal faith to further the kingdom of God.”

Meanwhile, several thousand miles away, another group of Baylor students also was having a mission-minded holiday.

Baylor mission volunteers (left to right) Pablo Mares, junior telecommunication major from Duncanville; Jesiah Watson, a freshman pre-business major from Seabrook; and Clif Mouser, director of Baptist Student Ministries at Baylor, serve in Plaquemine’s Parish, south of New Orleans.

University Ministries gave eight students the opportunity to do hands-on, relational mission work at a Christ-centered drug rehabilitation center located near New York City. The students served by painting a new building, constructing a stone wall and leading in chapel services. The journey was led by Rod and Suzie Hetzel, both staff psychologists with Baylor’s Counseling Center.

“The mission trip provided an amazing opportunity for Baylor students to work and live with people who struggle with alcohol and substance addiction,” reported Rebecca Kennedy, director for University Ministries and Missions at Baylor. “They were able to experience in a very real way how we are all part of the body of Christ and are intended to be church to each other.”

Kristin Oca, a sophomore psychology major from Fort Worth, said the work at the rehab center taught her to put herself aside in pursuit of helping others who need God.

“Jesus said he came to save the sick, for the healthy are in no need of a doctor,” Oca said. “In these words I have truly found my mission—being God’s hands and feet for those in need.”

The trip to New York was one of many discipline-specific opportunities provided to students through Baylor’s University Ministries, now called the Office of Spiritual Life.

Baylor’s discipline-specific mission trips are led by faculty and staff from various academic areas, creating opportunities for students to explore how to serve God by using the skills and expertise from their academic major and career field.

Baylor has planned several discipline-specific mission projects for this summer to Ghana, Rwanda, Armenia and Honduras, with teams from business, engineering, education, social work, nursing and several departments from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Some Baylor students made a difference in the lives of those in need without even leaving home. After a tornado struck Union University in early February, Baylor students, faculty and staff began working to provide relief aid to the Tennessee Baptist institution.

Union officials said their greatest need was for physical items like school supplies, bedding, Bibles, personal toiletries, shoes and clothes. To help meet those needs, Baylor Student Activities and University Ministries sponsored a “United for Union” gift card drive to help meet the immediate needs of Union students affected by the tornado.

The natural disaster on Feb. 5 caused major damage to 19 of the 42 buildings on Union’s campus and minor damage to 12 buildings. Forty percent of residence halls were destroyed, and another 40 percent were damaged severely. Fifty-one students were treated for injuries, but no lives were lost.

“We contacted Union University officials and offered a variety of help options, including an ‘alternative spring break’ program that would have taken a team of student volunteers to their campus to aid in clean-up efforts,” said Karin Klinger, associate director of student activities at Baylor. “However, Union officials indicated that they have had a tremendous volunteer response from their local community. But our contacts at Union cited the need for physical items,” which is where Baylor stepped up.

The Baylor drive still is underway, raising funds to purchase gift cards to stores such as Target and Wal-Mart to help Union students get back on their feet after the devastating loss of so many of their belongings. Baylor’s School of Social Work also collected and sent more than $300 to Union, designated to help their social work students.

Posted: 3/28/08

Beach Reach volunteers make
positive impact on South Padre

By Kaitlin Chapman

Texas Baptist Communications

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND—During Spring Break, more than 50,000 college students from across the nation travel to South Padre Island to party, drink incredible amounts of alcohol, have sex and indulge in worldly passions. 

But this spring break, 375 Christian students came from universities and colleges from Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Missouri to bring the light of the gospel into that darkness.

A Beach Reach volunteer from the Baptist Student Ministries at Texas Tech works the phones during the evangelistic outreach on South Padre Island.

• See Complete Spring Break Ministry Coverage Here

The students hoped to share their faith with spring break vacationers through servant evangelism. They served free pancakes each morning at Island Baptist Church and every night in front of a bar, gave fee van rides around the island every night, spent time with students on the beach every afternoon, handed out free sunscreen and prayed in the all-night prayer room during a weeklong Beach Reach event.

“If you watch TV or the media, you would think this generation is utterly lost,” said Buddy Young, coordinator for Beach Reach and director of Baptist Student Ministries at West Texas A&M University. “And I would agree, except for a remnant of students who want to see their generation reached for Christ.” 

The Beach Reach ministry consisted of five teams that ran 40 vans in five different shifts each night.  Texas Baptist Men volunteers prepared the pancake meals.

The efforts were rewarded as Beach Reach volunteers gave 8,414 van rides, provided 6,500 people with pancakes and saw 68 people accept Christ as Savior. Overall, Beach Reachers were able to serve 21,063 people.

“The goal of this week wasn’t to convert people, but to further the kingdom of God and to let God’s glory shine through people,” said Stella Almblade, a senior at the University of Arizona.

Almblade went on to say that she had many opportunities to share the reason for this ministry through the free van rides. 

A Beach Reach volunteer prays for God’s blessing on the servant evangelism efforts of fellow students.

“Many people were grateful just to have a free ride,” Almblade said.  “When they said that, I would tell them why we were here. It was such an easy way to bridge the conversation to other spiritual beliefs and who they thought Jesus was and what they thought about the Bible.”

To prepare to share their faith boldly, students met five weeks prior to Beach Reach to train in personal evangelism and pray for God’s blessings.

“I just wanted to see him do something ridiculous, to see him do something bigger, and he did,” said Richard Benavides, a senior at Texas A&M University in Kingsville.

In one instance, Benavides shared the gospel and led a prayer for salvation in Spanish. 

“I don’t really know enough Spanish to do that,” Benavides said. “I believe God’s Spirit came down like in Acts chapter two. It was tripped out.”

Late in the week, Benavides met a girl from New York on the beach and had a conversation with her about Christ. 

“She was worried we were going to become the Bible-thumpers, but we got to show her love instead of judgment,” Benavides said. “A lot of what we are doing is breaking down walls built by generations of legalism and judgment.” 

Seeing “how much God himself loves each one of those very drunk partiers, how much God wants to do in them” broke Benavides heart, he testified.

“It opened my eyes to how each one of them is important, just as important as those of us wearing Beach Reach shirts.”

 On the last day of Beach Reach, all 375 of the Beach Reach workers gathered on the island’s main beach. They rushed into the waves of the Gulf of Mexico to attract attention to the baptism service for those who had accepted Christ that week. Twenty-three students were baptized.

One of the prayers of the leaders involved in Beach Reach is that the students who participate will catch a vision to reach their peers and verbally share the gospel when they

return to their campuses. 

“We have a generation of students who are not sharing their faith verbally,” Young said. “They share their faith through music or t-shirts, but not verbally. It’s always been our goal at Beach Reach to train, mobilize and empower students to verbally share their faith.”   

Because Beach Reach is based on students reaching students from their own campuses, it is necessary for other universities and students to become involved with this ministry, Young continued.

Many Spring Breakers at South Padre are from universities in Oklahoma or are African-American or Hispanic.  The best way to reach these groups would be to have more African American or Hispanic believers and college ministries from Oklahoma coming to share the gospel, he said.

Since the beginning of Beach Reach in 1980, more than 5,000 Christian students have been trained in personal evangelism, and at least 3,000 people have accepted Christ.

Posted: 3/28/08

DBU students have fun in the sun,
building homes in Louisiana and Georgia

While some college students got a head start on their summer tans by spending spring break at the beach, 33 DBU students got plenty of sun exposure of their own, building homes in southern Louisiana and in Georgia.

One DBU team traveled to Columbus, Ga., to take part in Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge Week. Others headed to New Orleans, where DBU students had helped in building and cleaning up two years before.

Dallas Baptist University freshman Jacob Seif prays over one of the condemned houses in the ninth ward of New Orleans.

• See Complete Spring Break Ministry Coverage Here

Although over two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans residents still are picking up the pieces of their lives. Members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church have been busy working to rebuild both their community and their house of worship.

In the spring of 2006, DBU students headed to New Orleans to help in the early stages of the clean-up effort. Led in part by Chip Luter—son of Franklin Avenue Pastor Fred Luter—DBU students cleared debris and tore down condemned houses to make way for new construction.

“Two years ago, our students had the opportunity to arrive months after Katrina hit and the flood waters subsided,” explained Jay Harley, DBU dean of spiritual life and sponsor for the New Orleans trip. “It was a wonderful experience to be able to come back and see the progress that has been made. Much is still left to be done, but it was a rewarding time to be able to help a few families restore their homes.”

This spring break, 14 students rejoined members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and helped complete work on houses and the renovated church building. They built fences, planted grass, demolished walls, moved furniture, picked up trash, repaired porches, painted and did anything else that was needed to help continue the journey back to normalcy.

DBU freshman Kayla Frizzell and freshman Brittany Umber paint the post of the house of a member of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.

One special moment came as the students gathered together with members of Franklin Avenue for a 7 a.m. Sunday worship service at First Baptist Church of New Orleans. First Baptist has provided facilities for Franklin Avenue during their time of transition.

The service was one of the last at First Baptist, and Franklin Avenue members will return to their own facility April 6. During the week, students had the chance to help ensure that the homecoming would occur as scheduled, putting many of the needed finishing touches on the church’s worship center.

“The people at Franklin Avenue Baptist church were very hopeful for the city of New Orleans,” said DBU sophomore Ben King from Celina. “Their spirits were high while we worshiped with them as they looked forward to the return to their church building after two and a half years. Their excitement and passion for the city was an encouragement and inspiration to our group to serve wholeheartedly while working.”

While some students spent time in New Orleans, 19 others continued further east toward Columbus, Ga. Habitat for Humanity was holding one of its annual Collegiate Challenge weeks in the city, and students from 10 different universities came to build 10 houses, all within five days. An annual tradition, DBU students have participated in Habitat for Humanity Spring Break mission trips for nearly 20 years, building houses in South Dakota, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, New Mexico, Mississippi and Florida.

Waking up at the crack of dawn, the students took to the houses, pouring foundations, building walls, shingling roofs, all the while interacting with students from places such as Ferris State University, Syracuse, Ithaca and the University of Kentucky.

“Going on a mission trip has always been a part of something I love to do,” said DBU freshman Misty Cotton from Wolfforth. “However, going to Columbus was a new experience for me. Instead of sharing the gospel with them directly, I was able to help provide a home for a family that might not have had one otherwise. This experience reminded me of the importance of putting your faith into practice and allowing our hands and feet to be used by Christ.”

“The Columbus chapter of Habitat for Humanity did a wonderful job of hosting us and turning this into the best Habitat trip I have ever been a part of,” said Chris Crawford, DBU director of apartment life, DBU-Habitat for Humanity campus sponsor, and veteran of dozens of Habitat for Humanity builds. “The students had a chance to bond, and we got so much work done that week. The finished house was something in which we could take pride.”

Posted: 3/28/08

Harlingen church trains
champs during spring break

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

HARLINGEN—To become an athletic champion, a person must train hard every day in preparation for the day he or she can win a gold medal. To win an eternal gold medal, Craig Blakeslee of First Baptist Church in Harlingen believes people simply need to follow Jesus.

That’s what the church has taught children the past 10 years during its annual spring break Champs Camp. This year, more than 430 children participated in the camp, which includes football, golf, softball, karate, soccer, basketball and gymnastics.

The church uses sports as avenues to connect with children and show them the love of Christ. People throughout the community and other churches pitch in to help First Baptist Church pull off the camp. This year, 51 college students from Baptist Student Ministries across the state also volunteered to help.

“They do a wonderful job giving of themselves for Jesus Christ,” said Blakeslee, minister of children and discipleship at First Baptist Church. “Without them, we couldn’t do this.”

God honors the volunteers’ efforts, Blakeslee said. He works through them so children may discover a God who loves them. Some of the children decide to become Christians during the week.

“We have a lot of what I call ‘God sightings’ where God is clearly at work,” he said.

Posted: 3/28/08

HBU students drill well for Nicaraguan villagers

By Maria Cristina del Canto

Houston Baptist University

Children of San Pedro, Nicaragua, stood barefoot and in tattered clothes in front of a tin schoolhouse as the sweltering heat ferociously beat down upon them. The first things student missionaries from Houston Baptist University noticed were the children’s brilliant smiles and the undeniable twinkle in their dark eyes as they rushed toward them, a whirlwind of emotions, before wrapping tiny arms around the students in an ecstatic embrace.

One young girl in particular stood out. Her curious, brooding eyes, overflowing with hope and her beaming face belied the fact that she did not have clean drinking water or even a pair of shoes.

Houston Baptist University students Brittany Larotta, freshman (woman with bandana on head), Valerie Jones, senior (woman in blue shirt distributing food), Leah Davis, senior (woman with yellow shirt on truck), Seth Miller, freshman (man with white shirt on truck, sitting above the orange cooler)

The girl reached up and as she interlaced her bronze fingers with those of the missionary’s, the student glanced down and noticed the girl’s bare feet, covered in dirt. She winced, remembering all the past times she had thoughtlessly discarded pairs of shoes.

She was not the only one. The other 21 student missionaries who spent their spring break in San Pedro, Nicaragua, went home with hearts forever touched by what they had seen.

Throughout the week, the student missionaries worked in teams. The family team worked at a school, where missionaries taught Bible stories through humorous skits, made arts and crafts, and played games with the children. The front of the school, bordered by untamed weeds and bushes, contained an expanded area of trampled soil for the children to run about and play games freely. The children’s laughter filled the air as they savored the joy of throwing a Frisbee, playing soccer or blowing bubbles with the missionaries.

The people of San Pedro lived in wooden open houses and slept on dirt floors with livestock. Yet despite their lack of worldly possessions, they welcomed the missionaries into their homes and offered them the little they had. Director of Student Ministries Danny Miller, who traveled with the students, said what impacted him the most was how giving the people were. Miller said the cliché ‘mi casa es su casa’ genuinely represented the people of Nicaragua.

Cristina Del Canto, junior at Houston Baptist University, holds a child during a mission trip to Nicaragua.

In addition to the family team, the hygiene team also worked at the school as they taught women and children the importance of properly brushing their teeth and washing their hands. The drill team spent the week building a water well for the community of 400 in San Pedro. By providing them with a well so close to their homes, the people from the village no longer needed to walk miles just to get a drink of water. Meanwhile, the medical team provided daily care and attention to hundreds of people from surrounding communities.

At the end of each day, all of the teams gathered in the evening for worship. Their bodies yearned for sleep, their minds drained from the day, yet spiritually they felt utterly complete. Students testified there was no doubt God was present throughout the trip, and the people of Nicaragua demonstrated God’s love to the missionaries through their acts of kindness.

Posted: 3/28/08

Rice students serve in
San Antonio over spring break

Brian Benjamin, a sophomore at Rice University, gives a boy a ride on his shoulders.

Thirteen students from the Baptist Student Ministries at Rice University spent spring break ministering in inner-city San Antonio.

Students built relationships with people who represented the fourth generation of their family living in public housing on San Antonio’s west side.

Working with the Urban Connection ministry, students distributed food from the food pantry, cleaned a neighborhood, organized space used for an after-school program and cleaned homes of elderly residents.

At an after-school program arranged by Urban Connection, Rice students helped children and young teens with homework and gave individual attention to students who needed tutoring. After tutoring, students were able to conduct a kids club where each student heard parables of Jesus and made crafts related to the stories.

“I was impressed with the willingness of students to give so much creativity for the kids club and amazed at how many children were just hearing the story of Jesus for the first time,” said BSM Director Andy Dennis.

Charles Reed, a junior at Rice University, helps children with homework.

Avery Cate, a Rice freshman, recalled one child who needed no help doing her homework, but “just wanted affirmation and attention that she probably wasn’t used to getting at home.”

Since two women usually provide the only staff for the tutoring program, the students were able to provide much needed attention and love to the children, Dennis said.

“It was a fantastic way for us to provide some much needed help to these kids in a tangible way to show them the love of God,” he said.

Posted: 3/28/08

UNT student missionaries show
God’s love to Mexican orphans

By Jillian Daniels

University of North Texas

A college girl approached two young boys fighting over a soccer ball in the Mexico orphanage she was visiting, asking why they weren’t sharing.

“I don’t want to share because he doesn’t ever give me anything,” one answered.

The other looked down at his hands. “That’s because I don’t have anything.”

An orphan in Mexico embraces Chelsey Burleson from the University of North Texas—and captures her heart.

University of North Texas students from the Baptist Student Ministry used spring break as an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico. The 27 students and adults worked alongside Borderland Calvary Chapel in San Benito and the orphanage Refugio Internacional de los Ninos. The team led a series of Vacation Bible Schools and distributed rice and beans to impoverished neighborhoods.

Chris Newby said that such a trip was a welcome alternative to the standard college vacation hot spots. “I wanted to do something new with my spring break,” Newby said.

This was the second time for the North Texas BSM to serve in this part of Reynosa with Pastor Eduardo Hernandez of Borderland Calvary Chapel.

“Last year, the trip was so fulfilling and memorable for students,” BSM Director James Quesenberry said. “It was almost natural to go back and do the same thing this year.”

Quesenberry said that the group hopes to continue serving in the same area in order to build relationships with the communities and churches over time.

“The idea behind it is, we want [our students] to be able to see what it’s like to partner with other Christians and other churches,” Quesenberry said. “Hopefully, [we will] be able to see growth and change in areas and build momentum trip after trip.”

For some of the students, like NT sophomore Yandira Tenorio, it was their first encounter on the mission field. “Even though I had no experience, I just knew that He called me and said, ‘You need to be my messenger,’” Tenorio said. “Sure I had fears and doubts of my abilities, but I had to remind myself that it’s not me – God works in and through me.”

Conversely, NT sophomore Brandon Falk, had been on previous mission trips and was left unimpressed – until this opportunity.

Brandon Falk from the University of North Texas enjoys a special moment with an orphan in Mexico.

“I wasn’t planning on going on another mission trip but when I found out that we were passing out rice and beans and going to an orphanage, I decided to go,” Falk said, “It was actually doing what Jesus said – showing people love – feeding the hungry and visiting orphans. God wants us to provide for His children and we’re God’s hands – the extension of God to this world.”

Monday and Tuesday mornings and afternoons the group was at Refugio Internacional de los Ninos, where students led a VBS and sang songs in Spanish, in an effort to show the children Christ’s love.

Six fluent Spanish-speaking students helped ease the language barrier, however many of the other NT students could speak limited to no Spanish. For this reason, the majority of the communication was outside of translators and communication was shown simply through loving the kids with play, hugs, and smiles.

“Many of them were too young to understand,” Tenorio, one of the fluent translators said. “So we had to show them Christ’s love.” And within those shared interactions, Tenorio was able to see more than simple smiles from a child, but the beauty of the Creator as well.

“In the orphanage, just being with those kids, God put a huge love in my heart for them,” Tenorio said. “By seeing their smiles and their eyes sparkle so beautifully, I could just see Christ’s love and God’s beauty in them.”

According to Falk, the unveiling of beauty has been a typical reaction to service in his experience. “Everything around you becomes more beautiful when you’re doing God’s will,” he said. “You appreciate people more when you’re ministering to them and the people you’re ministering with are more beautiful. They shine, but in a very literal way.”

Upon the group’s arrival at the orphanage, BSM intern Stephanie Gates said she did notice some remnants of their trip last year through the call of recollected names and knowing gazes. “Those kids remembered us and that’s huge,” Gates said. “It’s so important to invest in those kids and let them know that we come back because they are important to us.”

A couple hours each day was reserved to pass out bags of rice and beans in different destitute neighborhoods. Each Spanish-speaker led a small group that went door to door with a slightly different goal than last year’s distribution, said NT senior Liand Cotto – “more quality than quantity.”

“Last year we tried to help more families by giving out more rice and beans,” Cotto said. “This year the rice and beans were more of a gift to give the families after we had really talked and invested in their lives.”

One such investment occurred when NT freshman Brittney Bell was able to share a life-story that related to a Hispanic woman dealing with a difficult situation. “I was able to take something that was so American and make it so Mexican,” Bell said. “I was able to see how Christ is multicultural – He knows no boundaries, no borders, language, love or location.”

Tenorio, as a translator, said she also had an opportunity to see God overcome language barriers when going door to door. “The first day was hard because I usually don’t speak Spanish every day,” Tenorio said. “But I noticed how God reassured me that it was going to be ok. Even though no people were saved right on the spot, I planted a seed and God was glorified through that.”

For encouragement, Tenorio said she held fast to Galatians 6:9. “I would repeat it to myself constantly,” she said. “‘Let us not become weary for at His proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ So I never felt like any day was a failure because I wasn’t giving up.”

Gates said a ministry such as passing out rice and beans gave the group an opportunity to be the “hands, feet and mouth” of the undersized neighboring church with which they were serving, Borderland Calvary Chapel in Reynosa.

“With such a small congregation, they were unable to meet the physical needs of the community,” Gates said. “So through us knocking on doors, saying hello, and passing out food we were able to open up opportunities for Pastor Ed to fulfill spiritual needs and strengthen his ministry in Reynosa. That’s a great picture of the body of Christ. Christ met physical needs, emotional needs, and spiritual needs.”

Wednesday and Thursday evenings the team held a VBS at Borderland Calvary for the local children in Reynosa. Through interaction with the children, Newby said he found a new means of communication that did not require any Spanish knowledge – and it came in the form of his newfound nickname ‘caballito’ (little horse).

“The last night of VBS I really wanted to focus on one kid – a little girl named Leslie,” Newby said. “And all she wanted to do was get on my shoulders and ride around.” However, he said that through countless horse-back rides he was able to communicate something a bit more profound.

“Through translation I found out that Leslie really cared that I was there,” Newby said. “She really loved me and appreciated that I helping and focusing on her. I wanted her to realize how much Christ loved her.” After two days with Leslie, Newby said that he was just picking up and leaving without a second thought was not an option.

“At that point I realized that I can’t just stop there, talking to her just in Mexico,” he said, “but also keeping in constant communication through letters and pictures from the week. I want to show her how to pursue something more than what she has there in Mexico.” It’s this kind of personal ministry that Newby said he finds most effective.

“First you get to know them and then get a chance to talk to them about God,” he said. “He’s more like just a storybook character to them than a Savior at that age. But if they realize how much I love Christ, and what he’s done for me, hopefully in some way I’ve planted a seed and they realize how much Christ loves them.”

Instead of the construction of homes, the goal for this trip was instead, the construction of hearts that know the Father – a type of ministry that relies heavily on faith, Gates said. “On many mission trips, you go, build a house, and see the progress. When you’re done you see the finished project,” Gates said. “But this trip was not like that at all.”

While a trip such as this may not have the structure of a building, it has the benefits of dealing with God’s people and investing in lives in a different way than lumber and nails.

“Each conversation is a chance for God to move in someone’s life, but we never get to see the end result,” she said. “The gospel tells us to go out and preach the good news and then to trust that God is in control of that. At the end of the day, without particularly seeing any progress, we are able to glorify God by being faithful to the call He has placed on our lives.”

Now as the group has returned to the University of North Texas, the real question is not only how their ministry this spring break changed the people they came into contact with, but also how it has changed the students themselves.

“I find that spending time with the kids and seeing the devastation with poverty has really changed my life,” Newby said. “Now I realize that as a poor, broke, college student I have it pretty good compared to people I’ve seen in Mexico this week.”

According to Tenorio, the root intention for this mission trip, and all of the life lessons learned there from, can be traced back to those first two boys fighting over the soccer ball at the orphanage.

“It broke my heart but I know that I was put there during that situation so that I could reassure that little boy that he has Christ’s love,” Tenorio said. “He may not have material possessions but he has the greatest gift. None of those material possessions put together could surpass Christ’s love.”