San Francisco or bust!
New missions option for fall reading break
October 31, 2007
Gabby Labastida
While many will be cramming for midterms and furiously writing papers, this reading break one group of Trinity Western University students will be flying to the Golden State. For the first time during a fall reading break, TWU will be sending a team to San Francisco, from November 9-14. A team first went to the area last spring with Habitat for Humanity.
The sudden interest in sending teams to Northern California stems from former Global Projects intern Andrea Bonilla, who traveled there last spring break. She went to scout different organizations that would “challenge university students,” said Kara Bergstrom, Coordinator of Global Projects and Service, who is also a team member.
The team will be collaborating with the Bay Area Rescue Mission, in a “rough area of San Francisco,” with “a high rate of crime,” said Bergstrom. The mission serves underprivileged youths in the area.
The purpose of the trip, she said, is to allow TWU students “to be reminded [that] there are a lot of people in a different situation. We want to befriend and care for these people.” She added, “The learning side [of missions trips] makes classes come to life.”
So far, the trip is to involve leading chapels with singing and Bible stories, packing food in warehouses for Thanksgiving, painting apartments and working with children in after-school programs.
Dan Poelman and Lauren Meraw will lead the group. Poelman said he is excited: “There are 5 girls and 7 guys: it’s awesome. We’re just going to eat meat all the time,” he joked.
Participating students will miss Friday and Wednesday classes, but Poelman hasn’t seen that as a problem for his team. The time they spend in San Francisco is shorter, but their days will be varied enough to keep them busy, he said.
Because this is a shorter trip than the spring break mission’s trips, the cost is significantly lower. Also helpful in funding is that the Bay Area Rescue Mission will be providing food and vans for travel during their San Francisco stay. Bergstrom sees this as a blessing, calling it “a pleasure” to work with them.
Most of the participating students are paying out of their own pockets or with parent help. However, additional funding efforts are being looked into.
Team member Jackie Eichenberg has been fundraising and sending out support letters, but she said, “It’s a really cheap trip, so it’s nice.”
Eichenberg is also excited to be working with children, as it was one of her motivations for coming on this trip. “The more experience I have with kids, the more I like it, and every experience I’ve had [with kids] has been awesome,” she said.
For more information, visit www.twu.ca/life/ministries/gps.
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