Spring Break = Y-trips!
March 14th, 2008
For many people, spring break is a time to get together with friends and spend some time relaxing at the beach. Now, that would be fun, but why not try taking a different view of spring break and think about service!
There is an opportunity for people who enjoy taking part in service trips to go on one with a team from EMU. They are called Spring Break Y-trips! This year there were 4 different teams that went a variety of places.
There was a team in Florida that helped out at a camp, a team in Georgia who worked with refugees, a team that went to Delaware and worked with an after school group and a team that went to Alabama to work with MDS. (Mennonite Disaster Service)
I chose to go work with MDS in Mobile, Alabama. I was a bit apprehensive about going at first because I did not know many people in my team prior to the trip. However, that turned out to not be a problem at all! My team clicked really well (as did all the other teams as far as I know) and we had tons of fun playing card games, and laughing together. Working with MDS was interesting too.
My EMU team was split into work crews and my crew went to work at a new house that needed to be painted. So…I painted…and painted… and painted until the entire inside of the house was completed with 1st and 2nd coats!
Now, you might not think that to be an ideal way to spend your break…by working, but it was actually very relaxing. It did not take much concentration, no critical thinking, and I was able to communicate as I wished with the others around me. It also provided me with immense satisfaction at seeing the work completed and it was very interesting to hear the stories of the owner’s of the house.
Most of the damage that the work crews were repairing was stuff that had been caused by Hurricane Katrina 2 years ago. These people were still in great need of our help and if felt wonderful to be able to provide that for them.
So, if you are looking for a service-oriented, cheap, fun way to get away from the school atmosphere over spring break, you might consider the y-trips. Not only does it provide you with a chance to meet people from EMU that you wouldn’t normally have encountered on campus, but you can make a difference in the people whose lives you touch over that week. I found it to be an incredibly valuable experience!