March 29, 2011
For Immediate Release
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| Kristina Wallace, second from left, a senior from Hopkinsville, Ky., and Ashley Boyd, a 2010 alumna from Simpsonville, Ky., spent spring break in Dearborn, Mich. building friendships with Muslims. Dearborn is one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States. |
By Christina Miller, office assistant
“We were waiting in the dark, and then we saw all these flashlights coming from over the hills,” Becca Saylor said about an experience on her spring break mission trip with Campbellsville University in Costa Rica.
“They were people coming to church in the dark and rain from hours away,” the freshman from Lexington said.
Saylor went to Costa Rica during spring break with a group from Campbellsville University’s Baptist Campus Ministry. While they were there during the “dry” season, she said “it still rained every day.”
The trip was the last of a partnership with local missionaries Bill and Linda Egbert, who are transferring to Colombia.
The team worked with the Ngabe people, teaching English in schools and going around to houses sharing testimonies.
In Dearborn, Mich., Seth Pierce, a senior from Bardstown, Ky., said, “This mission trip is not much like others because you don’t see results; you don’t see fruit.”
In one of the largest Muslim communities in the United States, CU students met with Muslims who “were not open to Christianity,” Pierce said, “but they were open to friendships.”
Pierce said members of the team were able to build friendships with the Muslims and will continue to pray for and stay in contact with them, and “maybe break through to them in a few years.”
Alan Haven, a senior from Shelbyville, Ky. and BCM president, went to Panama City Beach, Fla. expecting to be stretched in his relationship with God and allow God to use his weaknesses.
“The point is to be used by Christ,” he said, “because through me God can use me in a number of ways for His kingdom.”
The mission trip to Panama City, called Beach Reach, consists of 400 college students ministering to spring breakers.
Anna Stepp, a freshman from Grayson, Ky. who also went to Beach Reach, said, “If you feel like God can’t use you, just be willing and he will do it.”
She said Hebrews 10:39 was her theme verse for the week because she said she didn’t want to shrink back and didn’t want to be afraid to share her faith.
“One guy didn’t accept our ride because he refused to throw away his alcohol was ministered to by other Beach Reach volunteers. He said, ‘that’s enough,’ threw away his alcohol and rededicated his life to Jesus.”
In a correctional facility in northern Florida, members of CU’s football team ministered to men in prison through the game of softball.
Jim Hardy, assistant football coach who led the mission team, said they would usually share with the inmates after the softball game before the men lined up to go back in.
On one particular day, no one told the team how much time was left and the horn blew for the count to begin, nothing can interrupt that time. “I questioned the recreation coach and told him we had not had time to share with the inmates and he said he would check with the guards. Knowing how things are during a count I knew this was not going to happen,” Hardy said.
“Then the guard came to me and said ‘Go share with them in lines.’ I could not believe it. This never happens.”
The team spread out among the entire yard, each taking a line of inmates and began to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“We had 105 men who decided to accept Christ that afternoon,” Hardy said. “What an awesome experience; you just have to know that only God could have created that situation.”
The total number of decisions for Christ through Sports Reach that week was 333, with 204 of the decisions made through the work of CU’s football players.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 63 undergraduate programs, 17 master’s degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu