By AMANDA FLEMINGER
From Zambia to America, students have traveled the world to help others; they choose to participate in mission trips to make a difference. Students who go on mission trips pursue helping others and receive a feeling of gratitude. Each does fundraisers to raise the money needed for their trips, which costs roughly around $3,000. Two such students are senior Hollie Farrel and sophomore Braiden Wood who have been on four and five trips, respectively.
AFRICA EQUALS LIFE PATH- Since the summer before freshman year, Farrell has chosen to commit to mission trips every year. For two weeks, she helps the needy in countries such as Belize, South Africa, Zambia and Bolivia.
“I’m encouraged by the people I help and seeing that even though they don’t have as much as me, they are filled with more joy than the people [in America],” Farrell said.
Though she has gone on multiple trips, Zambia has been the most influential and life changing. She created English activities and lessons to teach the kids which inspired her to want to teach more than before; the kids were so excited to learn. Farrell felt she discovered her calling. She now wishes to become an elementary school teacher in Africa.
“They love and appreciate learning. By living there, I’d get to share [the love of God] 24-7,” Farrell said.
There in Zambia, Farrell formed relationships with those she helped, and to this day, she remains in contact with them.
“[I like most that we can] learn from them,” Farrell said. “They’re more aware of things and don’t take for granted the little things.”
This summer, Farrell plans to return to Zambia with friends. They plan to help an orphanage, by serving them, with the people they met in Zambia two summers ago.
“[My first trip] showed me how exciting it is to serve others and to also experience other cultures,” Farrell said.
In Zambia, Farrell said the people are more spiritually mature than her church group, and together, they teach one another.
“We teach them, they teach us,” Farrell said. “We share the love of God as we serve them and at the same time, they open our eyes to their views as we do the same.”
MUSICIAN FUND TRIPS WITH TALENT- Wood’s father, a youth pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando located in downtown Orlando, encouraged him to go on mission trips. He has been on five: two to New Orleans, two to Tennessee and to Colorado.
“It’s something to do during the summer that helps others,” Wood said.
Wood compiles his musical talent into fundraising for his trips by giving guitar lessons to anyone who’s willing to learn. He is currently in a band, Before You Exit, which started as a Christian rock band and is now a contemporary rock band; yet, they still perform at church activities.
“Teaching guitar is a learning experience because you learn from the students as they learn from you, and you also get the feeling that you’re encouraging them to join a band themselves,” Wood said.
In the summer of 2007, Wood traveled to New Orleans for the first time. It is his favorite of the five trips he has done because while there, Wood received the “Spiritual of Sourjn” award given to whoever represented Christ through their actions the most.
“I was amazingly shocked; I didn’t know what to do,” Wood said.
Continuing his summer mission trips, Wood plans to leave the country this summer helping either in Bolivia or the Dominican Republic. His church switches sites every summer. Whether he helps plant coffee beans and set up electricity poles in Bolivia, or visits orphanages and helps rebuild and repair houses in the Dominican Republic, Wood is excited about the challenge.
“It’s my first trip out of the country, so I’m excited,” Wood said. “It’ll be a different experience [because of the] different food, weather and language, but it’ll be fun.”
Wood mostly plans to continue participating in mission trips within America.
“Right now, I wouldn’t want to move to another country because it’d be [too] extreme, unless it was God’s calling,” Wood said. “I feel my calling is to be a musician and a youth leader [while continuing] mission trips in this country.”