By Tiffany Zhang & Nicki Malekadelipulse & staff writer
Thailand, Alabama,Tennessee. These are just a few places DHS students will attend during spring break. However, these students will not be experiencing the typical relaxing vacation filled with swimming and sunbathing. Rather, these students choose to spend their spring vacation helping others.
Senior Jacob Logan has been going to Thailand for several years now with the Sunrise Baptist Church to help suffering children in orphanages. This upcoming year he is not attending Thailand with his church, but rather with his family and several other families from nearby churches in Midland.
“I am going to Thailand,” Logan said. “The past few times I have gone to Thailand I’ve gone with the Sunrise youth group, but this year I’m going with my family and several other families from different churches in Midland.”
Logan and his family meet with children that have had a troubling past and show them the love and care that the children lack in their lives.
“Some of these kids are drafted into this army at a young age,” Logan said. “They are abused physically, mentally, sexually and form drug and alcohol addictions from an early age.”
Many of the children the Logans hope to help lost their parents because of this, and with no one else to take care of them, they were sent to orphanages. The group helps keep the children company, entertains them with games and Bible stories. This helps them develop social skills as well as have fun.
“While we are there once we put on a vacation Bible school and we invited kids from neighboring villages to come play games and arts,” Logan said. “We also put on a worship service.”
Logan is excited to return to Thailand due to the strong connection he feels with the country and the children there.
“Last time I was there I got baptized so I am just excited to go back there and be a greater impact for Christ,” Logan said. “I’m just excited to see the kids again, I feel that my heart kind of lies there.”
Students go on these trips to allow themselves to make a difference in a community where it is needed, and just to help others feel that they are loved. These trips impact others in a sense that they are able to witness new family life and culture. Sophomore Abigail Drumright travels on these mission trips to better herself as a person. This year she is going to Alabama with the First United Methodist Church. On this mission trip, the youth group does more construction-oriented projects.
“Last year we re-painted this lady’s house, and two years ago they helped re-build someone’s house,” Drumright said.
Through building houses for these peoples, the youth group feels as if they are giving the people a fresh start.
“I just want to make a difference, and it really impacts your life for the better and you learn things about yourself and about the world that you didn’t know before,” Drumright said.
Junior Jennifer Burns is also attending this trip with Drumright. She agrees that these mission trips help her and others grow as people.
“I really enjoy going on trips like this, because it lets our youth group grow closer together and also, we’re able to help those in need,” Burns said.
The students that go on these mission trips feel that the experience is an eye-opening one. They realize that they should be very appreciative of what they have.
“So many people have it so much worse and when we’re there building houses and bringing food to people, it really hits you that we shouldn’t take what we have for granted,” Burns said.
Although a sunny, relaxing beach vacation on the coast of Florida is ideal for many, these students take pleasure in giving up their time to help others that are suffering and are in need. They believe that not only does it help others, but it helps them grow as people and in their faith.
“I’m most excited about making a difference,” Drumright said.
