Baylor Missions 2016
Over Spring Break, Baylor Missions sent 10 teams of 138 Baylor students, faculty, staff and alumni to five different countries where they integrated their faith with service and learning on discipline-specific missions projects.
Columbia – Community Development
This was Baylor Missions first trip to Columbia, where eight students and one Baylor staff member partnered with Orphan’s Heart International. The team served in the small village of Villeta near the capital city of Bogota, engaging with the local children and community through VBS, sports, crafts and music.
Dominican Republic – Alpha Epsilon Delta
Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Med Honor Society sent 11 students, the honor society’s faculty sponsor, a Truett Seminary student serving as team chaplain and a guest optometrist to serve with the Azua community in the Dominican Republic. The team worked to provide health education to the community and continued the long-term construction work of Orphan’s Heart. They offered lessons on nutrition, vaccinations, hygiene, and growth and development in addition to providing needed health products like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and feminine hygiene products. The team also visited a local clinic, local hospital and city hospital to learn more about healthcare in the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic – Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students
For the third year, 11 students and two leaders from the Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students served in the Dominican Republic. The team partnered with the Good Samaritan Mission Council in La Romana and served daily in local medical clinics, observing and practicing routine check-ups. Through this opportunity, the students gained a greater understanding of service to the underprivileged and underserved in the medical field.
Guatemala – American Medical Student Association
In the communities of La Cieneguia, Huehuetenango, and La Victoria, Quetzaltenango, 19 students, two team leaders, and a small team of guest doctors partnered with Global CHE to serve Guatemalans living in a mountainous region where many are unable to receive necessary medical treatments. The team set up temporary clinics to bring free care to locals suffering from parasites, diabetes, ulcers and other illnesses.
Guatemala – Accounting
Expanding opportunities for Baylor Business students to use their consulting skills around the world, 13 students and three accounting faculty members set off on the inaugural mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala. The team participated in Spanish classes and conducted a variety of consulting engagements focused on internal control audits, non-profit consulting, business consulting and agro-tourism.
Guatemala – Nutrition
Seven students, two faculty members from the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and one guest worked with Mission Guatemala in Panajachel, Guatemala. The team assisted with food preparation, completed nutritional assessments, conducted nutrition games and activities with school-aged children and performed puppet plays.
Haiti – Medical
Partnering with Promise for Haiti in Pignon, Haiti, this team of 12 students and two Baylor faculty members split into three small groups to rotate between projects throughout the week of Spring Break. The first group visited rural villages to collect photos, videos and biographical data for a healthcare program. Stationed at the hospital, the second group organized the supply room for the operating room. The third group shadowed local and U.S. doctors and surgeons in the clinic and operating room.
Alaska – Nursing
The Louise Herrington School of Nursing sent a group of 10 students and two leaders on their first mission trip to Alaska. The team taught and offered assistance with a Title I school health fair, a homeless shelter, a women’s shelter and a refugee center. The students also had the opportunity to shadow several nurses in a hospital located on a military base in Anchorage and participated in a prayer walk on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus.
Eagle Pass, Texas – Urban Missions
For the fourth year, 16 students and two Baylor staff members journeyed to Eagle Pass, Texas, to engage in literacy work and to build meaningful relationships with local students. The team partnered with non-profits Literacy ConneXus, Mission Border Hope and local churches to serve the Eagle Pass community as they, in turn, learned more about and discussed rural poverty, early childhood literacy and immigration.
Texas – Hunger in Texas
In partnership with the Texas Hunger Initiative (THI), six students and two THI staff members traveled across the state of Texas to learn about the policies, organizations and programs affecting hungry individuals across Texas. As they learned about the different types of interventions used to fight hunger (food assistance, state nutrition programs and advocacy), the students were able to put these interventions into practice by volunteering and serving with THI in various cities.