Baylor Students Head Out on 2013 Spring Break Mission Trips

Follow us on Twitter:
@BaylorUMediaCom
Contact: Lori Fogleman, Director of Media Communications, (254) 710-6275
WACO, Texas (March 7, 2013)--As many Baylor University students and faculty prepare to head to sunny or snowy destinations for a spring break getaway, six Baylor affiliated missions teams have different plans.
Baylor's department of missions in the Office of Spiritual Life will oversee the six trips to Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, Eagle Pass, Texas and LaPlace, La.
Multicultural Association of Pre-health Students (MAPS) Mission Team
Nine students and one staff member are traveling to Panama City, Panama, to work with Global Medical Training International. The group will be observing and serving in daily local clinics under the supervision of organization doctors. Global Medical Training International is a non-profit organization that provides free medical-dental services to medically deprived communities in Central American countries.
American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Mission Team
Twenty-one students and one faculty member will travel to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, to work with Global Community Health Evangelism. The group will be observing and serving in local clinics and teaching basic hygiene techniques to village children. Global Community Health Evangelism is a non-profit organization that integrates evangelism and discipleship with community-based development.
Medical Humanities Mission Team
Nineteen students and four faculty and staff members will travel to San Salvador, El Salvador, to partner with Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador (UEES) University. They will observe and serve in the university hospital and local clinics. UEES is one of El Salvador's oldest and most prominent institutions, serving as the national university of the country.
Baylor School of Nursing Mission Trip
Ten students and 3 faculty and staff members will travel to Lima, Peru, to work with a local church, Iglesia Evangelica Baptista Morada de Dios. They will work in the community of the host church to offer health education and physical assessments, as well as research local health practices.
Baylor Urban Mission Team
Nineteen students and two staff members will travel to Eagle Pass, Texas to partner with Literacy Connexus and Texas Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. While there, the group plans to sponsor family reading fairs and literacy projects through book mobiles, work in community gardens and perform light construction. Literacy Connexus is a nonprofit organization that provides resources within a Christian context to allow church communities to share the gift of literacy with all who seek it.
Freshman Mission Team
Twenty students and four leaders will travel to LaPlace, La., to work with Eight Days of Hope. They will assist with disaster relief and doing light construction. Eight Days of Hope is a non-profit recovery organization that rebuilds homes struck by natural disaster.
"I am excited that Baylor's department of missions is sending out 113 students, faculty and staff to six domestic and international locations," said Rebecca Kennedy, director of missions and associate chaplain for the Office of Spiritual Life at Baylor University.
"These students are giving up their spring break to serve others. That speaks volumes to the spirit of the Baylor student who seizes opportunities to serve God and neighbor. Many of our trips are discipline-focused which allows students and faculty to integrate faith, learning and service into their mission experience."
For more information on Baylor missions, contact Kennedy at Rebecca_Kennedy@Baylor.edu.
by Rebecca Malzahn , student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.