Baylor Students Dedicate Spring Break to Serving on Missions Trips in Texas, Caribbean, Americas
Media Contact
Dominique McShan, Spiritual Life and Missions
Assistant Director for Marketing, Communication, and Events
254-710-3827
D_mcshan@baylor.edu
WACO, Texas (Feb. 26, 2020) – Spring Break is often a time for rest, relaxation, and renewal, but not for nine teams comprised of 150 Baylor University students, faculty and staff. These individuals will spend their Spring Break (March 7-15, 2020) serving communities in five countries, plus Texas, including Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Peru.
Each BU Missions experience seeks to advance participants’ understanding of human flourishing, and informed global engagement, by providing opportunities to integrate faith, service, and learning. This March, discipline-specific and interdisciplinary teams will participate in hands-on service projects addressing business development, education, health care, homelessness, hunger relief and poverty.
“These transformational experiences deepen students’ cultural awareness, understanding of our interdependent global society, as well as their vocation and calling,” said Dominique McShan, assistant director of marketing, communication, and events, at Baylor.
This Spring Break, one mission trip team will also include a special partnership with the Heart of Love Clinic in Guatemala City, supported by Dustin’s Dream—an organization founded in honor of former Baylor student Dustin Chamberlain.
To highlight each teams’ journey, select students will take over the @BUmissions Instagram story from Monday, March 8 through Sunday, March 15, 2020. Mission trip participants will also share aspects of their experience on Instagram and Twitter using #BearsOnMission.
Full missions trips stories will also be shared on the BU Missions Blog and Facebook.
2020 Spring Break BU Missions Teams
Colombia Honors Residential College Team: A team of 16 students, and two faculty leaders from the Honors Residential College will be working alongside One More Child to support and help care for migrants in Colombia. Students will serve in a variety of ways so that they may explore various vocations and deepen their passion for missions.
Costa Rica Education Team: A team of 10 students, and three faculty leaders will return to Costa Rica for the 15th year to serve in an elementary and technical high school. Participants will teach classes and engage students in recreational activities at Santa Elena Elementary School. Additionally, participants will contribute to a local community service project, and support English and Business teachers at a technical high school to enhance students’ English-speaking skills and career readiness competencies.
Dominican Republic Alpha Epsilon Delta Team: A team of 14 pre-health students from the Alpha Epsilon Delta student organization, and two faculty leaders, will be partnering with One More Child to serve in the Dominican Republic. Throughout the trip students will shadow doctors to learn more about international health care systems. Additionally, participants will help lead children’s Bible study and assist with needed construction and/or repairs in the local community.
Dominican Republic First in Line Team: A team of 13 student-participants in the Baylor First in Line program, and two faculty leaders will be serving alongside Casas por Cristo in the Dominican Republic to build a home for a deserving family in just five days.
Dominican Republic MAPS and Public Heath Team: A 13-member team comprised of pre-health students from the Multicultural Association of Pre-Health Students and the Department of Public Health, as well as two faculty leaders, will partner with El Buen Samaritano in La Romana, Dominican Republic for the fourth time. Participants will work with health care staff to provide basic screening, and assist with routine check-ups in local clinics. Additionally, participants will provide community members with public health education on issues such as diabetes, nutrition, dental care and women’s health.
Guatemala Baylor Medical Student Association Team: A team of 21 students and two faculty leaders will help with triaging patients, and taking vitals at the Heart of Love Clinic in Guatemala City. Additionally, participants will shadow physicians and pharmacists, and share health education lessons about personal hygiene, dengue prevention, and dietary nutrition.
Hunger in Texas Team: In partnership with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty and Texas Hunger Initiative, 8 Baylor participants will travel across the state to learn about the policies, organizations, and programs affecting hungry individuals across Texas. The team will explore the scope, causes and impact of hunger in Texas. Additionally, students will discover different types of interventions used to fight hunger, such as: food assistance, state nutrition programs and advocacy. Along the way, they’ll have unique opportunities to practice intervention approaches by volunteering and serving with the Texas Hunger Initiative in various cities.
Peru Business Team: An 18-member team from Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business will be working alongside Operación San Andrés (OSA) in Collique, Peru. The team will utilize their business skills and knowledge to provide pro-bono business consulting services, and help community members develop business plans.
Peru Medical Service Organization and Nursing Team: A team comprised of 16 Medical Service Organization (MSO) students, 10 nursing students and two faculty leaders from Baylor’s Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing will return to Peru to serve the Collique community. In Collique, participants will work alongside Operación San Andrés (OSA) to set up clinics for physical health assessments, and provide health education lessons to local children and adults about First Aid and nutrition.
ABOUT BAYLOR MISSIONS
BU Missions seeks to shape Baylor University's faithful engagement with Waco and the world by creating intentional opportunities to integrate faith, learning, and service within a broad Christian worldview. Learn more about BU Missions at www.baylor.edu/missions.
As part of the Office of Spiritual Life , BU Missions strives to nurture theological depth, spiritual wholeness, and missional living in students, staff, and faculty at Baylor University.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 17,000 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 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.