SSP Report 2019

Spring Service Partnerships | Spring Break 2019

Here I am. Send me! Isaiah 6:8

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE IN

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Ireland

Mexico

Dublin Christian Mission | dcmlive.ie

Youthfront | youthfront.com

For the third year, Northwestern students partnered with Dublin Christian Mission, the second-oldest city mission in the world.

Working at two ministry sites, The Light House and Chancery Place, students served food to people who are homeless and worked at a coffee shop. They also interacted with Dublin youth through DCM’s afterschool program and brought warm drinks to homeless people on the streets in the evenings.

Serving alongside Youthfront, a community-based ministry in Croc, Mexico, students taught Sunday school and played soccer with local kids. They also poured concrete and painted in a Croc church.

by Jason Rosema ’20

Giving back Former addicts who’ve been ministered to at The Light House often return to volunteer and help serve others. One of the most fulfilling experiences for our group was hearing the stories of redemption shared by people who’d been caught in addiction, but through God’s grace they have been set free.

Mission insights As a team, we gained deeper insight into what it means to serve Jesus by serving “the least of these.” It’s one thing to read and talk about serving Christ by serving people who are marginalized or oppressed. It’s another thing to actually do it. We also gained insight into the omnipresence of God—that no matter where we are and no matter what culture we’re experiencing or language we’re hearing, we all serve the same God.

Ireland

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by Mitch Van Kalsbeek ’20

Love language Most enjoyable were the relationships we made with members of the Croc community. Ministry staff members constantly encouraged us to expand our spiritual perception (and constantly laughed with us). Community members lovingly invited us into their homes where they shared stories about their lives and relationships with God. And the kids—many of them wanted nothing more than to play soccer for hours and hours. The conversations we had and the relationships we were able to form in that short time were deep and real. The language barrier we worried about?

Hardly a challenge at all. Despite a majority of our team members being unable to speak a “lick” of Spanish, we quickly realized that a smile and laughter do not require translation.

New view God’s kingdom is vast and diverse. For many of us, we found that while it’s easy to imagine the kingdom of God as kind of like your home church, an experience like this Spring Service Parternship trip opens one’s eyes to how grand the kingdom of God truly is— encompassing every tribe, nation and tongue.

Mexico

Mexico is also pictured on the inside cover

The Netherlands

Compton, California

Shelter Youth Hostels | shelter.nl

Emmanuel Reformed Church | erc.la

For 21 years, Northwestern students have spent spring break alongside staff and volunteers at Shelter City and Shelter Jordan in Amsterdam.

The hostels seek to demonstrate hospitality and Christian love by providing clean, affordable and welcoming accommodations for travelers.

Team members cleaned and worked in the hostels’ cafés. They also led evening activities and Bible discussions for guests.

For the 8th year, team members partnered with Emmanuel Reformed Church, Paramount, Calif., which founded the Compton Initiative, a 40-year commitment to investing in their neighboring city of Compton. The Compton Initiative aims to improve the city’s image and inspire residents to reclaim their neighborhoods by cleaning, repairing and painting facilities. Northwestern students interacted with students at Rise Academy, tutored at an afterschool program and served a meal at the Salvation Army.

by Nicole Koertner ’20

Hostel gospel One of the coolest parts of volunteering in a hostel is that you get the chance to meet people from so many different parts of the world. We met people (guests and staff ) from Germany, Finland, England, Israel, Australia and so many other places. The staff members volunteering at the hostels are incredible. We were inspired by these people who spend six months to a year living in another country, dedicating themselves to sharing the gospel.

Their work reminded us how important it is to follow God’s calling wholeheartedly and wherever it takes you.

Light in the darkness Most challenging was witnessing Amsterdam’s Red Light District. It felt hopeless and heartbreaking, and it’s hard to see where God is in a place like that. And yet, God is bigger, brighter than any darkness. There is hope. It was so fulfilling to see that God was definitely at work through the organizations that support the women in the Red Light District and through seeds that are being planted at Shelter City and Shelter Jordan.

by Sydney Wright ’19

Power of presence God’s work is patient and powerful. We had so many opportunities to see how God is working in Compton, but that work does not happen overnight. It takes time and hard work. A big part of God’s redeeming work is showing up for people and not leaving when things get difficult.

Community ministry We interacted with Jeudy, the coordinator of the Compton Initiative, as well as the founder and students of Rise Academy, and the families planting City Church of Compton. As we did, we learned the power of relationships in urban ministry and discipleship.

Everyone we met was living on mission for Christ, and they all emphasized the importance of building relationships with people and meeting them where they are. The ministries we worked with not only shared the love and truth of Jesus with the people of Compton, but they shared themselves as well. They became the community of Compton, just like how Jesus became one of us.

The Netherlands

Compton , CA Compton, CA, is also pictured on the cover

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Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville, Florida

Kansas City, Kansas

2nd Mile Ministries | 2ndmile-jax.com

Youthfront | youthfront.com

Team members volunteered at North Shore Elementary School in the Brentwood community of Jacksonville, assisting the classroom teachers and tutoring students both during class and in an afterschool program.

They also participated in Brentwood community projects, including gardening and painting a mural. This is the 8th year Northwestern has sent a team to 2nd Mile Ministries.

Team members served in the Argentine area of Kansas City, helping convert an abandoned gas station into a youth center and volunteering at Snack Shack, an afterschool hangout for middle schoolers. They also worked on construction projects at El Buen Pastor Church. This was the 3rd year Northwestern students partnered with Youthfront in Kansas City.

Life in the neighborhood One of the people we met in Jacksonville is Ernest. Ernest was the first student to be part of 2nd Mile Ministries’ afterschool program. He remained living in the neighborhood, and now he gives back by volunteering. The Brentwood community has many challenges, but God has placed a few Christians in the neighborhood to spread his hope and love.

The game is rigged In the mornings, Youthfront had us play these games, like Monopoly, but with different rules and goals. Instead of traditional Monopoly, Youthfront’s version demonstrated how poverty and segregation are so foundational—that the system enables and perpetuates these obstacles. This was a hard thing for our team to process. We discussed ways to make changes, and we hope these simulations and conversations continue.

by Emilee Hulsing ’20

Encouraging progress We were grateful for the chance to serve at North Shore Elementary School. We hope our presence was encouraging to the students and their teachers, who are under-resourced. We were also pleased to complete painting on a community mural that has been in progress for five years—bringing a little color into the neighborhood.

by Kiley Meeder ’21

Church home The congregation at the El Buen Pastor Church made us speechless. The hospitality they showed us made us all feel at home.

They welcomed us into their own homes and made sure we always had full bellies. We learned that even though we come from different backgrounds and have cultural differences, we all love and worship the same God. One night after playing games in a church member’s basement, we held hands and just prayed for one another—brothers and sisters in Christ, praying for each other in English and Spanish.

le, FL Jacksonvil Kansas City, K S

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Opelousas, Louisiana

Grand Marais, Minnesota

Hope for Opelousas | hopeforopelousas.org

Coldwater Foundation | coldwaterfoundation.org

Northwestern was the first college to send a service team to Opelousas in 2008, and teams have returned every year since. This year’s team helped children and teens design and create art projects that will be auctioned off to support their participation in summer camps. Northwestern students also painted the ministry’s “Hope House,” which houses short-term volunteers and interns.

Team members helped Coldwater Foundation staff, including founder Kevin Sutton ’92, prepare to host campers by making food, cleaning cabins, and chopping and stacking firewood. They also worshipped and interacted with the Mt. Rose Church congregation on the Grand Portage Reservation. Northwestern students have served with the Coldwater Foundation for 9 years.

Rich insight The average household income in Opelousas is $18,000 per year, and the average electric bill can run up to $900 per month! We were astounded to learn about and then witness up close that degree of poverty among people we came to know and love during just one week. It also encouraged us to give of ourselves as much as we could.

Tribal counsel We met April McCormick, wife of the Mt. Rose Church pastor and a member of Grand Portage’s tribal council. We were encouraged to ask her a lot of questions, and her answers opened our eyes to the culture on the reservation.

by Hannah Johnson ’21

by Sydney Kolb ’20

Racial reconciliation Throughout the week, the staff at Hope for Opelousas presented us with opportunities to learn about the history of the town, which included learning about the brokenness of racial division.

As we learned about this history, we began to ask questions about race and how we, as the church, can help foster reconciliation instead of hindering it. Our week in Opelousas gave us opportunities to get to know our brothers and sisters in Christ of different races, which enabled us to build relationships and witness the reconciliation that organizations like Hope for Opelousas helps generate.

s, LA Opelousa

Back to basics We didn’t have running water the second half of the week, so we weren’t able to shower, and we used an outhouse. It was a challenge, but I think it helped our team bond more!

Time for relationships Something our team learned about on our trip is the difference between monochronic and polychronic cultures. In a monochronic culture, time is based entirely on the clock, but in a polychronic culture, time is centered more around relationships. As members of a monochronic culture, we had to adjust to life on the reservation, where time is polychronic. Even if dinner was scheduled for 5 p.m., it didn’t start until everyone arrived, which could be 6:30.

It was an adjustment, but it taught us to be more present with the people we were with and more intentional about building relationships.

Grand Marais, MN

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Mescalero, New Mexico

Lindale, Texas

Mescalero Reformed Church rca.org/Mescalero-reformed-church

Calvary Commission | calvarycommission.org

by Kallie Bakker ’21

by Derek Janzen ’20

Students traveled to Mescalero, N.M., to serve at a church pastored by former Northwestern computer science professor Mark Vellinga ’77.

Team members painted and planned and led worship, youth group and a kids club for the church’s Native American congregation. This is the 2nd year an SSP team served at the Mescalero Reformed Church.

Calvary Commission (CC) is a ranch-like residence and educational center for ex-convicts who are born again and desire to spend time growing closer to God after they are paroled. For the 24th year, a Northwestern SSP team traveled to Calvary Commission to help with yard work, maintenance and other aspects of the CC ministry.

Team members also led a worship service at a Lindale prison.

Learning loss The most fulfilling and enjoyable thing about this trip was being able to form relationships with wonderful people. Just being with them and being able to serve among them was such a privilege.

The most challenging part of the trip was realizing that most of the kids—even the really young ones—are very familiar with loss and death. It’s a normal part of their young lives, along with exposure to drug and alcohol addiction.

Convicted It is incredible to see how God can work through anyone, no matter what their past experiences are. We met a lot of ex-cons who told us their incredible testimonies and life stories. They shared how they have been redeemed through Christ and how Christ is working in their lives today. Our team learned how convicted they are in their faith, and inspired us to become as convicted as they are.

Native lessons Our team was very inspired by the Mescalero pastor and worship leader and their wives. The pastor and his wife are so generous and remarkably invested in relationships and understanding the culture of the tribe. The worship leader and his wife shared their testimonies. They grew up on the reservation and have experienced a lot of brokenness. They taught us God is always good and will bring about a beautiful outcome, even through tough times.

Lindale, TX

, NM Mescalero

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Refugio, Texas

by Mattea Van Kalsbeek ’21 World Renew | worldrenew.net For the 2nd year, team members partnered with World Renew to serve in neighborhoods still recovering from Hurricane Harvey. They removed moldy drywall and replaced it with fresh drywall. They also painted house exteriors.

Relief work Hurricane Harvey happened almost two years ago. The World Renew project manager in Refugio, Debbie, helped us understand what it is really like to experience disaster and work every day— sometimes for years—to restore life to some sense of normalcy.

She told us relief work is never done because there are always people around the world experiencing and then trying to recover from natural disasters.

Building community The challenging part of relief work is that it is dependent on the skills of volunteers. We were blessed to have two team members with carpentry experience who stepped up to organize and guide our eager, but amateur efforts. The process felt inefficient at times, but it was also fulfilling to see leaders emerge and make obvious improvements in the homes of those we served that week.

X Refugio, T

Lindale, TX

SPRING SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS | TEAMS Ireland Alex Currier Shania DeBoer* Amber DeStigter Patrick Hummel* Sarah Hummel Ally Pettit Jason Rosema Emily Starr

Mexico Jill Adam Faith Anderson Rick Clark* Katrina Engebretson Lauren Faber Victor Garcia* Madison Godfredsen* Shelby Goodrich Kelsey Hofman* Zoe Holscher Chris Jelken Kailee Jenness Elizabeth Johnston Wendell Kampman* Sharon Kampman* Kelsey Lang Tiffany Pettus Cassidy Rodman Mimi Sandbulte* Stephanie Seymour Bailey Swain* Morgan Tilgner Makayla Tjernagel Nathaniel Tjernagel Amie Uithoven Emma Van Drie Mitchell Van Kalsbeek Megan Willroth

The Netherlands Sam Callahan* Kayli Christensen Barb Dewald* Abbie Kleinwolterink Nicole Koertner Moriah Lee Joseph Lohse

Ivy Sieperda Schuyler Sterk Emma Van Meetern* Emily Grace Williams* Moriah Wittenberg

Compton, CA Caleb Arnett Jackie Davis* Makenna Davis Michaela Kleinwolterink* Taelor Lamansky Douglas Pervais Jori Steenhoek Sarah Te Grotenhuis Jasi Vasher* Sydney Wright

Jacksonville, FL Kadie Bauer Lacey Beyer Tim Czirr Emilee Hulsing* Karli Lang Chris Nonhof* Hannah Ott Ann Pater Emily Van Peursem Emily Weber Anna Weighmink

Kansas City, KS Caprice Anderson Kortnie Bonnema* Lori Bonnema* Noelle De Haan Ray Gibler* Matthew Hansmann Kiley Meeder Ashley Olson Suresh Portillo* Calli Shaw Amy Vandermeer

Opelousas, LA Becca Bindert Isaiah Blok Julia Goodburn

*Student, staff and alumni team leaders

Brooke Hughes* Cody Hughes* Julie Jansen Hannah Johnson Colin Kaemingk Carson Marco MaKayla McMann Rachel Mercer* Callie Namminga* Elissa O’Dell Courtney Robyn Jessica Stamer Karly Summy Marcus Tucker Patrick Zimmermann

Grand Marais, MN Makayla Bjork Cassidy Bultena Rebecca Jackson Sydney Kolb Kevin McMahan* Lynne McMahan* Jon Muyskens* Ben Pirrie Jessica Rogers

Kaylen Kuchel Cailey Linn* Kelsay Parrot Steven Van Meeteren Ben Vos*

Rockport, TX Carter Bock Mariah Davis Kit Fynaardt Kalie Hoekstra Lindsay Hubbel* Sydney Hughes Noah Karmann Emily Novak Evan Rich Jelissa Rozendaal* Kaitlin Shepard Michael Simmelink* McKenzie Sonnek Adam Swart Mattea Van Kalsbeek Dana Van Ostrand*

Mescalero, NM Kallie Bakker Marissa Brondsema Alyssa Buren Anita Cirulis* Jaaz Meribole Cole Mills* Reagan Putnam Katie Rozeboom Anna Stroh* Allison Wheeler

Lindale, TX Will Browning* Haily Citrowske* Jordan Coulter Josh Fischer Benjamin Henker Andrea Horstman Bekah Horstman Derek Janzen

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101 7th Street SW Orange City, IA 51041

Change Service Requested

Spring Service Partnerships | Spring Break 2019

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE