SSP Report 2021

Spring Service Partnerships | Spring Break 2021

Faith Defined Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

S T A N DA R D S O F E XC E L L E N C E I N S H O R T-T E R M M I S S I O N Northwestern College Campus Ministry is committed to Standards of Excellence (SOE) in Short-Term Mission. The SOE criteria were developed by representatives from many U.S. mission agencies, schools and churches who send short-term missionaries. The common set of standards helps ensure that individuals or teams sent by U.S. organizations are excellent. Training, resources, peer input, data collection and accountability are all components of SOE membership. As a member, Northwestern is serious about doing short-term mission well—from preparation through follow-up.

C O V E N A N T

soe.org

M E M B E R

Denver, Colorado

Kansas City, Kansas

Mile High Ministries

Youthfront

For the fourth year, Northwestern partnered with Mile High Ministries. MHM connected students with Dry Bones Denver and Denver Rescue Mission, through which they learned about homelessness, detailed cars, and assisted with sorting food and clothes at a donation center.

Serving alongside Youthfront for the fifth year, students painted the exterior of a family home, volunteered at a second-hand store, assisted in clearing items from a resident’s home, and worked with urban gardening organizations.

by Noelle Wamhoff ’23

by Alyssa Glanz ’23

Eye-opening experiences The most rewarding part of our time in Denver was the community aspect—both in working with our Northwestern team and with our Denver brothers and sisters in Christ. Serving the same Creator was often all we had in common, but it was so much more than enough. The most challenging aspect of our experience was witnessing the difficult realities some people face on a daily basis. There are “tent cities” popping up around Denver due to an increase in unemployment and a decrease in shelter space, much of which is due to the pandemic. Because urban camping is illegal, the tents are regularly “cleaned out,” and people have everything they own be ripped away in an instant.

Bringing momentum home Greg, our leader in Denver, encouraged us to bring ideas and momentum back to our local churches. We left Denver asking questions like “How can we help the people who are suffering in our own neighborhoods?” and “How is the church creating space where people can come to be known and loved?”

Valuable vulnerability One of the most memorable people we met was Constance.

She vulnerably welcomed our team into her home and allowed us to help her clear out furniture and other items she no longer needed. Through working with her, our team learned the value of vulnerability and the willingness to ask for help. We also learned that building a solid relationship with someone is an important piece of being able to help. Youthfront has a solid friendship with Constance; therefore, we were fortunate to partner with them in serving her.

Listening matters Hearing people’s stories during our time in Kansas City enabled our team to experience God at work in the world around us.

We learned so much from our relationships with one another, Youthfront and the community members. Listening to others’ perspectives lets us experience more of God because he is a God of community.

Kansas City, KS

Denver, CO

Annville, Kentucky

New Orleans, Louisiana

Grace Covenant Ministries

Urban Impact

Partnering with Grace Covenant Ministries, students assisted with two construction projects. Their first task was building a wheelchair ramp and connecting it to a community member’s house. Second, they helped tear down part of the framing of a home after a tree fell through it. Northwestern has partnered with Grace Covenant Ministries since 1994.

For nearly 25 years, Northwestern has partnered with Urban Impact.

This year, students spent time with local youth at a ministry center, transformed a pregnancy center’s storage room into a classroom, and painted a family’s house.

by Aaron Eckmann ’23

by Hannah O’Dell ’22

Servant hearts Our team had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the people who work for Grace Covenant Ministries. We learned that they voluntarily chose to not get paid in the last year, but still continue to help people in their community. It was inspiring to witness how they were willing to volunteer their time during a challenging year, despite the sacrifices they had to make. We continue to pray that God will provide for them and help them persevere.

Looking ahead It was evident that Annville community members care deeply for one another. Grace Covenant Ministries is a prime example of this care through the ways they show God’s love by helping others. As our team reflected on our time in Kentucky, we challenged ourselves to continue to find ways to serve, even in our own communities. How do we apply what we’ve learned to our lives? It can be easy to return home and slip back into our everyday routines, getting trapped in our comfort zones. We’re asking ourselves how we can continue to build relationships and invest in the people around us.

KY Annville,

Making connections Our team met people from New Orleans ranging from elementary schoolchildren to older adults. We made connections by playing and conversing with those we were around. We shared and listened to stories. It was inspiring how kind and generous the people of New Orleans were to complete strangers. They were so willing to connect with our team in a short amount of time.

Facing realities It was beautiful to watch our team grow both through the connections we made and in our faith. Our eyes were opened to the challenges people face each day, and we questioned why people don’t recognize the struggles others face, even when they’re so obvious. We became so immersed in the work we were doing and the connections we made that it was hard to leave New Orleans.

New O rleans, LA

Opelousas, Louisiana

Sulphur, Louisiana

Hope for Opelousas

World Renew | Disaster ReBuilders

Northwestern was the first college to send a service team to Opelousas in 2008, and teams have returned every year since. This year, students painted classrooms, installed an irrigation system, spread mulch, powerwashed the exterior of houses, and tore down a garage. They also tutored and spent time with the students at the center.

Through World Renew, Northwestern students partnered with the Disaster ReBuilders organization to provide hurricane relief. They worked in two different houses, performing a variety of repair tasks, including flooring, painting, installing crown molding and baseboards, caulking, and renovating a bathroom.

True love The best thing about serving with Hope for Opelousas was seeing how God is working in and through the people there. We were so inspired by the hope they have in Jesus Christ and the way they put their faith in him in everything they do. Not only did we experience wonderful Southern hospitality, but the people we met taught us so much about serving those around us. Loren, the executive director of HFO, has such a passion for loving people. He taught us what it means to truly love like Jesus does— unconditionally and unapologetically. We counted it a blessing to just be a small part of the work God is doing in Opelousas.

Learning new skills It was very fulfilling to see all of the progress we made in the home repairs. When we arrived at Mr. Jimmy’s house, there was a lot of work to be done, but by the end of the week, his house was finally starting to look like a home. Because many of us had very limited home repair experience, we had a lot to learn. This proved to be both challenging and rewarding. Our patience was often tested by pieces of flooring that had to be cut at crazy angles or consistently performing the seemingly mundane tasks, but it was satisfying to see tangible results and walk away with useful skills.

by Allison Haverdink ’23

Kingdom work We had many racial reconciliation conversations with community leaders from Opelousas. God used these conversations to spark questions and show us that we are all part of his kingdom—and that we’re not as different from one another as society makes us out to be. The color of our skin doesn’t matter; loving each other as Jesus loves us is the only thing that matters. It was beautiful to walk alongside people from many backgrounds during the week.

Cool things happen when we all work together to do kingdom work.

by Alexandra Dobesh ’25

Intentional participation Our team talked a lot about community and the intentionality it takes to make “community” a reality. We grew very close on this trip, but we also knew we would return to a busy world full of distractions. During the last few days of our trip, we asked each other hard questions so we could begin discerning how we would actually use this experience to make changes in our lives.

We learned that any growth with God requires intentionality; we cannot expect him to do all of the work. Whether it be serving others or making a new friend, we have to be willing to put effort in on our side. God’s redeeming work can happen anywhere and with anyone, but we have to be intentional about our participation.

Sulphu r, LA

Opelousas, LA

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Grand Marais, Minnesota

Orange, Texas

Coldwater Foundation

World Renew | Orange County Disaster Rebuild

For more than 10 years, Northwestern students have assisted the staff at Coldwater Foundation, including founder Kevin Sutton ’92, in preparing for their summer wilderness camp programs. This year, students shoveled snow, chopped and stacked wood, made granola, and packed food for outdoor trips. SSP participants also assisted the Northpoint organization by transforming a building into a coffee shop-like hangout location for teenagers.

Through World Renew, Northwestern students partnered with Orange County Disaster Rebuild to repair a home damaged by a hurricane.

The team cleaned, painted, drywalled and laid flooring in the damaged portion of the home. This was the first year Northwestern students served in Orange.

by Naomi Lief ’24

Self-growth Through the experiences we had and service we provided, we changed ourselves. Though we worked diligently for both organizations, our focus was more about what our team could learn and bring home with us. We focused a lot on self-reflection and what it means to rest. When we looked up at the faint Northern Lights, snowshoed through woods, camped outside in the cold, jumped in the lake, or just admired the way the gentle breeze washed itself over the trees, we found ourselves asking questions about what it means to be human beings on this earth. It was enjoyable to experience sabbath for what it’s truly meant to be— a time to dig deep into our humanity.

Takeaways Our team woke up early each morning to congregate and begin work. The week following our trip, we found ourselves keeping up on this practice. We found ways to take what we learned and incorporate it into our everyday lives. We appreciated the newness of each morning, and we discovered the many benefits of pondering and reflecting. We also learned that serving is a time to change ourselves while working alongside and helping others. The world will only be better if we better ourselves first, and in doing so, we’ll inspire others to do the same.

by Brenna Rauwerdink ’22

Praising in the storm We had the opportunity to interact with the Cotton family as we helped repair their home. Mrs. Cotton taught us how important it is to praise God for the good things in life, even when everything else is falling apart. Despite having a hole in her house from a fallen tree, she gave glory to God. We also worked with Josh, the construction lead from World Renew. Throughout the week, he inspired us with his story, showing us how God can transform lives and use ordinary people to further his kingdom.

Driven to serve It was difficult knowing that there was only enough money available for our specific service site until the end of the week.

When Friday rolled around, the supply trailer had to be taken away. This drove us to work hard, and even though we finished more than what was planned for the week, it was hard knowing there was more work that needed to be done.

, MN Marais Grand

Orange, T X

Waco, Texas

by Jacob Lamb ’24 Mission Waco Waco, TX

For the second consecutive year, students partnered with Mission Waco and its many organizations. This year they hosted an after-school “street camp,” painted an apartment, visited a homeless shelter to share God’s Word, and provided manual labor at Mission Waco’s youth center.

The gift of presence We met a man at the homeless shelter who said he’d been seeking a reason to strengthen his faith, noting that he was going to rehab soon. He asked us to pray that God will stay with him and give him the strength to turn his life around. This was impactful, as it showed us how much it can mean to people to just be present and talk with them about God.

Simple joys It was so fulfilling to host the “street camp” for kids. They had so much joy as we spent time singing songs, playing games, and performing skits of Bible stories. It was humbling to spend time with them, and we learned how much joy simple things—such as jump-roping and playing kickball—can bring.

SPRING SERVICE PARTNERSHIP TEAMS Denver, CO Cameron Beach Ainsley Billings Mark Cooley Alyssa Feeley Audrey Leyen* Katelin Looney Chris Nonhof* Jakob VanDerWerff Noelle Wamhoff Kansas City, KS Kathleen Chicas Martha Draayer* Alyssa Glanz Kaitlyn Hassman* Cherokee Horton Hailey Louw Kelsay Parrott* Beau Risley Ryan Ronsse Annville, KY Marissa Brondsema* Mark DeYounge* Aaron Eckmann Cameron Esch Madelynn Harre Kaitlyn McCracken Breanna Oolman Alison Painter Jessica Rogers* Thomas Van Engelenhoven

New Orleans, LA Bryant Agre Will Bauer Emily Berggren Nick Bomgaars Adam De Boer Lauren Eidsness Paige Ginger Chris Jelken* Emma Jenness Brandon Kjonegaard Noah Kullmann Emily Miller Hannah O’Dell Sarah Pemberton* Kaleb Schrock Leslie Stover* Keely Swanson Teagen Vander Waal* Anna Van Zee BreElle Van Zee Opelousas, LA Mary Baltzer Jordan Blok Avery Calsbeek Abigail Clarke Emily Dobesh Haley Evans Nicholas Evans Colton Folkers Allison Haverdink

*Student, staff and alumni team leaders

Cody Hughes* Brooke Hughes* Colin Kaemingk* Elizabeth Korver Abigail Noonan Elizabeth Parks Evan Rich Jadeyn Schutt* Sierra Stamer Annika Stecker Nick VanRijs Sulphur, LA Kaelin Alons Alayna Bergt Anna Boyles Caylan DeLucia* Alexandra Dobesh Gideon Fynaardt Hayden Lee Linden Sutton* Kirby Willats Kate Wynja* Grand Marais, MN Joe Callahan Tyrae Johnson* Isaiah Lee Naomi Lief Elissa O’Dell* Caitlin Ostbye Jeff VanDerWerff* Kate VanDerWerff

Orange, TX Misael Bruzzone Josh Dueker Emma Dunsbergen Julia Goodburn* Lindsay Hubbell* Brenna Rauwerdink* Shonna Ritz* Michael Simmelink* Jonah Tews Micah Van Kalsbeek Hannah Van Meeteren Waco, TX Hannah Allen Caleb Arnett* Emily Erck Joshua Fischer Lucas Heiberger* Shega Heitritter Isaac Knock Emily Kraft Jacob Lamb Kaylee Maasdam Ellie Natelborg Alex Nonhof Riley Rasmussen Jadeyn Veltkamp Natalie Wheeler*

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Campus Ministry 101 7th Street SW Orange City, IA 51041 Change Service Requested

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