SOPHOMOREJESSE SHElTON leads thesong"My Bonnie lies Overthe Ocean"for agro up ofchildrenin Sterling, Scotland, May 21, 2004, dunngasummer campaign.When performing for children, the camp;lign memberssang bothsenous and interactive songs. ·COURTESYOF 5. HUGGARD DRESSED INTINFOIL HELMETS AND GRAYROBES, sophomores Seth Daggett and AaronBeaird act out the storyof David and Goliath March 19, 2004, during a"Kids Our' night whileonaspnng break campaign toNatick, Mass.In addition to"Kids Our' nights, whICh highlighted different heroes offaith, the campa ig ners distnbuted hot meals, sang innuelng homes, and handed out invitationsto ch urchservices. -COURTESY OF S. DAGGm group thrives predecessors' examples .- ~ n the front room of Campus Minister Dwight Smith's house sits a small, white teddy bear. It was a gift Dwight and his late wife, Barby, received from a IO-year-old girl in Scotland. The girl's was just one of the many lives the Smiths ministered to during their campaigns in Scotland. "[Campaigns are] an incredible experience- they changed our lives," Dwight said. "It certainly changed mine. It is wonderful to be used to change the lives of young and old alike," Since 1990, the Smiths led summer campaigns to minister to the people of &otland. For the past three summers, however, Barby's battle with cancer left the Smiths unable to lead any campaigns. In spite of their hopes, the 2004 group members knew the Smiths probably would not be able to make it on their trip either. "We all kind of expected that Dwight and Barby wouldn't be able to go, but it wasn't something we liked to talk about it," sophomore Ashley Ingram said. "When we found out for sure they wouldn't be able to go, it was still a shock." David and Allison Ellis, Harding graduates, were chosen to be the new group leaders, and shortly after the end of the spring semester, the EUises left with seven students for their six-week campaign. After the campaign, the EUises continued their work in Scotland as full-time missionaries., The group worked with three churches in three different cities. In Sterling, &otland, the group distributed hundreds of leaflets and encouraged the small church there. While in New Castle, England, campaigners struck up conversations with people on the metro and held a "town day" and "park day" to evangelize in the city. During the final days of the campaign in Peterhead, Scotland, the team reached out to the neighboring youth through songs and skits. Even though the campaigners stayed busy, they said they wanted to do something special to let the Smiths know they were thinking of them. Church members in Scotland that the Smiths had grown close to over the years also wanted to let them know they were loved. As a result, senior Melissa Ward came up with the idea of making a tape of messages from brothers and sisters at the three churches. "So many people felt a connection to Dwight and Barby, and they all had a special message to share with them," Ingram said. "We wanted them to know they were missed by everyone." Besides the tape, the campaigners also sent notes and letters to the Smiths throughout the summer, and the children in Peterhead made cards to send to Barby. Dwight said the tapes, cards and letters were special to him and Barby. "It meant the world to know that they knew that we wanted to be there with them," Dwight said. When Barby died Aug. 11, she was not only mourned for in Searcy, but even as far away as Scotland. Yet in spite of his loss, Dwight said he was already making plans for another journey to Scotland. "Lord willing, Tplan to take another group," he said. "It is exciting to think about the opportunity to go back." Dwight said focusing on a higher cause helped him cope. "{planning a trip back to Scotland] is a purpose; it is a reasonsomething to strive for," he said. "It's a focus not on me but on God's work." - LAURA KAISER 31 - CAMPAIGNS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==