"They wouldwalk for miles everyday after school to come to church, andyou could tell that it meant so much to them." - Kimberly Kilian Spring break campaigns offer ... Rewarding Services Spring break campaigns allowed many students to make a difference in the lives of other people. For one week, students spent their time influencing people's lives all over the United States and in several other countries. The campaigners did various kinds ofwork, depending on the situations and needs of the places they visited. On the campaign to Jamaica, group members advertised for a gospel meeting that was being held at the local church. "We went around inviting everybody to the meeting and setting up one-on-one Bible studies with anyone who was interested," Rich Little, group leader in 1994 and 1995, said. In Houston, the students worked with the homeless people, the Hispanic community and inner city children. Heidi Burkham remembered a little boy she met during the campaign. "He was my special partner all week, and we got · really close," she said. "Now he's a friend for life." The Spanish ministry had an advantage in that the Latin American Harding students were able to help people in a way that other students could not have. Scott Thibodeaux led a group of campaigners to Duluth, Minn., where they made a point of serving others in the name of Christ. Their work consisted mainly of manual labor, such as building and cleaning houses and doing all kinds of odd jobs. "The church in Duluth advertised that we were coming to do work for anyone in the area who needed help," Thibodeaux said. An incident still vivid in his mind was when the group went to clean the house of a young woman who had multiple sclerosis. "We spent all day cleaning her house, and she ended up coming to church because she was so overwhelmed by our attitude," Thibodeaux said. Although there was only one week to work with people, much good could be done. "You don't have six weeks to get to know everyone, but you can really have an impact on people anyway and plant the first seed," Little said. Working closely with local churches provided excellent possibilities to follow up the work done during the campaigns. As Burkham said, "I can't really help those people a lot during that period of time, but God can." The students who went on campaigns felt that they received as much encouragement during that time as they gave to others. Kimberly Kilian found that her faith had increased because of the enthusiasm of the Jamaican children. "They would walk for miles every day after school to come to church, and you could tell that it meant so much to them," she said. Little said, "It opened my eyes to how much we take things for granted in the United States and it helped me appreciate what I have. " Burkham felt the campaign work had helped her grow spiritually. "I saw that it doesn't matter how hopeless life may seem; there is always hope, and it's only God who offers it." Wherever students went on campaigns over spring break, the experience brought them closer to God. "I needed this," Thibodeaux said about campaigns. "It has been really important for my life as a Christian." -Diana King Students work on a house while on campaign in Duluth, Minnesota. Campaigns not only providedspiritual help but physical help as well. Photo by Scott Thibodeaux. Spring Break Campaigns '*' 2 Student Life ' 1
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