HULA HELPS The Harding Uni\'ersity in Latin America (H LA) program began on Feb. 23, 2016, in Patagonia, the southern tip or Chile. The trip then mo\·ed to Easter Island, the Atacama Desert and finished in Peru on May 31, 2016. However, for three students, the trip did not end there. Seniors Mackenzie Lancaster, Riley Phillips and Abigail Seagle stayed behind until June 20, 2016, for an extra month of missionary work in the Ch ilea region of Lima, Peru, along \\'ith other students who \\ere already there for the campaign, which wa organized by the pani h department. "\\'e did a lot of work with the local churches," Lancaster said. "Lima has around 11 million people, but there arc only four or he Churche of Christ." The Spanish department recruit d among Spanish majors and minors. They held meetings to tudy biblical material to be taught LO PeruYians and sludi d some local rncabulary, as well. "There were two churches we worked with," Seagle said. "The Chilca congregation we worked more heavily with. \Vhen we got there, [we] saw flies everywhere and kids without shoes. It was a real shock for me, because the rest of Lima was very clean [and] modern." Their studies were centered around individual connection with local about the Gospel. Peruvian made appointments B)' Erin Hanson through the churches from flyers the tudcnts po tcd around town. "It was really cool [to] sec the e people really have interest in what [we] were trying to say," Phillips said. "It's a good experience to get out of your comfort zone and use Spanish. I think a big reason for learning another language is to communicate with other people, and that' why I would recommend this trip." In total, there were seven students involved in the campaign , two men and five women, making it a vast difference from the 40 total students who went to HULA. "I wa~ really thankful there was a new group of people, because it was kind of [fun] getting to know them," Lancaster aid. ·'It was completely different than HULA, [which] was all adventure, [but] this was focused on the Bible and evangeli m." Seagle described saying goodbye to her H LA friends as a bitter weet moment, because, although she wa sad to part with the group, she was also excited for the next adventure to beain. "Thi was my first mission trip," Seagle aid. "It was hard to know that part of the trip ,vas over. \t the same time, it was really nice to know that I had more time, because I wasn't ready to go home yet."
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