Spring Break:
– No school
– A chance to sleep in
– do as little as possible?
NOT FOR A BUNCH OF FRESNO STUDENTS!
Jr High and High school students from several area churches as well as a group of students from Fresno State spent half of their spring break week serving in our Fresno neighborhoods! In years past it seems that many groups would go on mission trips to Mexico during spring break, but the opportunities to go on “mission” right here in our city are plentiful! ENP is blessed each year to help young people from our partnership churches find opportunities to serve right in their own back yard!
Spring Break for them included 3 days of camps with lots of sports, games and craft activities for the neighborhood kids. This meant that a number of school campuses were open, providing green space for kids to play during their week off from school, and more importantly, a bunch of “big kids” to play with.
It was also an opportunity for young leaders to “lead” and be role models. Seeing the connections they were making with kids in the neighborhood was truly a highlight. Watching jr highers and high schoolers perform skits, lead discussions and share their stories was awesome! They connected in ways the kids could understand. Such a blessing to see them lead!
In the afternoons the teams worked on a variety of projects in our city, helping at a convalescent home, projects at Animal Rescue Fresno, painting at a small rural church, planting flowers at a school, clean up at a city park and graffiti removal with the City of Fresno.
It gave them a chance to become acquainted with different parts of our city and the needs and opportunities we all have to serve and engage with people . . . not just during spring break, but throughout the year. (advantages of serving so close to home)
This week truly made an impact on the neighborhood children (and families). It gave them something to look forward to during a week off from school. But the impact made in the lives of the youth who were serving seems to go a bit deeper. This is a week of serving, but it more a week of learning; about our city, the people who live there, and maybe even more important, about themselves. We love watching the wheels spinning in their heads as they process their role in our world and the ways God may be leading them to serve in the future.
We feel privileged to help them connect with opportunities to serve and bless our city. Weeks like this are exhausting . . . but such a blessing to so many!
