Whether Spring Break Campaigns traveled near or far, they all made an impact through serving others. Four of the 19 groups are profiled here:

Honduras

Ten zealous Spring Break campaigners left a massive impact on the city of Trujillo, Honduras, this year. Throughout their stay, the group was involved mainly with Little Hands, Big Hearts, a community development organization. Little Hands, Big Hearts works to serve the people of Trujillo by providing them with necessities such as beans, rice and prenatal vitamins.

When the group arrived, though, they were informed that due to a surplus of funds, their main project would be to build a house for a family with a special needs child. During the course of the week, the campaigners accomplished a great deal. They dug footings for the house and laid six layers of building blocks. Along with this, a group of girls taught Bible class to a group of 65 children.

According to SBC leader Daniel Burgner, there were many other opportunities, such as passing out food to the community. Overall, it seems God worked in a big way through this campaign.

“God used everybody’s gifts and talents,” Burgner said. “He showed me that you can serve God in any capacity.”

Little Hands, Big Hearts was so pleased with the overall campaign they offered four campaigners jobs and internships with their organization.

Texas

Although they faced some deep issues, these 12 campaigners served wholeheartedly. The group worked with Impact Church of Christ, an inner-city ministry that focuses on helping those in need.

Campaigners intended to work with the church’s Vacation Bible School but ended up serving in other areas. Painting an older woman’s house, spending time with the junior high school ministry and working alongside the homeless – who preferred to be called “outdoorsmen” – were just a few of the things students did.

Through their experience, campaigners were exposed to the reality of inner-city life. Many of the people they came into contact with suffered in various ways: children who were physically abused and individuals who suffered from mental illnesses because of drug addiction.

Campaign leader Brit’ny Spain said she believes Impact is an amazing ministry because “people dedicate their lives to working in a hard environment.”

“Half of Impact is about serving others,” she said. “The other half is about becoming transformed.”

California

The 20 campaigners to Huntington Beach, Calif., affiliated themselves with Young Life and Habitat for Humanity, where they worked quite a bit with youth. They held a dodgeball tournament, which gave them an opportunity to interact with high school kids. Their interactions with the kids allowed the Young Life leaders to spend time with their groups.

According to campaign leader Kevin Riley, one of the group’s richest experiences occurred in Watts, which is the poorest part of L.A. They worked with Powerhouse Church, going door to door sharing the Gospel with members of the community. Despite the bad reputation of the area, the group swallowed their fears and immersed themselves in the neighborhoods. Fortunately, the campaigners connected with the community. Riley said he found the experience to be extremely fulfilling.

“It was a lot of fun, but we were still serving,” he said. “The group jumped in to serve.”

Connecticut

The Manchester Area Conference of Churches (MACC) in Connecticut provided the 12 campaigners with a variety of ways to serve. MACC serves the community by providing crisis assistance, food and clothing for the needy and a warm bed for those who have no home.

Campaigners split up to do different jobs throughout the day; several campaigners worked in the kitchen, while a few others worked in the pantry. A typical day for the group began at 5:45 in the morning.

During their stay, the group painted and thoroughly cleaned the facility’s kitchen. Along with all of this, the campaign met and interacted with the homeless and the needy.

Campaign leader Laura Holt said the part of the trip that had the greatest impact on her was meeting a former student at MACC. Originally from Manchester, this student found himself without a home and was staying in MACC’s shelter. Holt said meeting him was a reality check; anyone can end up in that situation.

“We were all impacted by this homeless guy that went to ACU for one year,” she said. “We were in disbelief and wanted to help.”