Our Guatemala 2012 Student Team is well on their way in the preparation process for their Love Moves Compassion trip!
Love Moves is a part of the Student Ministry at Connexus where students reach out and love their church community, their local community, and their global community. This year, over their March Break, 12 students and 5 leaders are embarking on an 8-day compassion trip to love the global community of Antigua, Guatemala. Students will be working with children in a hospital for patients with physical disabilities, providing a week long day camp free for all children in the community, serving food to the city's homeless population and more. As each one prepares for the experience, we pray that God softens their hearts and begins to open their eyes to what He is teaching them. When we serve like Jesus on the outside, we become more like Him on the inside.
The verse that the team is dwelling on is 1 John 3:16-18
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
Over the coming weeks you'll have the chance to meet some of the team members on the blog. Here are the first two, Chris and Megan.
Chris Baziw:
Chris lives in Barrie ontario and his favourite class is Computer Tech (using autocad!) where they design buildings. He hopes to go into architecture in university (possibly Waterloo) and is taking Grade 12 Tech next semester, even though he is in Gr. 10.
Outside of school, he spends most of his time either at home relaxing or out playing sports (hockey, rugby, skiing,playing football). He also likes to have friends over on weekends to play video games and watch movies. Chris's mom was born and raised in Ohio and is both a Canadian and American citizen. Travelling to Boardman Ohio and visiting family is one of his favourite things to do. At InsideOut he likes meeting with the guys in his group there and interacting with peers. He enjoys the weekend retreats too. Chris hopes God will show him the joy in the kids there and their “content-ness” with what they have.
Megan Barber:
Megan lives in Orillia, and she loves to play the clarinet. Outside of school Megan spends most of my time volunteering at a local horse farm. She does chores to help with the upkeep of the barn as well as caring for the horses; grooming,feeding and riding them. She loves to work with animals and volunteer so putting the two together works great. Megan also like to go to the gym with my family and play squash. One random fact about Megan is that she can't stand when different foods are touching on her plate – everything needs to have it's own little area.
What she likes most about InsideOut is the small groups. She says they have fantastic leaders that challenge them and that really invest into their lives beyond InsideOut too. She made great solid friendships in her group and says it gives you a safe place where you know you are welcomed all the time. On this trip, Megan hopes God challenges her in her faith, and that He opens her eyes to how she can do missionary work in her own country and city. She also hopes He really strengthens her faith through, and that she will learn more about Him through the work we do there together.
