By Andrew Kneeland

Most college students take advantage of long weekends to relax, recharge, and recuperate. Several AFLBS students used their fall break earlier this month to put feet to their faith by serving families in Texas whose lives were affected by recent hurricanes.

A team of 21 Bible School students and one seminarian loaded up after class on a Friday and drove through the night to south Texas. The team spent half of Saturday volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse to clean up and remove debris from the yards of single-parent families. Sunday was a day of rest and worship with Faith Lutheran Church in El Campo, Texas, and the team hit the ground running again for a full day of ministry on Monday in Victoria, Texas.

The team invested 250-plus man hours of service into four different homes. They cut down felled trees, they fixed fences, and they ripped out moldy sheetrock. Generous donations covered the team’s expenses, including fuel and food costs. Host families in El Campo graciously opened their homes to nearly two dozen college students, and local churches also provided meals for the team.

After nearly 12 hours of labor and a few hours of rest, the team loaded up their vans and headed north for the over-night trip to Minnesota. They arrived back to campus tired and sore but with hearts full after a busy weekend of service.

“The trip to Texas was remarkable,” senior Cody Halverson said. “Not only did I work with some of my closest friends, I had the chance to work with awesome people from all over the country.”

Over 40 hours were spent in a van, but even that time was a blessing to the students.

“The trip also built great camaraderie through 42 hours of riding in the same vehicle with the common goal of loving our Texas neighbors,” trip leader and seminary student Matthew Pillman said. “It was a blessing for myself and the students to see first-hand the impact that 22 college students could have on low-income families.”

Click here for further information on Samaritan’s Purse relief efforts in Texas.

Kneeland, a second year seminary student at AFLBS, serves as Student Life and Services Coordinator at AFLBS.

Founded in 1964 by the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (www.aflc.org), the Free Lutheran Schools include a two year post-secondary program (Association Free Lutheran Bible School- www.aflbs.org) and a four year pastoral training program at the Masters of Divinity Level (Association Free Lutheran Theological Seminary- www.aflts.org). The Free Lutheran Schools Corporation is a candidate member of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS, www.tracs.org).