Why you should go on a Spring Break Trip..

If you don’t believe it when I tell you that a spring break trip will change your life, here are some stories that may convince you otherwise. Take a look and come on a trip! You won’t regret it!

:)

Josh Williams:
My trip to Omaha in the Spring of 2009 was momentous. I have a close relationship with almost everyone in our group, and continue to grow alongside them. At Coram Deo, I relearned the gospel. I experienced a group of people who loved Jesus and pursued Him in every aspect of their lives. The learning was non-stop: from the day I got back, I had an insatiable desire to grow and learn more about this God I love.

Stefan Berthelsen:
"You want me to do what? Give up my own break of Spring Semester? And go to... Omaha? You've gotta be kidding me..." That's what I was thinking when I got asked to go on a Spring Break Trip last year, and yet somehow I ended up packing my self and a week's worth of provisions into vans early Saturday morning last Spring Break. How did I end up on van that morning? Well, God slowly removed the petty excuses... I've gotta go home and see my friends. I want a week to myself. That's a lot of money. You name it. God broke it down. He's a provider. He's a God who opens doors of opportunity because when He is in your life he shakes it up and breaks you for the path he wants you to be on... Yeah, I fought it at first. I like my way until God blows it up and shows me how much more beautiful his is. Over and over again.

Not knowing exactly why I signed up in the first place, I went to Omaha and came back with something different. I am not going to tell you I came back a NEW me (we will leave that type of superficial transformation to Extreme Makeover Home Edition), but there was something different. An attitude. A desire. A new family.

In Omaha, the passionate teaching of men who lived and breathed the Gospel to different communities of people woke me up. They taught us about the persistent, continuous, and deafening power of the Gospel in our individual lives in a new way. The same message I have always heard but from a fresh perspective. They taught us by helping us do it. I remember driving around Omaha with a recent college grad volunteer named Bill. Bill liked Kurt Vonnegut; so do I... we hit it off. Our conversations reminded me over and over again of what we had been learning all week. The importance of living with, caring about, and truly loving the people you so desperately desire will find the joy we have found in Christ.

Not only a new perspective, I came back with a new family. The people I shared a hotel room with, cleaned a devastated basement with, and road fourteen hour in a van with were my team, my gang, my chums, (any more 50's group references, anyone?). Not only this group though, but I also felt like Hill Country was now my home. Another community that I was a part of because I knew we all had a common goal: to spur each other on in this race we are running in, to let his redemptive power consume even the foulest parts of my soul, and to reach those at UT who need the Gospel just as much as I do.

Collin Huber:
This past spring break, I went on the trip to Omaha with HCBCUT. Honestly, I had very low expectations going into the week. I mean, how fun could Nebraska really be for spring break? But God cornered my heart during that time. On one hand, He made me vulnerable because I was going to a new place with new people from the church that I did not know all too well. I was forced to be intentional and put my pride on the line for the sake of getting to know others. God also convicted me deeply of the way I use my time. Every reason that I had for not going to Nebraska over spring break was a selfish one. I would not have as much fun there as I would at the beach. It is not as comfortable spending a week with people I don’t know as it would be with people I do know – and so on. He revealed to me how completely trivial my ambitions were towards my life because they were all aimed at how I could improve myself.

When I got to Omaha, I spent a week with the leaders of the church that we were visiting and what I saw from their lives was a deeply convicted obedience to the Gospel that was not a duty, but a sincere delight. This was the greatest lesson that God taught me during my spring break trip – that committing my life to Him brings more joy and fulfillment than anything else my heart could ever desire. Since then, I have been able to pursue that fact alongside the other people who went on the trip with me and God has been true in satisfying my heart as I chase after His purpose for me. Before this past spring break, I would never have believed anyone who told me that I would spend my holiday in Nebraska, but in hindsight I am forever grateful for my time there. God used it to lean on my motives towards life. He rescued me from my ambitions of self satisfaction and encouraged me to live as His son because that is the only thing that brings true satisfaction.

My time in Omaha truly changed my perspective towards life and faith and it taught me the meaning of true joy. I do not plan on returning to the sentiments I had before that trip and I would not have it any other way.

Kaity Harlan:
When I first came to Hill Country, I knew immediately that this was the church for me. I immediately jumped into a freshman bible study at the church and started serving in the worship ministry, but I was still having trouble feeling connected.

I was asked to go on the Spring Break trip to Memphis and I said yes. I still remember being nervous for the first meeting because I literally didn’t know anyone else who was going. Even by the time we were loading up the vans and heading to Memphis, I still didn’t feel like I really knew anyone on the trip. But over the course of the next week, our team grew closer than I ever could have imagined. I not only learned some amazingly practical ways to be missional and the importance of having someone disciple me, but I also made some lasting friendships. I remember coming back from Spring Break feeling really connected because I knew that I had 18 other people in the church that I had grown really close to. I actually met one of my best friends in Austin on that first trip! Honestly, if I hadn’t gone on that first trip I don’t know if I would have stayed at Hill Country because before that I didn’t feel like I had any friends here. Now I’ve been on two trips, led one of them, and am on staff here at the church.

The Spring Break trips changed my life because they changed Hill Country from being this place I go to on Sundays into my home here in Austin where I feel loved, encouraged, and surrounded by friends!

Krissy Cunningham:
My freshman year I was asked to attend the Memphis trip. I was hesitant at first since Spring Break was my time to go home with my family and friends. But I decided to take a risk and go. It has literally changed my experience at college. I learned the importance of discipleship and service through the ministry we partnered with. In addition, I was able to experience fellowship with my church body. This was the biggest benefit. I had built relationships that kept me wanting to serve and be involved with the church after the trip, which was critical in a time that I was searching for my identity in Christ. I was now able to call Hill Country my family away from home (and lets not forget that I also met my future husband...haha).

The second trip was to Omaha and I was one of the student leaders. This was a great time of growth and trust. I had to learn to let the guys take lead and how to support and encourage them. In addition, I learned how to deal with conflict and improvise as the schedule would change. Seeing the team grow and learn was excellent. Furthermore, I learned what a missional community was...Living life on a daily basis for the glory of God. It was really neat to see how the church was reaching a city one action at a time. Most of all, prayer was established. Speaking with him and sharing my joys and fears allowed him to work to the fullest extent.

Nathan Byard:
Honestly, last spring break trip has had a huge impact on my life. It wasn't noticeable to me at the time, but looking back it was the turning point. I had a lot of things going wrong in my life and didn't feel like I was spiritual enough. I didn't feel adequate, I didn't feel like God would use me, I didn't feel like it would change my life like everyone said. But I went anyways cause of that ever so tiny feeling like God might have wanted me to. It was a lot of fun! I made a lot of friends! But I didn't feel a whole lot different. There was no giant hand reaching out of the sky putting me back on track.

Its been almost 9 months, and looking back, that trip really was the turning point. It got me connected to people at church. They loved me and cared, so I started going to church more to see my new awesome friends. Going to church helped me get involved in a missional community. The people in that missional community took time to talk to me, went through scripture together, and helped me work through all those issues in my life that were dragging me down. I have since been reconnected in my faith, a new fire in my soul, and a new passion! I am a completely different person then last year and truly believe it's cause of the spring break trip I went on. And now, I never thought I would, but I am leading one this year. I cannot wait to see what God does this time!

Lola Longe:
I guess spring break in St. Louis opened my eyes to the need of those around the world. But it also reminded me of the need of those who i see everyday around me. In one of the neighborhoods we visited in St. Louis, there was an apparent need of re-structuring in order to create a friendlier, safer, and cleaner environment. There was also a need for safety from the gangs that were present there, and from the police officers who routinely incriminated the innocent. The other neighborhood we visited in St. Louis was a typical suburban town, with nice houses with nice cars residing in their driveways. It was visually more appealing than the other neighborhood, with a seemingly smaller problem of gangs and corrupt policemen. However, the people there keep to themselves, and were not as particularly open to listening to us speak about Jesus, as the first neighborhood had been.

This is one of the most important features of the trip I learned: there is a need for Jesus every where we go, no matter what we appear to need, or think we need. I think that if people in those two different neighborhoods lived a life in which they fully sought God's kingdom, they wouldn't have the problems they had, and even if they did, they would still have joy and love that would get them through difficulties. This was an important lesson to bring back to UT with me. My goal was to recognize that we are all in need of saving, and to bring the truth to those around me. I don't need to go somewhere else to help people, when people around me need help too.

Take a step of faith! Join the Road Trip 09-10
Beruit, D.R., Omaha, Memphis, Gonzales, Piedras Negras, Fort Myers, Sherman

Register at :
http://hillcountryut.org/connect/ministries/spring-break-missional-training/