spring Break Retrospective
Spring Break, Sunshine and
15,000 Nails
by Armetta Fields. Associate Campus Minister
If you happened to be on campus
on the Friday ending Spring Break, you
might have seen a vanload of Meredith
students return from a week-long trip to
St. Petersburg, Florida. Thv tired students’
sunburned noses and arms gave
evidence of their trip to the Sunshine
Suie. One might have guessed they had
spent a carefree week on the beach. Yet
these nine women returned to Raleigh
with more than suntans and left behind
more than footprints in the sand.
What did they leave behind? Forty-
eight taisses put together by some 15,000
nails. The students' work will support
the roofs of two homes constructed by
Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit
organization which works to provide
adequate housing for low-income
families. The families are able to buy the
new homes from Habitat for Humanity
at zero percent interest Donations and
volunteer labor luel the organization’s
success.
Donating their Spring Break
vacations were Patricia Sikes, Tonya
Townsend, Susan Belk, Holly Hensley,
Heather Powers, Pam Cato, Allison
Jarratt, Kym Spell, Beckie Paw, Sam
Carothers and Armetta Fields.
While some beach-bound
vacationers lounged in luxury
accommodations, these students slept
on the floor of a church that provided a
place to stay. Instead of munching out
all day like some cruise-liner students,
these women got putnped up as they
spent long hours hammering nail after
nail after nail after nail after...
The trip wasn't all work. Many new
friendships were formed with other
college students. The sense of
accomplishment and knowledge that
their time and efforts will help two
families move up from substandard
housing is an ad(^ bonus.
To find out more about their trip,
come hear them share their experiences
in the Chapel Commons RoomonMar^
26 at 8:00pm. You’ll even gel to see your
fellow Meredith classmates in their St.
Petersburg television debut!
“If I Had A Hammer... ”
Standing in front of the first 25 trusses they built are
(from left to right) Allison Jarratt, Beckie Faw, Tonya
Townsend, Patricia Sikes, Holly Hensl^, Sam Carothers,
Pam Cato, Heather Pow^, Susan Belk, and Armetta
Fields.
photo by Kym Spell
Fun in the Son! Fun in the Desert
by Karen Nipper
For some students, Daytona Beach,
Florida means alcohol, drugs, and sex in
the sun. However, for about 53 students
from North Carolina State University
and Meredith College, Spring Break in
Daytona meant something quite
different.
These students attended a Campus
Crusade for Christ (CCC) conference
kn )wn as “Operation Sunshine.” CCC is
an international student movement
which trains students in initiative
evangelism through weekly meetings,
conferences, and summer projects.
Initiative evangelism simply means that
the student ukes the initiative to tell
another person about a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ, fulfilling
Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:18-20,
“.. .go and make disciples of all natioru...”
(NIV). But initiative evangelists don't
push their ideas; rather they give people
the opporturuty to know Ood personally
or to know exactly what role the Holy
Spirit plays in the relationship, and the
“approached* chooses how much he/
she wants to know.
During Operation Sunshirte students
were able to enjoy the beach and meet
other students from such colleges and
universities as Purdue, Penn State,
Syracuse, and James Madison. Two
meetings a day included singing and
instruction from world-wide known
speakers such as Josh McDowell.
After discussion group time, it was
time to hit the beadi! Students engaged
in slow-motion football and held band
concerts on the beach, as they talked
with various passers-by, sunbathers, and
bikers Ot was the 50th annual bikers'
week). Nighttime activities included
inner campusi scavenger hunts and
dirmers, gamesi, singing, creative dates,
walks on tHe main strip, more
evangelism, cm-, simple relaxation!
Tl)e best pkrt of the trip was seeing
the results, both measurable and
immeasurable, ^or example. 325 persons
accepted Christ and 32 prayed to be
empowered by the Holy Spirit All in all,
the cost was minimal and the fun was in
the Son!
by Abeer Ahmed Mustala
The national day in Kuwait is
February 25. Each year all the schools
celebrate this day, which is combined
with the Award Day in which the school
honors the top three students in each
class with certificates and presents. Since
the weather in February in Kuwait is
best of the year and National Day is
celebrated on the 23rd or 24th of the
month, the ministry of education gives
two weeks for the Spring Break. This
lime of the year is the time of break in
all the Arab states.
After putting away all the books,
most people like to go out and spend
their vacation time in the desert, lliey
pack up everything they will need for
living for two weeks. Tlie families,
iextended families and friends go
together. After they have chosen the
-right place for ttem in the desert,
everyt^y stam working- People like
to go and live in the primitive ipvay. For
this purpose, they take tents With them
and live in the tents for the whole two
weeks. But if you look inside, you will
find television, radios, VCRs and
generators to run these machines.
Although people take with them some
stores for cooking, they like to cook on
a basic fire. Since Ku^K^it is really a small
country, every four or five days people
go to their homes to take showers or
simply to try to clean themselves as
much as they can without taking
showers.
During the day, children play as
much as they want with pleiuy of space.
As the children get to know each other,
the adults get to know one another
throuj^ their children. This is the big
event of the year and many friendships
are made as this is a social event. After
dinner, \»^en the night comes, the real
fiin begins. People sit in circles and sing
and dance,‘With bands providing music.
All the different ministries provide their
services and they come to clean and
collea the trash. Doctors, fire and police
officers also go to the desert to help take
care of the people. At the end of the two
weeks, everything gets packed up and
everyone heads home with their good
continued on next page
6 March 19, J99J