Posted March 16, 2016 by
Tags: Student Activities My Wheaton
BreakAway: Learning to Serve
Last spring break I traveled to Savannah, Georgia with a BreakAway team of eight students and two Wheaton staff leaders. We spent our week working for Habitat for Humanity, stocking shelves in a food pantry, tutoring at a local elementary school, and repairing and painting houses. On our off hours, we toured the city of Savannah, walking down cobbled streets, trying local seafood, and visiting Tybee Island.
The service was rewarding, the friendships strong. Even though it was only a week long trip, God worked both in us and through us. We were able to encourage the woman whose home we repaired and painted as well as a local Christian couple. This couple had an amazing house, and they would allow students serving in the Savannah area to stay with them. They told us about the summer their house caught on fire and burned to the ground. Though they were devastated, they praised God that neither of them were in the house at the time. This couple’s faith was evident as they encouraged us to always trust God. They helped me thank God for both the good times and the bad.
It was a privilege to participate in BreakAway, to join in God’s work, and to see how he is already working. BreakAway reminded me I only need to bring a humble and willing heart and allow Christ to work through me.
Grace Gibbs is a sophomore and serves as Trip Logistics Coordinator on BreakAway cabinet. is a spring break ministry that allows students to serve in teams in different parts of the country for a week. To learn more about BreakAway, visit their website.
Photo Captions: Grace (right) paints a house on BreakAway with her fellow team members; the Savannah, Georgia 2015 BreakAway team; BreakAway cabinet 2016.