Above: SAU Ministry group in East St. Louis. Photo courtesy of Tammy Norcross-Reitzler.

The campus ministry hosts two service trips per year during Spring break. This year, they traveled to two different cities, East St. Louis and Chicago. The students who participated expressed their experiences of sharing the gift of helping and serving others. 

Jaxon Eisenbarth, sophomore, said, “On this trip, we saw people who were living in the poorest of conditions, and yet they seemed to always thank God and us for the food. This showed me that in all circumstances, we need to give thanks! ”

Ellie Seberger, sophomore, says, “We spent a lot of time just being available to the moms, and growing in community and womanhood! Along with that, we cleaned and organized the spaces in the house that are most used so that the mothers could live a little more comfortably!” 

Father Dale Mallory said, “Caring for other people, helping those in need, like that’s a pretty universal human value.”

According to Director of Campus Ministry, Tammy Norcross-Reitzler, “Six students went with me and Father Dale Mallory to East St Louis. Three students went with our grad assistant, Brynn Beenblossom, to the Well of Mercy in Chicago.” 

Norcross-Reitzler says, “East St Louis has one of the highest poverty rates in our country. We met many people who have been called to help the people there with basic needs like food, shelter, and education. We also met many faith-filled residents who were filled with love and gratitude.”

Throughout these trips, SAU students and staff members encountered many people who are in need of a helping hand. Students serve meals and help clean up for people who are in need during these mission trips.

 Good Samaritan Ministries in East St. Louis. 

Above: Aidan Clausen, Elizabeth Snyder, Sara Casillas, Luka Konovalov, Jaxon Eisenbarth, and Ty Tinkham, are ready to serve with smiles. Photo courtesy of Tammy Norcross-Reitzler.

The students who went on the mission trip to East St. Louis served meals at a soup kitchen, and they also participated in Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that provides meals to the homeless and elderly. In addition, they assisted in an after-school program for at-risk adolescents. 

Norcross-Reitzler said, “Our students made and served lunch daily at the Good Samaritan Center where we stayed. A couple of times, we delivered hot meals to people on the streets and in their homes. We also helped clean and sort the donations they received. At another community center in one of the housing projects, we prepped a garden for planting and picked up trash in the brush nearby.”

Eisenbarth said, “On this trip, we helped serve meals to those who are less fortunate, we prayed with members of the community, we helped clean people’s houses and places of work, and we helped out with the local childcare.”

Ty Tinkman, senior, states, “We prepared daily and served it to the homeless and those in need, Additionally, we took any extra and delivered it to homeless people in the community. Also, each day we spent time hanging out and playing games with kids after school.” 

Above: Elizabeth Snyder, Sara Casillas, Luka Konovalov, Jaxon Eisenbarth, Ty Tinkham, and Aidan Clausen, playing with the children. Photo courtesy of Tammy Norcross-Reitzler.

The Well of Mercy trip in Chicago

Above: Eileen Elenteny, Mallory Zeman, Brynn Beenblossom, and Ellie Seberger in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Nicole Gant.

Coordinator of Service and Justice for Campus Ministry, Nicole Gant, says students who went on the Well of Mercy trip lived in the community with the mothers who experienced homelessness before finding a shelter. 

Brynn Beenblossom, graduate assistant, added, “The Well of Mercy is an organization that empowers single mothers to build brighter futures and break generational cycles of poverty for their families. While at The Well, our group cleaned, organized clothes, and loved on the babies in the nursery. Everything we did while in Chicago was with and for the mothers. 2 days of our trip were spent exploring Chicago with the women and their children, which was so fun and rewarding.”  

Photo courtesy of Nicole Gant.

Student’s Personal Experiences

Some of the students say the experience made them grateful for what they have, and they grew spiritually and emotionally.

Eileen Elenteny, sophomore, said, “The things I learned on this service trip are that not everyone is as fortunate as I and other SAU students. So we should always be grateful for what we have. Also, I learned how to help people spiritually and emotionally. However, I feel like attending this service trip helped me grow stronger with this strength by listening to what some of these women have been through and how I can help in a positive way.” 

Eisenbarth added, “I learned about the importance of gratitude for the blessings in your life and the importance of trusting in and relying on God.”

Seberger says, “I think the biggest takeaway I had from this trip was just how blessed we are to be in college, and have a place to lay our heads at night. It was super humbling to share the living conditions of these moms and realize that what we have here is such a blessing!”

Tinkman states, “I learned a lot throughout this service trip. One thing that stuck out to me was realizing the human dignity that every individual has, no matter their circumstances. Additionally, I learned of the immense faith in the Lord that some people have even in extraordinarily bad situations where it would be easy to be angry at God. Also, I experienced just how fun service can be if you are working with the right people.”

How to Get Involved in Service Trips

Nicole Gant starts advertising the service trips in October and has a deadline of January 31st. They have already started planning for the next Spring Break service trips, and they would like to hear from students’ recommendations for different places to serve. Check out the Campus Ministry weekly emails and email Nicole Gant or Tammy Norcross-Reitzler.