As Spring Break approaches here on Asbury’s campus, it seems that all students are counting down the days. Midterms and sickness have taken students by storm, leaving the student body feeling exhausted and ragged. The shared hope on campus is that Spring Break will rejuvenate students enough to finish the semester strong.
Going into college, most students expect that their Spring Break will be the classic trip to the beach, complete with a sunburn that hopefully develops into a tan and assignments to put off until the day before classes start again. Here at Asbury, the beach is just one plan that students are looking forward to.
The large group of students on this Spring Break Set Apart Retreat will be taking a charter bus down to Hampton, Tenn., at the beginning of Spring Break to spend the week at the Doe River Gorge Retreat Center. There in the Great Smoky Mountains, students will be able to participate in outdoor activities, spiritual workshops and listen to the retreat speakers, Lo Alaman and Rev. Jessica LaGrone.
Jeanie Banter, Director of Christian Life Project, said she loves “seeing how God puts together each group with the right students, faculty/staff and speakers,” and is looking forward to seeing what that looks like with this group. “God is so personal in the way he brings the groups together, and it’s beautiful to watch people encounter more of God on retreat!”
Like all Set Apart Retreats, students will be encouraged to pursue their relationships with God and to foster a Biblical worldview. Banter said their specific pursuit for this retreat aligns with the theme of chapel for this semester, focusing their “time around ‘Story’ – The Story of God, Finding Our Story in God’s Story, and Living Out God’s Story Through Our Lives.”
The baseball team will also be spending time in Tennessee for Spring Break, playing three games over the course of Thursday, March 14, to Saturday, March. 16. At Rhodes College, they will take on Rhodes, Maryville College and Grinnell College in the Rhodes Invitational.
“I’m really excited because on the trip to Tennessee, we will be playing against good competition,” said sophomore pitcher, Brody Beardon. “The downtime you have with your teammates is sometimes more fun than playing the games.”
The beginning of their week will start with one home game on Tuesday, March 12, followed by a drive to Memphis on Wednesday. The team will be spending their downtime doing team bonding and getting in some extra practice.
Further southwest of Tennessee, a small group of students will be traveling 22 hours to Acuña, Mexico for four days, then traveling back across the border to Eagle Pass, Texas with Dr. Glenn Harden, Assistant Professor of Political Science and History. The group has been taking The Border course (PS393) this semester, preparing for their trip. The purpose of the group is beyond informative–it is to walk a mile in another person’s shoes and to further understand what is going on at the border. For their experience, they will witness firsthand things that they have learned about in class and develop a deeper empathy.
Junior Olivia Schroen, who is majoring in Political Science as well as English, said she is looking forward to the experience but knows that the trip will prove to be emotionally tolling. “I feel a mix of emotions. I am definitely excited because of what I want to do with my future career with human rights, but I am also nervous because it is going to be emotionally heavy topics that we’re going to broach.”
While in Acuña, the group will be visiting a Hispanic church, where some students will be sharing their testimonies with the congregation. Outside of the church, they will visit a migrant shelter, help out at a school, and speak with those who have either tried to cross the border or those who have simply witnessed the emotional and political climate in Mexico.
These three versions of Spring Break are only a fraction of what Asburians will be doing. Others will have that college beach trip that’s seen in the movies, or they will spend the full week at home with their parents, eating free food and relaxing on the couch.
Whichever of these Spring Break plans match yours, have a safe and restful break, Asbury.