a publication for alumni, family, and friends

by Tim Eberhart
Campus Minister

At 3:45 a.m. on Sunday, March 4, two 15-passenger vans, loaded with sleeping bags, pillows, suitcases, 19 DWU students and one campus minister left South Dakota and drove for 15 hours to Memphis, Tenn.

We stayed at the Evergreen Presbyterian Church in midtown Memphis, where we were treated as welcome guests.

Early the next morning we got back in the vans and drove six more hours to Mobile, Ala., arriving at the Dumas Wesley Community Center around 1:30 p.m. After meeting Miss Clara Ester, director of the center, and Miss Rosa, an employee, we hopped back in the vans and drove an hour to the beach, on the Gulf Shores of Alabama.

We worked all day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on two homes owned by elderly women in an economically depressed area of Memphis. We scraped, tore out and replaced rotted siding, trim and other woodwork, put on a coat of primer, and painted both places. We also picked up leaves and garbage around the homes. What a great feeling it was to see both homes looking so clean and freshly painted! Miss Ester was so pleased with our "professional work" that the center took us out for seafood Thursday night at the Lighthouse Inn, a small seafood shack on the bay. Some of us were privileged enough to hear Miss Ester share her experiences as a college student actively engaged in the Civil Rights movement. She had been arrested more than 50 times and repeatedly threatened with her life. She continues to spend her life serving others and doing what she can to help those who are in need.

Friday was spent again on the beach, this time at Destin, Fla. It was a needed, and much deserved, day of rest and play. That night Miss Ester gave us a tour of the center. The center has something for every age group, at all hours of the day and night, and tries to provide services that help people on all levels.

We began and ended each day with devotions, singing and sharing. It was a joy to watch the group grow closer through the ups and downs of the week, and to hear how the trip was affecting them. When we had returned, I called the group together and asked them how they had changed.

Their responses included, "I'm now more caring and helpful with friends," "I realized how important people are" and "It gave me a chance to think, to reprioritize and to realize what's really important."

We left early Saturday morning and drove straight through, arriving in Mitchell on Sunday morning, forever changed.

Student Comments- "It seemed that everyone pulled together when the pressure increased. I attribute this completely to God helping our group finish the job we set out to do. I think this trip exemplified the motto "Sacrifice or Service" by demonstrating Wesleyan students' dedication to service for Spring Break, when our Spring Break could have been spent doing other things." Paula Larson, student

"I truly believe one is most alive when she is serving others. I was able to forget all about school responsibilities, due dates and work schedules and just focus on serving in God's kingdom." Vicky Peterson, student