Service And Learning Term (SALT) Assignments Take Students All Over The World

Service and Learning Term is a fun way to get your hands dirty! It’s a week-long innovative learning experience that takes place outside the normal classroom. It happens every other year in groups of students and faculty. Check out the 2023 assignments and pray for all our groups as they experience life through service, away from our campus.

Heredia, Costa Rica with sponsors, Sierra Cheney and Andrea Farrier

The group of 10 students will participate in an international mission trip to Heredia, Costa Rica. There, they will be doing a condensed version of a ten-day mission training program through Vida Net, an established mission organization that equips young people to be disciples and make disciples as they serve others. Vida Net works to ensure that all participants deepen their relationship with Christ, gain a global worldview, and leave their comfort zone. After learning about how to be effective in missions, the group will spend four days partnering with a church to help them build a church building and spending time with Costa Ricans at night. At the end of the week there will be one day of exploration to see more of Costa Rica.

Dawson Springs/St. Charles, Kentucky with sponsor, Nate & Stacy Ropp Miller

In December of 2021, tornados destroyed ¾ of Dawson Springs, Kentucky. The town was left without power and water; its infrastructure destroyed. MDS, along with other organizations, organized relief efforts to help those who were affected recover. One of the ways MDS is currently helping is by building 4 homes. While the group will be in Kentucky they will be helping with the later stages of building/finishing the houses. MDS will provide lodging and meals for the week. On Sunday in orientation, then Monday through Friday the group will work from approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Each morning there will be group devotions before leaving for the worksite and each evening there will be small group time to discuss, learn, and play games. Wednesday evening MDS will organize a time to worship and meet/learn from some of the locals. 

local area with sponsors, Lee Ebersole and Bryn Hovde

This SALT team will be developing a music program to be performed at area retirement communities. The music used will be determined by the group and by a specific theme that will be selected. They will spend the first two days at Hillcrest to finalize the program, then will be going to two different retirement communities in the area for each of the remaining days. After or before the program is performed, they will spend as much time as allowed interacting with the residents of that particular community. 

various outdoor locations with sponsors, Mike Severino-Patterson and Mike Goudy

This group will first go to Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge to assist with trail maintenance and planting prairie plants in the greenhouse, as well as learn about the prairie ecosystem and the importance of restoring prairies in Iowa. They will also assist one day at Cedar Bluff (Mahaska County park) and for two days at local Johnson County parks with invasive species removal.

Omaha, Nebraska with sponsors, Bryan and Karla Neuschwander

Partnering with the organization Christ for the City International, this group will be guided through several service ministries throughout the city each day, such as a ranch with therapy animals, homeless shelter, foodbank, or a job training center for ex-cons. They will have the opportunity to learn and serve alongside workers in these locations. On Friday, they plan to spend a couple hours at the Omaha Zoo before heading home. CFCI provides all meals, lodging, and scheduling during the week and has a trained facilitator guide us through each location we serve and debrief when we return to base. 

Iowa City and Hiawatha area with sponsors, Angela Snakenberg and Leanne Bender

This group will meet at the school at 8:00 AM each day. On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, they will go to Crowded Closet in Iowa City and volunteer; doing things like cleaning donated goods, sorting through donated goods to determine if items should be discarded or kept to sell, putting price tags on items, displaying items on the sale floor, greeting customers as they enter the store, or sitting at the silent auction area. The other work that they plan to do will take place at the HACAP Food Reservoir in Hiawatha on Wednesday and Thursday. They will be responsible for packing food into the weekly food bags that are distributed into students’ backpacks throughout southeast Iowa based on financial need. On Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, the group will stay at Hillcrest Academy to sew superhero capes to donate to children in foster care and bake items to donate to a local cause.