Carson-Newman students dedicate Spring Break to missions

^{Carson-Newman University senior Bri Dowis, a youth athletics major from Anderson, SC, serves in Khumjung School in Khunde, Nepal, during a Spring Break missions trip.  Photo: Bryant Bural} 

Click here to see WVLT-8’s spotlight on C-N’s focus on Spring Break missions.

(March 15, 2019) JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — While many college students across the country vacationed for Spring Break, some 115 Carson-Newman University students decided to spend their time off making a difference.

The University’s annual spring mission trips offer opportunities for students to travel across the state, country and even the globe. This year trips included seven states as well as Nepal.

“These mission opportunities push our students to step out in their own faith by sharing the love and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” said Chad Morris, associate director of C-N’s Campus Ministries. “Through these experiences our students grow in their confidence and take multiple steps maturing in their faith. It never ceases to amaze me the way God continues to provide and to work through these opportunities.”

Students could choose to join teams for close-to-home mission trips, like working with youth at Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home in Chattanooga. Those who sought an experience farther from home traveled to volunteer at the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska while sharing their faith. Another team trekked remote locations around the base of Mt. Everest in Nepal to deliver medical supplies and share the love of Christ with school children.

“Something really important that I took away from this experience is that service is not materialistic. Although we brought supplies, the service lives in the connections you make, the lessons you learn and the lessons you teach,” said Bri Dowis, a senior Youth Athletics major from Anderson, SC, who traveled to Nepal. “The impact is what they will remember of us — not the notebooks we brought. Service should always be bigger than the surface.”

Carson-Newman provides students with mission trip opportunities during fall, spring, May Term and summer breaks, enhancing their service-learning opportunities and helping them become servant-leaders.

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts university located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The University has over 2,500 students and offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.