What are you doing with your Spring Break? Are you skiing, going to Mexico or just going home? There are at least a few members of the SMU community aiming at a different use of their time.
This Saturday, when many SMU students are beginning their travels, a group of 19 members of One28 will begin a journey of their own: a journey to the Amazon. One28 is a group on campus that is sponsored by Watermark Church and formed around Colossians 1:28. This bible verse implores all believers to “be complete in Christ.”
The 19 fly to Brazil on Saturday and board the boat that will take them down the Amazon. Along with the SMU affiliated adventurers, an oral surgeon, a cook and five translators will join the voyage.
According to Patrick Blocker, an advisor of the group responsible for planning the trip, the group will spend each night traveling to a new impoverished village and each morning interacting with the various villages along the Amazon. He said they will first focus on “meeting physical needs” such as dental work and construction.
The group plans to build a tire swing in each village, along with other structures. Blocker also stated that the group would be spreading their spiritual message after meeting physical needs.
This is not to say the group is in for a week of hard labor. Mixed in with the work will be arts and crafts and games, especially soccer. When they must move on to the next village, they will leave behind items ranging from fishing equipment to soccer balls.
The trip has been planned with Amazon Outreach, a non-profit organization that specializes in these expeditions. Blocker said that One28 decided on this particular outreach program because Amazon Outreach is a trusted and accomplished group and the resources of the individuals making the trip would go to good use.
One28 is in its first year as an organization at SMU, and they have been planning this event since October. Since then, the students have been making plans and gathering funds to make the journey.
When asked what would define a successful journey, Blocker replied that making an impact on each village by meeting their physical needs is the goal of the trip. He hopes that through meeting these physical needs, a bond will be created that allows them to meet spiritual needs as well. He expects that as a side effect of their work, the trip will have a “lasting impact for the students.”
