“Give” was the word printed on the front of our RLC spring break shirts, and that word sums up what the RLC spring break trips are all about. Giving our time, our skills, our talents and our compassion to help others in need.

Instead of heading home to relax, I decided instead to volunteer my time through one of RLC’s spring break trips. I have been on one of RLC’s trips before, which was a great experience, and so I decided to spend my last spring break helping others.

I headed out with nine others from Simpson to Corpus Christi, Texas, where we volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. We ended up working on three different houses on the same street for three different families who would otherwise not be able to afford a home. Many of the families were single moms with small children and this would be their first chance to own their own home.

Three weeks ago, there were just three empty plots of land on the street. In that short amount of time, houses had been erected and all were at various stages of development. Many different groups of volunteers had all given their time to help build these homes.

Another college group from Michigan had volunteered the week before we went down. In addition to our Simpson group, a group of college students from Kansas also helped out during the week. Some of the future homeowners also gave their time during the week and it was great getting to meet them and see who we were helping build the homes for.I couldn’t believe how much volunteers could accomplish in the span of a few weeks. It was cool to see that other schools were also volunteering their time to help families in need. With their help, we were able to accomplish a lot during the course of the week.

We weren’t the only ones giving our time to help others though. A dinner was put on through the church where we were staying in our honor. Many from the community were in attendance and they thanked us for giving up our spring breaks in order to help others. It was really nice to hear how much others appreciated us being in their community and what we were able to accomplish.

I enjoyed working with the Habitat volunteers along with the volunteers from Kansas. I also enjoyed getting to know the other Simpson students on my trip in a different setting than school. It was great to see everyone coming together and giving their time for one common cause, to serve others in need.

Overall, the trip was a positive one and it was satisfying to physically see how much we were able to accomplish in the span of a week. I encourage anyone to think about giving their time to help others through an RLC trip in the future. You won’t be disappointed because for all the time you give, you get so much more in return.