College Students Lead Hundreds of Spring Breakers to Christ
College students spending their weeklong Spring break sharing Christ have helped more than 1,500 people put their trust in Jesus.
Just three weeks into Campus Crusade for Christ's annual Big Break project, students have witnessed to thousands at Panama City Beach, Fla.
"Yeah!...the LORD truly is awesome!! 610 new bros and sis in Christ this week!!!" Jason Pan wrote Sunday on Big Break's Facebook page.
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Big Break is a one-week mission experience that gathers students from colleges and universities from all over the country in Panama City Beach. Every year, students explore biblical truths and learn to share their faith with friends and the public.
This year, along with witnessing, students have been preparing and packing meals for victims of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in January. They've also invited unaffiliated students on the beach to join them in their endeavor. Since the launch of the project early this month, students have packed more than 780,000 meals and are aiming toward one million.
"Creating these meals created a double opportunity for the Gospel – the first with college students on the beach getting a chance to do good and hear the Gospel after helping out, the second with Haitians receiving the much needed food to help with their physical needs, and hearing the gospel to help with their spiritual needs," said John and Kristin Madeja, missionaries with Campus Crusade for Christ, in a blog post Saturday.
The campus ministry, one of the largest in the world, has partnered with Kids Against Hunger and the Global Aid Network to pack and ship the million meals to the Caribbean nation.
CCC notes that today's college students want to make a difference in the world. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States, 17,000 students traveled to Mississippi and Louisiana to join Campus Crusade relief projects.
Traveling to Haiti, however, has been discouraged by experts who say inexperienced volunteers should wait a few more months before aiding in rebuilding efforts.
"I don't think it's impossible that a year from now for spring break there may be some programs up and running, but I really don't think it makes sense for this year," Suzanne Brooks, director of Center for International Disaster Information told Inside Higher Ed.
Big Break kicked off on Feb. 27 and continues through April 3.
