AO
Amanda Oliver
  • social work.
  • Class of 2014
  • Mount Vernon, Washington

Amanda Oliver spent spring break on Dordt College mission project

2011 Apr 5

Amanda Oliver of Mount Vernon, Wash., spent spring break in New Orleans, La., while participating in PLIA (Putting Love Into Action), a mission program with Dordt College. Oliver is a freshman majoring in social work.

The goal of PLIA is to share Christ's love with people in diverse communities; to challenge participants to adopt a more service-oriented lifestyle; and to assist and encourage the growth of ministry centers with which they work.

"Even though Hurricane Katrina hit almost six years ago, a lot of work still needs to be done to help rebuild the city," said Bekah Van Maanen, a senior.

The team worked with an organization called Touchglobal to help people rebuild their homes. Each day the group did a prayer walk around the community, praying and speaking with people they met. The students helped with roofing and construction, but they agreed that the most significant work they performed was serving the community in spiritual ways.

This year 135 students from Dordt College spent their spring break serving others. Groups of seven to ten students participated in PLIA, traveling to one of 15 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Teams went to Denver, Colo.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Atlanta, Ga.; Neon, Ky.; New Orleans, La.; Cary, Miss.; Jackson, Miss.; Mendenhall, Miss.; Bozeman, Mont.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Camden, N.J.; Shiprock, N.M.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Ansted, W.Va.; and Toronto, Canada.

To learn about the projects that the other teams participated in, visit www.dordt.edu.