Leah Werkhoven spent spring break on Dordt College mission project

2011 Apr 5

Leah Werkhoven of Monroe, Wash., spent spring break in Mendenhall, Miss., while participating in PLIA (Putting Love Into Action), a mission program with Dordt College. Werkhoven is a freshman majoring in an undeclared major.

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.

Railroad tracks are a visual divide marking the segregation that still exists in Mendenhall. PLIA students volunteered with Mendenhall Ministries, a mission that is working to break segregation and poverty while promoting reconciliation through the body of Christ. The teams' responsibilities included extending the roof on a chicken coop, cleaning out pig pens, repairing holes in roofs, cleaning a storage shed, and painting fences.

Senior Abbie Ponstein describes one of the most memorable cleaning experiences. "One of the first jobs we did was to clean out a walk-in refrigerator. The only problem with this job was that many rats had taken up residence. In the midst of it all, rats were running out the doors, across people's feet, trying their best to escape. Needless to say there was much screaming, yelling, and quite a lot of laughter. I can't say it was one of the most fun jobs I've ever done, but the rest of my team made it vastly entertaining, and now it's one of my favorite memories of the trip."

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.