Iowa Lakes students bring new meaning to Spring Break

By Dalton Johnson, Staff Writer

When Spring Break rolls around, most people think of college students off partying and being rowdy. Laker Life, the Iowa Lakes Community College student ministry, gives Spring Break a different meaning.  Twelve years ago Laker Life started the tradition of going on a Chicago mission trip over Spring Break. One of the leaders had a connection to a Chicago mission.

            “One of the youth pastors that helps, Kris Neider, he had a connection with Chicago because that’s where he went to seminary at,” said Brett Fuelberth, vocal music director at Iowa Lakes Community College and organizer of Laker Life. “He knew some ministries there that could use help.” While on the mission trip, the students help out some of those ministries.

            “Every day we go in the morning to Breakthrough Ministries, which has a women’s and men’s shelter (as well as) a food pantry,” said Fuelberth. “We prepare food or help stock shelves.” Fuelberth says the students also help with an afterschool program.

            “In the afternoon there is an after school program we help at, New Life Center. We work with them on homework (and) play games with them.”

            Despite the hard work students put in during the day, Laker Life reserves activities in the evening and night to help students blow off some steam from the day’s work. Some of the activities include getting deep dish style Chicago pizza and seeing the Blue Man Group perform.

            Fuelberth also said that the cost of going on this mission trip to serve and having some fun while in Chicago is very low.

            “It’s right around $100 dollars is where we have kept it at,” said Fuelberth. There are two reasons why Laker Life keeps the cost so low for a week in Chicago.

            “We stay at a church there (that has) a gym and showers and everything else. (We also) cook a lot of our own food as a group there at the church,” said Fuelberth.

            Although the week will be filled with laughter and fun, Fuelberth says students’ lives are impacted. Mathew Tift, a sophomore at Iowa Lakes and who went on the mission trip last year, says that the mission trip made an impact on him.

            “I think the biggest thing it did for me was really make me appreciative what I have,” said Tift. Tift also said that he saw homeless people in a new light.

            “Just because someone doesn’t have a home doesn’t mean they’re any less a person. They’re not criminals; they’re not bad people,” said Tift. Because of what Tift experienced, he encourages students to go.

            “Just go; you’re not going to regret it,” said Tift.