by Anna Waites | Mar 28, 2011 | Uncategorized
I was so tired from not having slept nearly at all on Friday night. I had packed, done laundry and finished my last minute shopping with little time left to sleep before time to meet up with the team at 3 a.m. Saturday March 12 Once we got to school to ride the bus out to the airport, my tired eyes weren’t even a concern because I was so excited to be with my team, ready to go for the week. We prayed together over our trip and all of the other groups leaving from Lipscomb to serve God’s grand kingdom in the world. After several hours in airports and on airplanes, we arrived at the Casa Mirage where the girls from the team stayed for the week. I was incredibly excited to get to Cozumel. Being back there after a year was such an incredible feeling; I loved smelling the smells and feeling the breeze that I hadn’t felt since last spring break. Saturday night, we went to the campus of Ciudad de Ángeles and served dinner and smores to the “angels” and the staff there. I was pretty nervous because I didn’t know if any of the kids would remember me from last year. I don’t know why I worried so much. Even though some of them didn’t recognize me at first, the girl that my family sponsors was waiting to greet me with a hug. I also met a boy who had just moved to Ciudad last year. It is amazing to see how God is blessing Ciudad de Ángeles daily. Last year, 8 new angels...
by Allyson Hall | Mar 23, 2011 | Uncategorized
From Nashville, Tenn., to San Quintin, Baja California Norte, Mexico in 19 hours. That might have been the longest day of my life, but where we arrived and the week we experienced made the end well worth the means. This is the fourth time I have gone with Lipscomb on a spring break mission trip to San Quintin, a small town about six hours south of San Diego, Calif. Our trip works with the non-profit called Baja Missions, which has started more than ten churchs on the Baja peninsula. To say this year’s trip started off with a bang would be an understatement. We woke up on our first morning to a tsunami warning, but that didn’t stop us from immediately starting to work with the Iglesia de Cristo en San Quintin. There are three main components to our trip: building a house for a family, visiting the homes of members of the church, and Vacation Bible School (VBS) classes for men, women, teens, and kids. The house visits continue to be the most meaningful part of this mission trip for me. The church members we visit always have huge smiles on their faces when we come to their homes to spend time with them and pray for their families. They are always so inviting and so appreciative of the little amount of time and supplies we give to them. It is there, in their homes, that many long-lasting relationships have been formed with the church members. On Sunday, there was a soccer game between the Mexicans and the Americans. Unfortunately we Americans lost, but it was so much fun...
by Blake Harper | Dec 20, 2010 | News Slider
At the City of Children, an orphanage in Ensanada, Mexico, Christmas is celebrated pretty much like it is in the United States, according to a Lipscomb student whose parents run the home. Andres Gonzalez, whose parents are directors of the home that takes in abused and neglected children, said that the holiday there is all about love, celebration and the giving of gifts. “I have such great memories of it growing up,” Gonzalez said. “Everyone is like one big family, so that just makes everything all the more special.” He said that on Christmas Eve, each age group has a big party in its individual dormitory, with music, decorations and a big meal including the kids’ favorite foods. On Christmas morning the children file into a big auditorium where they are called up, one-by-one, to receive the gifts given by their sponsors. The children cheer for each other as their names are called and start chants expressing their excitement. He said it is one big party celebrating and letting the children know that God loves them and that they have a family that loves...
by Blake Harper | Oct 5, 2010 | News Slider
Sophomore Andres Gonzalez, 19, was inspired by volunteers and visitors from Lipscomb University to travel more than 2,000 miles to attend school at Lipscomb University. A native of Ensenada, Mexico, the third-largest city in the state of Baja California, Gonzalez grew up the son of the Mexican directors of the City of Children, an orphanage for children who have been abused, neglected or who have been taken away from their parents by child protective services. Gonzalez would often help with tasks at the home to make sure things ran smoothly. While performing those tasks, he came into contact with the people who would inspire his college choice in Nashville, Tenn. “I knew from a very young age that I wanted to attend Lipscomb,” Gonzalez said. “The people that visited the home from Lipscomb made such an impact on my life, and I knew that Nashville would be a great place for me to get my education.” Josh Link, an admissions recruiter at Lipscomb University, was one of the key people who encouraged Gonzalez to continue his education here. “He represented a place that seemed welcoming, enthusiastic and exciting.” Gonzalez said of Link. One of his biggest concerns of going to school in a foreign country was the language barrier. He knew that he would be expected to be at the same level speaking, reading and writing English as the average American student. Having learned English at a young age, and having helped translate at the City since he was six, Gonzalez hoped he could handle the pressure. “I learned English when I was really young, so it comes as second nature, but sometimes it is...
by Jameson Roper | Apr 30, 2010 | News Slider
Thursday morning, Lipscomb University hosted their second Hispanic Forum in the Ezell Center. Entitled “Opening Doors,” the forum was an informative event meant to cast light on the social outlook of America and Tennessee’s Hispanic youth and their education. Lipscomb held the event to bring together educators, students, and other public leaders to focus on diversity in our communities. President Randy Lowry began the morning stressing the importance of diversity in our community. Dr. Stella Flores shared her outlook on the current situation. Flores is a Vanderbilt University professor and internationally recognized expert on Hispanic relations. Prior to becoming a staff member at Vanderbilt, Flores worked in the United States Government Accountability Office. Flores, a Texas-native and Harvard graduate, stressed from the beginning that America’s Hispanic youth has not been targeted with enough help and it must change. “Immigration is inching to the top of the policy agenda [in America],” Flores said. Flores stated laws like the one recently passed in Arizona are a step back in America’s relations with immigrants. The new law Flores spoke of, entitled Arizona SB1070, has an aim to find and deport suspected illegal immigrants. The law grants Arizona police officers the right to question suspected illegal immigrants and demand identification. If the person fails to produce a valid form of identification, they can and will be prosecuted and deported. Flores said that we as Americans must give these Spanish-speaking students a fair chance at equal education. Flores’ parents are both college-educated Hispanics. However, she said that her mother was placed in speech classes throughout her schooling in an attempt to eliminate her accent...
