While a spring break “yacht” trip at another school may conjure up images of parties and frivolity on a grand boat, here at Eastern our “yachters” are looking forward to a trip of a different variety. Eastern University’s Youth Against Complacency and Homelessness Today (YACHT) club has been around since Eastern was just a college, but it is only the second year that Eastern has offered a missions trip in conjunction with YACHT Club over spring break. Although this is the first year that YACHT has officially taken charge of the trip, it will operate very similarly to last year’s trip. I spoke with Lishaly Madera, a YACHT leader who went on the trip last year and will be leading it this year along with Hannah Johnson and JC Garges. The team is comprised of 11 students, including leaders, and the trip will last the week of Feb. 28 until March 6. The team will stay on Long Island at the New York School of Urban Ministry (NYSUM) and serve with the homeless and underprivileged in a variety of ways, however they can be most useful to NYSUM’s outreach.

This trip will be similar to the 2015 trip in many ways. The team begins each day with fellowship, breakfast and details about the day’s projects, and at the end of the day, they debrief with worship, a devotional, a discussion about the day, and prayer–a great way to reset for the next day and help to process their experiences. Every day of service looks different; the team will go to various soup kitchens and food pantries in many different boroughs. Last year, Madera remembers, they filled bags with dog food to hand out for dogs. Even with a project so far removed from the people they seek to help, Madera notes that it felt great to know that they were helping keep a man’s best friend healthy. Every night the team ventures into the city with food, toiletries, and blankets to give to the homeless. Madera says that this was the most natural part for her, because it’s so similar to what YACHT does. There was only one service that really pushed her out of her comfort zone, which is notable, as she is comfortable leading YACHT, being an RA, and interacting with strangers on the street every week to offer food and company. One night, the team adopted a more evangelical approach to outreach by playing worship music in the subway system. The YACHT Club is not typically overt with their spirituality, choosing to minister through with actions instead of words. However, Madera recalls that the worship really did change the atmosphere of the subway and helped to inspire conversations with people taking cover in the subway or just waiting for their train. Since every day is different with this trip, there are many stories that can be shared, from overwhelming gratitude to being led to the right Bible passage at the right time. This year will certainly hold many more stories and much more fellowship. Take part by supporting the team with prayer, specifically for good weather, and more generally, about the relationships they will build and the concrete service they will provide.

Malawi is a small African country situated between Mozambique and Zambia. It is also the birth country of Eastern University sociology professor Dr. Mike Mtika. Dr. Mtika began his professional career as an Agricultural and Rural Development Officer for the Ministry of Agriculture in Malawi before joining World Vision in 1986, where he worked in community development projects and technical services. In 1991, he enrolled as a doctoral student at Washington State University. Finally, he taught at the University of Alaska Anchorage before landing at Eastern University in 2001.

This fall, Dr. Mtika is taking students on a study abroad experience to Malawi. This is not the first time he has taken EU students to Malawi, but it is the first time this opportunity has been semester-long.

Phase I of this program began in 2003 when Dr. Mtika took students to Zowe, Malawi for 2 weeks. Three of these students actually went back to work in Christian outreach and development, continuing to provide service through community farms and school breakfast programs.

Phase II begins this fall. Dr. Mtika will take 10-12 students to Malawi where they will experience various living situations and learning experiences. For the first 6 weeks, students will live in a rural community. This segment concentrates on answering the questions of economic resources , challenges, and food acquisition of rural  citizens of Malawi. The pursuit of these questions is structured through two courses: Rural Livelihoods and Food & Nutrition. Students will also visit rich, middle class, and poor households.

The second 6 week segment takes place in urban Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. This new setting brings a new set of questions to pursue: “How does the city get money?”, “How does it plan?”, and “what are the religious influences here?”. The classes associated with these questions are Development Policy Making & Implementation and Christianity, Islam, & Traditional Religions.

Students would round out their 15 credits will a course in Malawi Society & Culture in April. The experience will be completed with a 5-7 day long safari in Liwonde and many chances to interact with local students who attend the African Bible College.

Applications are still being accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full, so now is the time to apply! Dr. Mtika would be glad to discuss options and give you more information. If you are unable to make this semester work, there will be other opportunities in 2017 so keep your eyes open.