DBU students, staff serve from Southeast Texas to South Korea

DALLAS—Three teams of Dallas Baptist University students and staff used their fall break to served in Houston, rural Louisiana and South Korea.

Jon Dooley, director of Baptist Student Ministry at DBU, and Justin Gandy, director of the DBU Center for Service-Learning, led nine students to Houston in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike.

Working in conjunction with First Baptist Church of Houston, the DBU team offered helping hands wherever they found a need—aiding an elderly woman whose property was ravaged by storms, helping disaster-relief volunteers prepare and deliver more than 14,000 meals, and working to prepare the future site of the mission center at First Baptist Church.

“Our students worked tirelessly the entire week and worked together as a team to accomplish difficult tasks,” Gandy said.

Eleven student volunteers and five staff members—including Blair Blackburn, executive vice president, and Tyler Knox, assistant director of athletics—traveled to Louisiana to help construct a home for an impoverished family.

The DBU team worked on weatherproofing and making additions to a house. They also focused on presenting a positive Christian witness to their coworkers, as they served alongside members of Louisiana Youth Challenge and trustees of Webster Parish Cor-rectional Farm.

Jon Dooley (left), director of the Dallas Baptist University Baptist Student Ministries, along with DBU students Mike Rivas and Elise Nicol, helps load meals for distribution in Houston. (PHOTOS/DBU)

“We were able to influence these individuals in a positive way and show the love of Christ through our services,” Knox said. “It turned out to be a great experience and a highlight of the trip.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, 20 DBU students led by Jay Harley, dean of spiritual life, Chris Crawford, director of apartment life, and Christy Gandy, assistant director of spiritual life, traveled to Seoul, South Korea.

They worked as English-as-a-Second-Language teachers at several private Christian schools, but they also were able to spend some time attending churches, meeting Korean pastors, leading youth ministry activities, and volunteering as greeters and general staff at the Passion Conference in Seoul—an international student-centered gathering aimed at spiritual awakening.

“We had a wonderful time serving in a variety of ways,” Gandy said. “And there are several of our students who are considering the possibility of returning to Korea someday to serve again and for a longer term.”