Spring Break Round Two! (community colleges)

Community College students raising money for their spring break camp

Last week, I (Sarah) traveled back to Catalina Island for Spring Break, round two! This time the community colleges were on spring break, and I didn't teach anything,but got to simply hang out with my staff and students.

The three community colleges that I supervise are Mesa, San Diego City, and Southwestern colleges. These colleges are taking more and more of the students in San Diego that can't afford a four-year university, need to get GEs out of the way, or are working on a more technical degree, like heating and air conditioning for example.

Many of these students will go on to be the nurses, firefighters, technicians, and teachers in San Diego. They could be what you call the "backbone" of our cities.

These community colleges are also becoming more and more crowded as students turn to a more affordable and accessible higher education.

We took about 20 of these students to Catalina Island, to study the gospel of Mark for the week. There were ups and downs throughout the week. It's an intense schedule, and can be a challenging way to look at scripture... especially on Spring Break. Many of these students are dealing with tremendous brokenness in their homes and families. More than your average 4-year college student.

I spent a lot of my time praying with students, listening to their insight into Mark, and being impressed with my staff as they taught and pastored their students. Even though it's hard to be away from home for another week, whenever I spend time with community college students, I am more and more convinced that InterVarsity needs to be reaching these campuses.

These students need God's love, healing, and power because they often face overwhelming circumstances in their life. They are a forgotten people, often on the margins. They are exactly who Jesus would be seeking out, calling into wholeness, hanging out with.

So as I spent the week before Easter with these students, I was reminded over and over why Jesus went to the cross for us, a broken people. It was because of His great love for us, especially those who feel forgotten and overlooked.