Emphasis on service at Portland Adventist Academy (PAA) was demonstrated during a dedication chapel for the many staff and students participating in five different missions during spring break.
“Your PAA staff and teachers have a goal,” said Stephen Lundquist, head of PAA’s religion department, during the assembly. “It is our goal to see every student, during their time at PAA, experience at least one mission trip before they graduate. We want you to know what it’s like to be the 'hands and feet of Christ.'”
That goal is the reason the school takes a two-week spring break that accommodates the time needed for the many students and staff to take the time to travel the globe.
This year students and staff joined five different missions. One group traveled to Peru with the North Pacific Union Conference to do evangelism work. Another joined the Jabez Humanitarian Foundation for a third year of bringing health service and education to the people of Fiji. Others journeyed to the Bahamas, where students sailed from one island to another to help communities maintain homes, schools and other infrastructures. Two different groups stayed in the Portland area — one to serve at nonprofits and churches actively involved with homeless ministries and the other to volunteer with International Children’s Care.
“I think this generation really recognizes that following Christ is more than just talking about Him or studying about Him,” says Lundquist, “but actually doing the things He did to make an impact in our community, in our city and in our world. These students are ambassadors.”
PAA student missionaries gathered on stage during a special assembly for a prayer of dedication before they traveled around the globe to be the “hands and feet of Christ.”
