Do you ever wonder what college students do over spring break these days? Here’s a little insight into our campus ministry spring break trip this year. Our group of five from SDSU was joined by a group of six from Northern State University.

Together we traveled to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. There we were welcomed by Spark ‘Dwell, a collaboration of two organizations. Spark is an organization that creates meaningful service opportunities for groups, but is also intentional about creating ongoing relationships with those they serve. The Dwelling is a newer faith community rooted in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Moravian Church in America, serving those on the margins.

We gathered under the theme “Your Backyard” which was focused on John 12:1-11. It’s maybe easy to hear “you will always have the poor among you” and be unmotivated to do anything, since it seems the poor will always remain. It is also possible to think the poor are somewhere else, not in my backyard. As we unpacked this text and deconstructed our own preconceived ideas about hunger, homelessness, and poverty we were moved to action. We were moved to action in Winston-Salem, but we also came back to campus inspired to continue doing meaningful service in our own community. On countless occasions we found ourselves curious about the statistics for our area, as we heard about the context of Winston-Salem. As we walked the streets, heard the stories, worshipped with the community, and broke bread alongside our neighbors we quickly recognized that we each have the ability to help others rise and thrive. In fact, we all share the same backyard!

In our Christian faith journey we are journeying toward the cross as we head toward Holy Week. The above text or a similar text might be one you hear in worship over the coming days. Mary anoints the feet of Jesus to prepare him for his burial, but Judas, the one who will betray him, thinks the perfume she used should have been sold for profit. In order to save face, he suggests that the money be given to the poor, but remember he was a thief. There are people like Mary in our backyard. There are people like Judas in our backyard. There are people serving like Jesus in our backyard. There are people like you in our backyard. Together we all make our way to the cross, where there is much suffering, but on resurrection day there is also much joy in the promise of new life for us all.

Together we can fan the flame to bring about new life for our neighbors. The marginalized among us can be recognized as humans that are created in the image of God and are deserving of dignity, care, and respect. What can you do to keep the spark going? Advocate for a living wage, not minimum wage. Look the stranger in the eye. Smile at everyone. Use kindness when you speak. Donate to a local organization doing work with those at the margins. Spread joy.