Calvin College Service-Learning Center
Spring Break 2013:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
How did the trip impact my faith?
I sometimes feel out of place
thing, but I can't. I can lift my arms
to find time to serve during
with other Christians, since
religion isn't something that is
emotional for me. I am a
Christian because I think that
Christianity is a true reflection
of reality, not because of any
experience or feeling. I usually
end up thinking expressions of
and close my eyes, but thats never
been more than an act.
school year, but that's not
really the case, since I can find
time for all sorts of other
things besides school. A
structured trip is way to force
myself to follow through on
those good intentions. The
service learning trip to Pitts-
religious fervor are faked and
off putting. It's not really that I
don't want to feel anything;
honestly that would be really
nice. I've tried to get into the
whole emotional loving Jesus
praise songs or reading Scripture, or
sermons. I have faith because I act
out my faith. The spring break trip is
great because it is a way to intentionally act for a longer period of
time. I use the excuse that it is hard
Doing things, though, is a way that I
can experience and strengthen my
faith. As strange as it may sound, replacing a roof can do more to assure
me of the reality of God than singing
burgh was something that
broke me out of my routine
and helped strengthen my
faith by doing my faith.
- John Michael LaSalle
What service did we provide?
I think a large focus for our
trip was that it was not about
giving anything to our home
owner. We painted half of the
inside of her house, redid two
of her floors, remodeled the
kitchen, patched the holes and
put a new roof on her house,
but that was not the focus.
We are not experts and we
probably did a mediocre job
but we did an amazing job loving
our home owner. The girls built an
amazing relationship with her while
they danced with her to gospel
music in the living room and I
loved when she would joke with
me about how I missed a spot. We
did a lot of work on her house and
she was extremely appreciative but
to say that our service was in the
work we did would be wrong.
Contractors would have done a
far better job than us but the relationships and probably the love
of Christ would not be there.
What happened that week was
far more than what could be
done with a hammer and a paint
brush.
-Jeff Brown
How did this impact my vocation?
The Pittsburgh Project affirmed by passion for service.
Our weeklong experience was
not just aesthetically rewarding, but empowering for local
homeowner, Carrie. This restoration of dignity had little to
do with a freshly painted wall
or patched roof, but with the
relational love we all experienced that week. I learned
Commons Annex 121
1765 Knollcrest Circle SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Phone: 616-526-6455
Fax: 616-526-6644
Email: slc@calvin.edu
that service is more than just going
out of your way to help someone,
but that true service is loving,
learning and sharing. Shortly after
the trip, I decided to make my vocation a career by dropping out of
the pre-medicine program and pursuing a career as a counselor.
While doctors can be very serviceoriented people, I was pursuing
medicine for the wrong reasons:
the higher wages, the higher status. I want my service to be as
relational as possible and being a
counselor would provide the
means for spreading God’s love
in a very personal and intentional
way.
-Talor Musil
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