Friday is the day many Baker University students have been counting down to since the spring semester started. Spring break will officially start after classes conclude.

Like many other students, I have been looking forward to this day. I’ve been counting down the days, the hours and the minutes until my last class is over.

Many BU students will travel to warmer weather or will be going home to catch up on sleep.

I’m not going home for spring break.

I’m not going to the beach for spring break.

I’m not going to some tropical resort and I won’t be spending my afternoons drinking piña coladas out of a cup with an umbrella topper.

I’m actually going to Denver with 11 college-aged students from my church back home, and our team will be doing mission work in the inner city.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m sick of the cold weather and would love to be spending the week somewhere warm not worrying about anything, but last August I made a choice to go on this trip instead.

To me, this trip is about creating unity and just showing love to the people we might meet along the way.

We’ll be doing a lot of work in the inner city, and we’ll be meeting a lot of different groups of people in Denver.

Lots of people who are different from me.

During our trip, we will be working with homeless senior citizens and working to maintain the facility where we will be staying.

We'll work at a warehouse sorting medical supplies that are used to help the homeless.<br/>Our group will serve at a soup kitchen one day to more than 230 people and each afternoon we will work with children and youth that are having trouble at school.Our group will serve at a soup kitchen one day to more than 230 people and each afternoon we will work with children and youth that are having trouble at school.
Our group will serve at a soup kitchen one day to more than 230 people and each afternoon we will work with children and youth that are having trouble at school.

My mom called me the other day and even questioned why I was doing this trip.

Her words were somewhere along the lines of ‘you know you don’t get to go to a beach, right?’

Yes, Mom. I know we won’t be on a beach. Our group of 11 students won’t be sporting tans when we return to our college campuses, but that was never my goal.

I want to make a difference in someone’s life.

I want to share my faith with someone and tell him or her about how it has made in impact in my life.