Missions week at MCA is always the week before spring break and it is a time for students to share the Gospel and love of Christ as they travel abroad or stay local. Each grade level had a few choices when it came to where they wanted to serve and the freshmen class could choose to either go to Costa Rica or stay local. Both options gave the students the ability to serve and show love to others and the community.

A few weeks before missions week, the freshmen were divided into groups and assigned different countries of the world, which they researched thoroughly. Then, they put together a presentation and gathered materials needed to decorate the room. On Monday of missions week, each group decorated their room to look like their assigned country to immerse the Lower School students the following day. On Tuesday, everyone came prepared in costumes to represent their country. Throughout the day they presented their country to all of the Lower School students. Many groups tried to make things fun for their guests; some groups had a game for the students to play and some handed out samples of a snack that’s popular in their country. This project was a way for the freshmen to learn more about the world, be creative, and work together to present it in an entertaining way, which allowed the younger students to also learn. Freshmen Karson Kuykendall said, “My favorite part from local missions was definitely presenting our country. It made me so happy to see all the kids and their smiles after our hard work.”

On Wednesday, the freshmen headed to Stepping Stones Church to serve. They helped out with numerous tasks around the church like dusting, organizing closets and filling easter eggs with candy. On Thursday, they took a trip to Group Dynamix, an obstacle course centered around team building activities. The freshmen played games like dodgeball, completed team-building exercises and a ropes course. On Friday, the freshmen attended kite day on the football and practice fields, where they assisted Lower School students flying their kites. Once kite day concluded, the geography teacher, Darrick Ware, prepared a cookout for the freshmen to enjoy as a way to end the week.  Overall, the freshmen that chose to stay local got a chance to serve the community, bond as classmates, and show Christ’s love through it all.