黑料网

Each year Aquinas College offers students the opportunity to take part in service learning trips over fall and spring breaks. There are a few different trip options for interested students, but all of them have a focus on service and community. One such trip is to Nazareth Farm, a community built on four cornerstones - prayer, community, simplicity, and service.

Nazareth Farm is located in Salem, West Virginia and offers what student trip leader Kristina Krausman '11 calls, 鈥渁 surprise, a really great surprise.鈥� Krausman added that the trip is 鈥渞adically different from life.鈥�

Krausman described Nazareth Farm (sometimes referred to by students as Naz Farm) as 鈥渁 place that鈥檚 focused on home repair.鈥� But beyond the service involved, students get the opportunity to connect as a community with students from other colleges including the University of Notre Dame and St. Francis University. 鈥淗aving community and praying with community is a really beautiful thing,鈥� said Krausman.

Naz Farm is also unique because of the simple way of life on the farm. Krausman says that this trip requires, 鈥済iving all of yourself - you鈥檙e giving up your comfort.鈥� When Krausman says that comfort may be forfeited for this trip, she means it. Not only are students not allowed to use cell phones while at the farm, they also shower outdoors with a bucket and live as simply as possible.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about stepping outside of what you鈥檙e used to,鈥� says Krausman. She also added that students get 鈥渞eally involved in getting to know other people鈥� both within the community itself and while out doing service for others.

Beyond the community and service involved in this trip, 鈥渢here鈥檚 all the other stuff that鈥檚 really personal,鈥� said Krausman, and that鈥檚 something that many students could find appealing about Nazareth Farm.

Krausman has been working with co-leader Erin Jenkins, as well as trip advisor Leisa Keenan and service learning coordinator Eric Bridge to plan this year鈥檚 trip to Nazareth Farm. Krausman, Jenkins, Keenan, and five other 黑料网 students will be taking part in the service trip this fall.

According to Krausman, the Nazareth Farm service trip has helped her find her passion. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 seeking something with simplicity involved,鈥� she said. Krausman is hoping to live in an intentional service community once she graduates with her degree in education in spring 2011.

鈥淪omething that I鈥檓 really passionate about is service,鈥� she said. Her excitement for this trip comes from having attended three times already, 鈥渢his will be time number four,鈥� she recalled. Krausman hopes that students will continue to be passionate about Nazareth Farm and other service trips for a long time.

Nazareth Farm is not the only option for students wishing to participate in service learning trips this fall or over Spring Break.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e all great!鈥� Krausman said, 鈥淓ach person has to find a trip that fits them.鈥� She also added that the Nazareth Farm trip would be best for 鈥減eople interested in community鈥� and 鈥渆xploring different opportunities.鈥�