What is Do Something 1:8?

"Do Something 1:8" is the service project for EHCA's middle school. It was birthed from Acts 1:8 which says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We feel that God wants our students to be the witnesses that Jesus was speaking about in the verse by going out to work for him. We want the students themselves to be working so that they are able to show God's love to others in the process. 

The goal of the projects is to help people with work they cannot do themselves. We are looking for opportunities for students to serve in relational capacities so they have a chance to demonstrate God's love to someone personally. Sometimes, these kinds of interactions are difficult to arrange. We have done work that is more "institutional" in the past, but would like to see more interaction between students and individuals. So far, we have worked with groups such as Albuquerque Rescue Mission, Meals on Wheels, and a local nursing home. We also did yard work for several individuals. Additionally, we helped some widows with house cleaning.

The 2013-2014 school year was our inaugural year for the project. We started with the idea of Albuquerque being our "Jerusalem". We will continue to work in Albuquerque every year. The whole middle school will be asked to participate in the Albuquerque projects. 

The next year, we expanded to include a service project in the state of New Mexico, which was our "Judea". The New Mexico project will continue to happen one time each school year. Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades will be eligible to volunteer.  This could be a one-day trip or an overnight trip. Students have served at the Baptist Children's Home in Portales and helped with outreach programs in Gallup.

Last year, the 7th and 8th grade students had the opportunity to travel to Phoenix as their "Samaria" project in the United States. The students planned games and played with children at an outreach for needy families in the area.

In a few weeks, we plan to go on an international trip, corresponding to "the ends of the earth". Students, teachers, and parents will be traveling to Comayagua, Honduras to help El Ayudante missions organization place water filters in rural homes and do community outreaches. We envision these bigger trips happening on alternating years with 7th and 8th graders being eligible to volunteer.

We want to include all of our friends and family on this journey as we continue to be His hands and feet. So, we have started this blog to keep you informed and updated on our service project adventures. Stay tuned for more as we prepare for our next service project adventure in Comayagua, Honduras.