A Summer of Faith

Michelle Flanagan, Staff Writer|October 10, 2013

This past summer, 42 people traveled over 10,000 miles for one common purpose: to serve Christ in other communities.

All of these people went on week-long trips as part of Cross Cultural Ministry Project, a Cotter club focused on service. CCMP’s mission is “to instill in its participants a greater understanding and awareness of diverse ways of living and being in the world”, and this is accomplished by sending out students and chaperones to different communities every summer.

This year’s trips were located in Benton Harbor, Michigan; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Topsail, North Carolina; and Ponce, Puerto Rico. The North Carolina and Puerto Rico groups worked with TEAMeffort and the other two groups worked with Youthworks, which are both Christian organizations that lead mission trips. For the groups, work ranged from gardening and home repair to working with children at a bible school or a daycare.

After going on her trip, one participant said, “I wish I would have done this sooner. This trip changed not only my faith life but also my day-to-day life. I will always remember this experience.”

Benton Harbor, MI Ponce, PR

Brennan Schaffner Courtney Pelissero

Tim DeMarais Kate Bruner

Alex Arnold Casey Modjeski

Corey Piper Michelle Flanagan

Tristan Penic Annie Chang

Alex Schell Daniel Parlin

Chaperones: Michaela Peplinski

Eric Penic Tri Nguyen

Kerryl Piper Chaperones:

Walt Carpenter

Heather Carpenter