From mission trips to Mexico and Costa Rica to food pantries and Appalachian home repair, college students across two campuses are discovering the value of serving joyfully. These stories from Wingspan ILM Campus Ministry and Methodist University highlight what happens when students choose service — and find themselves changed in the process.
Wingspan ILM
Rev. Elizabeth Villegas shares about a Spring Break trip for Wingspan ILM:
Wingspan Campus Ministry loaded up 10 students from Wilmington, NC, to head to Ensenada, Mexico.
The week before, the headlines were raging against Mexico in the wake of the death of El Mecho, a cartel member. Buses were on fire in the rage of their grief. Many questioned why we would still go to Mexico, and the answer was simple: to see how God is at work.
With nervousness in our eyes, we boarded a plane, piled into a van, and crossed the border by car into Mexico.
By the end of the week, with tears in our eyes, we said goodbye to Lantern Hill. A place that took our anxious uncertainty and, over the course of the week, softened it into love, trust, and relationship.
That week, students from UNC-Wilmington gave their Spring Break away. They cooked meals, helped with construction, worked with kids on homework, played countless games of soccer, and shared life with the people around them. They crossed language barriers, learned names, paid attention, and showed up with open hearts.
And somewhere in the middle of all that ordinary, holy work, something began to change in us.
Too often, places like this get flattened into headlines. But this week, we encountered something far deeper and more human: real people, real joy, real faith, and real love.
While other college students headed to Mexico for Spring Break for parties and escape, Wingspan students went to learn the stories of the people. To find out how our stories connect to theirs. To be part of their story and be forever changed.
Because this week was not just about the work we did. It was about the people who welcomed us. The laughter we shared. The stories we heard. The kindness we received. The ways God met us in faces, places, and moments we did not expect.
Students returned to papers, tests, discussion boards, and the fast pace of ordinary life. But I am praying that what happened here does not get swallowed up by the rush. I am praying that the love we received, the relationships we built, and the ways we encountered God in one another stay with us.
One of the participants on the Wingspan ILM trip, Samantha Wong, shared her story:
Over my Spring Break, I had the opportunity to travel to Ensanada, Mexico, where I worked with an organization called Lantern Hill. I got to see firsthand how this organization is working to keep kids in this community in school and get away from poverty. I spent my days with the kids doing various things like playing soccer, tag, board games, and making bracelets. The kids showed up every day with a smile on their faces and a patience to work with us through a language barrier. You would never guess what kind of conditions some of these kids go home to each day, but when they are at Lantern Hill, they know they are safe to just be kids, which is really special to see. Others in my group helped work on the future school building, which will help many more children in this community make their way to college and eventually professional careers. I loved getting to hear the stories of the staff at Lantern Hill and the struggles they have overcome so that these kids have a safe place to learn and grow.
Methodist University
Spring Break with Purpose: Methodist University Students Serve in Appalachia
Rev. Kelli Taylor shares about a Spring Break trip for Methodist University:
While many college students spend Spring Break traveling or resting, a group of Methodist University students chose a different path this year, one rooted in service, community, and vocation. Through the Office of Religious & Spiritual Life, students traveled to Appalachia to partner with the Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky, a long-standing ministry of The United Methodist Church dedicated to serving communities in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.
During the week, students worked alongside Red Bird staff and local residents on projects that improve the safety and quality of homes, repairing floors, replacing windows, and assisting with other practical needs. Yet the experience went far beyond physical labor. Students shared meals with families, spent time with children, and built relationships that transformed the work into a deeper encounter with community and faith.
The team itself reflected the diversity of the Methodist University campus. Both domestic and international students participated, and the group included individuals from multiple religious traditions. This interfaith dimension created meaningful opportunities for dialogue and reflection. As students served together, they also learned from one another, discussing their beliefs, exploring the distinctiveness of Christian faith and the heritage of The United Methodist Church, and discovering shared values of compassion, justice, and service.
For many students, the week became an exploration of vocation—asking not only what they are called to do in life, but who they are called to become. By stepping into a community with humility and a willingness to learn, students experienced how service can build bridges across cultures and religions while embodying the love of neighbor at the heart of faith.
In Appalachia, this Spring Break became more than a trip; it became a living classroom for faith, understanding, and purpose.
Mission Trip to Costa Rica
What began as a spring break mission trip turned into a transformative experience for a small group of Methodist University students and alumni, who spent nine days in Costa Rica not just serving- but connecting.
Led by the Rev. Kelli Taylor, D. Min., Methodist University’s chaplain and vice president for Mission Integration & Well-Being and Ruth Carr, director of MU’s Religious & Spiritual Life Department, the trip was part of the University’s long-standing partnership with Costa Rica Mission Projects, Acts 1:8 Ministry Center, and the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, a relationship spanning over a decade. Students spent the week continuing construction on a Sunday school building they had helped begin three years prior.
“This wasn’t just a one-time project,” Taylor said. “We laid the foundation in 2022. Now, we’re building alongside the same people again. That’s our philosophy- this isn’t a handout or a hand up. It’s hand in hand.”
With the University’s commitment to these long-term partnerships, including projects in Kentucky and Haiti, alumni continue to engage even after graduation. For returning missionaries, it was an emotional full-circle moment.
“One of our alumni got to see a tree he planted two years ago,” Taylor said. “It’s a symbol of the relationships we’ve nurtured- not just the physical work.”
Carr described the welcome as “open-armed,” with the church even offering real-time English translation during worship. “It’s little things like that,” she said. “They know who we are. They want us there.”
The mission was also a series of firsts for many: first time on a plane, first international trip, first time navigating cultural immersion. Carr recalled one student’s emotional reaction upon seeing the “Welcome to the United States” sign at the airport on their return. “It was more than just travel –it was transformational,” she said.
The group worshiped with the local church, shared meals with families, and even attended a community fair – an unexpected highlight that challenged assumptions and celebrated cultural connection. Carr said moments like that are crucial for students learning to respect and appreciate differences without fear.
While the sense of appreciation for cultural differences was there throughout the duration of the trip, there were opportunities to appreciate similarities, as well. One of the special moments came when the group brought Taylor Swift bracelet beads as a birthday gift for Isabella, the 10-year-old daughter of the local mission leaders. The gesture sparked an instant bond.
“She had already made me a bracelet by the next day,” Taylor said. “It reminded us that, across cultures, kids are still kids – and connection doesn’t need a translator.”
Mission trips are typically offered twice a year–domestic in the fall and international in the spring—and are open to all students, regardless of background. The core of the missions is about service, teamwork, and growth and students interested in joining future trips should be on the lookout for interest meetings each fall semester, or learn more at methodist.edu/religious-life/.
Article and photos published by MarCom and reprinted by permission from Rev. Kelli Taylor.
Lion’s Share Campus Food Pantry & Garden
As the season of gratitude and giving back approaches, Methodist University junior Lylianne Myrick is a reminder of how service can develop a person’s purpose. Myrick serves as MU’s Community Garden and Food Pantry Manager, and her work supports the University’s efforts against food insecurity by uplifting students, and cultivating a campus community built on compassion and giving back.
Myrick admits the garden and pantry manager roles weren’t even on her radar when she began her MU journey. As an Environmental Health & Safety major, her focus was on technical coursework and workplace systems. It was through a campus job posting and the impact she witnessed once she stepped into that role that opened the door to a new career path she didn’t know she was meant for; one she chose simply because she “liked to garden.”
“I wouldn’t be where I am without the pantry,” she said. “It shaped who I want to be.”
Her turning point came during the 2024 North Carolina Collegiate Hunger Challenge, when she volunteered at Operation Inasmuch, a non-profit ministry in Fayetteville with a weekday breakfast program for individuals experiencing homelessness.
“Seeing how heavy hunger can be for people… that was the moment I realized the impact I could make,” she said.
That experience ultimately led her to switch majors. This semester marks her first as a Social Work major, a change she describes as “a breath of fresh air.”
Under her leadership, MU’s food pantry has grown from a lesser-known resource into a thriving support system particularly for commuter students and international students, whom she sees most often.
One of her biggest challenges has been destigmatizing asking for help.
“People sometimes think needing help is bad. Hunger is not something to be embarrassed about,” she said. “Everyone has needed help at some point. If we care for each other and give where we can, our community becomes stronger.”
Rev. Dr. Kelli Taylor, dean of Religious & Spiritual Life at MU, said Myrick has reshaped how students experience the pantry.
“Lyli is conscientious, compassionate, and incredibly creative,” Taylor said. “She has created a stigma-free environment. Students are greeted by another student who cares for them. She is approachable, engaged, and she brings joy into the work.”
Taylor also noted Myrick’s creativity in outreach, such as dressing as a pirate for National Scurvy Day to hand out oranges and teach students about its benefits to combat the disease.
“We don’t have out of date or dented items,” Taylor said. “We have just what you would buy in the store. She takes pride in providing quality items and rotating stock.”
Beyond food, the pantry offers toiletries, hygiene products, household items, and produce grown directly from the MU garden that Myrick also manages. Even now, as winter approaches, Myrick and fellow volunteers cultivate hardy greens, radishes, peppers, and cauliflower for students who seek those options.
“It’s a labor-intensive job,” she said, “but seeing students benefit from it makes every part of it worth it.”
Myrick credits MU’s community partnerships from Methodist churches to our regional Food Lion on Pamalee Drive and even to departments such as Occupational Therapy for helping with pantry donations. She recently built stronger connections with Second Harvest Food Bank and continues volunteering with Operation Inasmuch.
These relationships, she says, are shaping the social worker she hopes to become.
“I’ve learned how to advocate, communicate, and build community,” she said. “Those are the skills I’ll need long after I leave MU.”
Ruth Carr, director of Religious & Spiritual Life, said Myrick’s involvement reaches far beyond the pantry.
“She is sensible about what she wants and why,” Carr said. “She is connected across campus and brings those relationships back to support the pantry. She has created big shoes to fill.”
Taylor added that Myrick has helped secure the pantry’s place on campus.
“She built a foundation,” Taylor said. “The pantry is now a steady part of our community. It has a future because of her work.”
Even as a junior, Myrick is already looking back.
“I want to leave a blueprint for the next person,” she said. “This job has been such a big part of my life.”
Students, faculty, staff, and the community can support the MU food pantry by visiting the Lion’s Share food pantry for a list of needed items, or simply helping spread the word. Information is available on the Religious & Spiritual Life page and through the pantry’s Instagram page.
Article and photos published by MarCom and reprinted by permission from Rev. Kelli Taylor.