Iowa Lakes Students Volunteer for Mini-Mission

(Estherville, Iowa) Instead of going on vacation for Spring Break, Iowa Lakes Community College students from the Laker Life ministry volunteered to help the local community.

Initially, 21 students planned to go to Chicago on a Mission Trip to serve at homeless shelters and work with children in underserved neighborhoods, but the trip was canceled due to COVID-19.

As a result, students quickly planned a Mini-Mission trip from March 15 through March 17 to help our local community. Twenty-seven students ended up participating. Students helped the Okoboji Bible Conference with construction work on their tabernacle in Arnolds Park by performing demo work and cleanup. Crosswinds Church in Spirit Lake graciously allowed the students to stay there for three days.

Additionally, Iowa Lakes Community College needed a group of people to deep clean and disinfect the Estherville and Emmetsburg campuses with EPA approved coronavirus disinfectant, so the students assisted with campus cleaning.

Each day also consisted of a message from some of the local pastors that helps out with Laker Life, worship music, and quiet times for students to pray and read their Bibles.

“It’s cool when we go to Chicago.  But it had much more of an effect when it is in your community or surrounding communities because you see the effects it has on the people you’re helping.  You can see the effects of that better.  It was a spur of the moment decision, but we made the best out of it,” said Trevor Friesner, Iowa Lakes student working on an AA Degree from Estherville.

Logan Nicoson, an Iowa Lakes Sophomore in the Criminal Justice program from Armstrong, said, “I thought it was a great unexpected side-mission trip we did. I think it was helpful we got out into our community here in the upper Iowa area.  We were able to put our community at the forefront of the mission we did.”

On the last day of the Mini-Mission, Governor Reynolds declared no groups larger than ten should gather. The students knew they might not be meeting for the rest of this semester, but they had an opportunity to say goodbye and worship one last time together in person.

On Thursday evenings, Laker Life meets virtually using Zoom and has had students in Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Louisiana participate.

For More Information:

Brett Fuelberth, Music Professor and Laker Life Coordinator, at 712-362-7963 or bfuelberth@iowalakes.educreate new email