Arise Week: Marks, MS Mission Trip 2020
The first couple days of Spring Break for a group of Hartfield students and adult leaders were spent serving a unique place in the Mississippi Delta: the humble yet special town of Marks, Mississippi.
Hartfield Academy seeks to be a school community that serves all people - locally and internationally - and this group was eager to put that into practice as they made the three-hour trip to the northern part of the Delta. Marks is a rural town largely dependent upon farming, and has experienced significant amounts of poverty due to the nation’s radical farming operations changes in recent decades. A town once visited by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy to address poverty issues in the 1960’s are facing similar issues to this day, and ministries like the Reclaimed Project are working to combat those issues through various programs and service projects.
While in Marks, our mission team worked with Reclaimed Project to meet children and teenagers in the community. Most of their time was spent in schools, getting to know the students and serving them in any way they can. Students were sent to elementary school classrooms in pairs and spent time reading to the kids or helping them with schoolwork. A few of our students also picked up supplies for their class and did a craft project with them. Another group of students went to the high school to help set up a greenhouse so the local students could grow various plants in the future.
The team also had a couple community outreach opportunities while in Marks. One evening, Hartfield students met with two local youth groups from the community. The following night, the team offered a community movie night where they could interact with the local students and serve them a meal.
This 3-day mission trip was packed with intentional service opportunities, and Hartfield is blessed to be able to meet the needs of those most vulnerable in the state of Mississippi.
“I have been to Marks three years in a row and I absolutely love it.” shared Junior Reagan Williams. "God showed me that the people in Marks have some of the same issues I have and more, but they learn to persevere with a smile on their faces. The elementary students we met are in tough situations, but they have a positive outlook on life despite their circumstances. Many people in Marks have difficult situations but what I’ve learned from spending time with them is that they know God is in control.”
Hartfield Academy greatly values service and sharing the love of God, here at home and to the nations. During Spring Break week, four teams journeyed to four locations around the Western Hemisphere to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Each team shared experiences and forged relationships that will last them a lifetime, all while serving others. If you are interested in finding out more about Hartfield Academy Missions, feel free to contact Director of Student Life Benton Ingram at bingram@hartfield.org
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Hartfield Academy is fully accredited by both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the MidSouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Southern Association of independent Schools (SAIS).