The Azusa Pacific Blog

Part of what we do in the Office of Ministry and Service is to mobilize students to serve in the local community. We offer 13 different ways for students to become directly connected to Azusa and Los Angeles through our office and each ministry as a Student Coordinator that works as a liason between MAS and the community partner to support them and students on campus. I’ve asked each Student Ministry Coordinator to write about their ministry sometime throughout the year to give us a picture of what each ministry is like.

This week – Tatiana Balcazar wants to share about her experience at Our Neighborhood Homework House. Tatiana is a Senior this year and majoring in International Business. She has been working at the Neighborhood Homework House as a volunteer for two years and is excited to be coordinating the ministry on campus this year. Some of her tutors have had a life-changing experience working at the Homework House and here’s one:

“One of my teens was beginning her senior year of high school when I stepped in as SMC [Student Ministry Coordinator]. I watched her struggle and stress over college applications and scholarship opportunities, and watched her cry when she was rejected by APU. But she never gave up. She retook the exams that she needed to get in, and she continued pushing and applying and working. I told her that if I could afford it, she could, and if I could get in, she could get in. To remember that tear-stained face breaks my heart, but I am pleased to say she was accepted to APU and accepted as an Azusa Scholar. Encouraging her and loving her through her pain and hard times was a privilege, and I will never be able to express how amazing it felt to witness her journey.” – Chelsea Burdick

To read about the Homework House and Brittany Fregoso, another tutor, click Our Neighborhood Homework House

The MAS office currently sends around 20 students each week to serve with the Homework House, but there is a need for more volunteers. If this story grabbed your attention and you want to partner with the Homework House – feel free to stop by our office and come see me or Tatiana and we’ll get you hooked up with a time to serve!

Tags: azusa, homework house, involved, MAS, Ministry, Ministry and Service, neighborhood, office, Service, service sites, Tatiana

This entry was posted on Friday, October 7th, 2011 at 2:21 pm and is filed under MAS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.