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The Campion Ski Club spent four days enjoying God’s nature in the mountains on their annual four-day trip to Copper Mountain.
They started their trip off by holding a church service at the Leadville church, where they shared praise music, testimonies, and experiences from the recent mission trip with the local church members. Brayden Marroquin, junior, expressed, “It was fun being able to share our experiences of going to the Dominican Republic and being missionaries there. I could tell that our testimonies really spoke to them.” The students were able to fellowship with the members of the church over potluck. After church, the students went tubing at Leadville’s Dutch Henry Sledding Hill. A group of the students made it their goal to send a tuber over the top of the track, but despite multiple attempts and recalculations, they were unsuccessful. For the next three days the group went skiing and snowboarding at Copper Mountain. Each person had a different skill level: some had been skiing and snowboarding since they were small and others were just starting. “I really liked growing closer to everyone on the ski trip. I liked how everyone was willing to help me when I was struggling on my first day,” Yolanda Han shared. During this trip there were several friends that decided that they wanted to switch gear and try something new. Addison Gann, sophomore, shared, “My favorite part of ski trip was trying skiing again. I had skied before but preferred snowboarding. It was really fun to try it again and to watch my friend try snowboarding.” Elin Sorensen, freshman, who had switched gears with Addison, agreed saying; “It was fun to try snowboarding for the first time.” In the evenings, the students were able to explore the historic town of Leadville, eat dinner together, catch up on schoolwork, and play games. On the last day, the students gathered for a group picture and went on a run all together. “My favorite part was going on a run together. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know everyone better.” Jovanna Maldonado, senior, reflected. Vashty Segovia Santos, Student News Team
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Members of the Campion Church, Academy and community traveled to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip. 31 Campion students, accompanied by an additional 20 students from Thunderbird Adventist Academy, reached the Barahona community with sermon series, Vacation Bible Schools (VBS), and construction on the boy’s dormitory from March 7 to 18.
During the mornings, students leading VBS, preaching, and translating began preparing for the evening programs while the construction team mixed concrete and carried bricks to create an addition to the boy’s dormitory. Unfortunately, the construction work was unable to be completed due to funding. Moises Hernandez, senior, reflected, “I really enjoyed doing construction and I learned the importance of productivity. We would work hard, and I enjoyed working with my friends. I was sad when the construction ended, but for the remainder of the trip, I helped Claire translate for VBS which was a blessing.” Each evening, the student missionaries spread out to nine different area churches and put on evangelistic sermon series and VBS programs. The student preachers personalized ready-made sermon outlines to share our uniquely Adventist Biblical truths with the attendees, while other students worked with children in the well-attended VBS programs. Pastor Leandro Bizama, the main coordinator of the trip expressed, “I was proud of how our students grew and bonded and shared the gospel. They traveled many miles on crammed vehicles, and ministered to hundreds of people every single night.” Alexandra Cordoba, junior, shared, “There were two things I learned while preaching and translating. First, the church was on fire for God. I would ask who loved Jesus and everyone raised their hand. Second, I learned that we should be grateful for the stuff we have here in America because they don't have the basic necessities.” In addition to the work, students and sponsors from both schools were able to form a closer bond by sharing meals, going to the beach, hiking in the mountains, exploring the town, and worshiping God together. Keon Paez reflected, “I had a great time experiencing the country and it’s culture. It was so beautiful, especially the sunsets.” After seven nights of sermons and VBS programs, 24 local community members and three of the Campion students chose to get baptized on Sabbath. Sergio Enriquez, sophomore, shared why he decided to get baptized during the trip, “During the mission trip I was a translator, and I had to translate the verse Acts 22:16, ‘And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’” Sergio explained that this verse hit home saying, “I decided I should be baptized now.” Bizama furthered, “The biggest blessing of the trip was to see all the baptisms, and also how the Spirit kindled the fire of evangelism and service in our students’ hearts. A fire I believe will never be put out until Jesus returns.” Eva Resz, Student News Team  Campus Ministries traveled to Casper, Wyoming for this semester’s final SWAT trip. Leaving Friday afternoon and spending the night in Casper, the students shared prayer, music, scripture, an object lesson and a sermon for the Sabbath service.
The group of students participating in the church service were all residents of the boy’s dorm. Chaplain Carlos Santana was blessed by the experience, sharing, “Bonding with the guys in the first bro trip was awesome! Getting to spend time with young men of God was so fulfilling.” Instead of the usual shorter testimonies, Andrew Kramer, senior, presented a full length sermon about God’s Will at the Casper Adventist Church. Santana expressed that this was a successful SWAT trip: “One of the best they’ve ever done.” As usual, the students expressed that they felt touched by the loving and welcoming spirit of the church members, and enjoyed the opportunity to visit with former Campion pastor, Mike Taylor. Izuchi Nwankwo, sophomore, shared, “The trip to Wyoming was an amazing experience. I got to grow closer to God and my friends.” Eva Resz, Student News Team  Yves Clouzet is the Director of the Music Dept. at Campion Academy. His wife, Melissa Clouzet directs the Mountain Echoes Chorale and Koinonia. Everyone knows about his love and passion for music, but not many know of the struggles he faced with academics and mental health as a college student, and how God helped him to overcome them.
Mr. Clouzet was born in Argentina into a Seventh-day Adventist family. He grew up within a family that was very intentional about family worship at home and going over Sabbath School lessons daily. He knew religion as a way of life for his parents and something that everyone just did normally. His family eventually moved to the United States so that his father could enroll in Andrews University for post-graduate studies. Mr. Clouzet went to Andrews Academy, where he had many opportunities for spiritual activities and growth. It was during a weekend teen spiritual retreat that Mr. Clouzet was faced with a stark reality. “I vaguely remember who spoke, but he spoke in such a way about Jesus and His Love for me that it convicted me of two things beyond a shadow of a doubt: ‘Jesus really, truly, and passionately Loves ME! I know every fact there was to know about Jesus and His life as written in the Bible, but I don’t truly, really, know-know Him.’” Mr. Clouzet realized that Jesus was everything and that he desperately needed a real relationship with Him. “During the last meeting that Sabbath evening, the speaker played the final scene from The Visual Bible: Matthew. It is where Jesus gives His ‘Great Commission’ and where the book of Matthew ends. It was such a powerful image of Christ assuring me that He was always going to be with me and that He needed me to tell others about what He has done for me. What a privilege and honor!” That is when Mr. Clouzet, although already baptized several years prior, truly understood what it was to give his whole life to Jesus. However, when Mr. Clouzet got to college, things began to go downhill. “My mother home-schooled me until I completed the 2nd grade. She really pushed me and I quickly realized that I was able to do things most 3rd graders couldn’t do when I finally joined “real” school. It was like this all the way up to when I graduated from academy. I always felt comfortable in a classroom and never really felt challenged. Sure, I studied for tests and completed assignments, but I don’t remember much anxiety and stress over academics. I can remember that there were a few assignments that great teachers assigned me during my senior year that really pushed me, but I just didn’t complete them because I got too used to not having to work hard. This should have been a warning flag for what was to come for me, but I just ignored it.” With a perfectionist mindset, coupled with not being fully prepared for the rigors and demands of college, it was a blow mentally for Mr. Clouzet every time he fell short of his own high expectations that he set for himself during his first year of college. He began struggling mentally, which led to a depressive state. At that time, his relationship with Jesus had waned severely. Out of pride and shame, Mr. Clouzet didn’t ask for help from anyone. This went on for several years and this self-destructive cycle had gotten him to the point that he was about to get kicked out of the Education Program at Andrews University. In a last-gasp effort to help him, the faculty at the Education Program called a meeting with Mr. Clouzet. “All five of my professors at the program were there, and I basically had to make a case for why I still had what it takes to be a great teacher. I gave that speech everything I had, took responsibility for my actions, and let them know I was fully aware that I deserved no second chance. By that point, it was probably a fourth or fifth chance! But I just asked them to take another chance on me and that I would not disappoint them, since I now owed it to not just myself, but to God, them, my family, and Mrs. Clouzet; who was my girlfriend of three years at the time.” “They asked me to step outside and they talked behind closed doors for what seemed like an eternity. Then they invited me back in and they voted right there in front of me with a raised hand for a yes. Slowly, three hands went up, and to this day I am eternally grateful for those kind teachers who believed in me when no one else would. By the grace of God, I was able to continue in the program. It was by far the most anxiety-filled moment that I have lived through to this day, and I have had to ask Mr. Anderson to marry his daughter! Ha!” As part of the ultimatum, Mr. Clouzet’s teachers required that he immediately seek mental health therapy with a licensed professional. It was there that he finally began getting the help he needed. He rebooted his prayer life and allowed God to help him surrender the destructive things he was holding on to in his life. Although his family knew there was something wrong, they were able to pray more specifically for his needs once he was willing to admit what he was going through. God helped him overcome his depression, and a year later Mr. Clouzet successfully graduated from Andrews University. He got married six months after that, and has continued to pursue his career in music education ever since. Mr. Clouzet explains that he perceives three key factors that helped him turn his life around. “The first one would be the unrelenting prayer warriors in my life. I know for a fact that my mother and father never ceased to pray for me daily, especially when I was traversing through that dark time in my life. God heard their prayers and He was able to steer my life in the right direction. I know for a fact that they still pray for me each and every single day.” The second factor was getting help from a counselor and opening up to the important people in his life. “Besides their prayers, my parents always supported me and let me know that they would always love me no matter what happened. Mrs. Clouzet, who was my girlfriend at the time, believed in me and stood up for me, despite people in her life telling her that I was a dead-end and that she was wasting her time with me. Those three teachers at Andrews University who believed in me and saw what no one else could see in me. They saw past all my shortcomings and failures, and gave me a chance despite all the evidence stacked against me. “Finally, the lasting impression of all my spiritual upbringing had a huge influence in the turnaround God orchestrated in my life (pun totally intended). I could never shake the convictions that the Holy Spirit ingrained in my mind during Sabbath School, in Bible class, in youth rallies, during evangelistic series, etc. Those were the convictions that helped me to truly see how God was working in my life; and despite my rebellions and self-destructive tendencies, He never gave up on me and was always willing to help me out.” “I see students with the same look that I had on my face when I was struggling with mental health; I am more than certain that there are many students who struggle with this on our campus. These individuals need to know that it is more than okay to talk about it with someone you trust and ask for help. I didn’t do this for a long time and it was a self-destructive behavior that I was living with that cost me dearly. I could’ve avoided a lot of pain had I asked for help sooner.” Yves Clouzet with Bela Cinco Campion’s journalism class is doing a research series on mental health to bring education and awareness to the impact of mental health issues on their generation. Stayed tuned to read a new article on the topic each week over the next month. We are very grateful to the staff and students who are bravely sharing their experiences. Mental health issues such as discouragement, anxiety, and depression impact everyone in one way or another. Campion Academy’s nurse is a mental health professional and encourages students to seek assistance when needed. The chaplain's office is another source of help for students.  My testimony is how I came to know Jesus personally and have a one-on-one relationship with Him. Before coming to Campion, I had never been in an environment where we daily talked about Jesus. Back home, I was used to going to church every Sunday, but I honestly felt like I was going to church because I had to and because my whole family went. Church was the only time I was required to pray by myself, and I didn’t enjoy it. The only thing I enjoyed when I went to church was seeing my friends there; other than that, it was just like any other day. Even though we sometimes prayed as a family during the week, I wasn’t able to make an effort to pray by myself. Once in a while, I would try to pray, but I felt like I was always discouraged.
When I heard about Campion and that it was a Christian school, I wasn’t as excited as I should have been to come here. My parents and I decided that I was going to come here with my brother. Coming here to Campion, I felt like there was something different about this school, and I felt myself called to be more involved in school. Soon, I found myself enjoying what Campion had to offer and the opportunities that we have to praise and worship Jesus, and that’s what I like most about Campion. With the Bible classes and the worships we have everyday here, I felt like I needed to know more about Jesus and have a relationship with Him. Every day I was making an effort to pray and know Him more, and with that, I decided to make a decision to get baptized last school year during the Spark evangelistic series. I am glad to have friends in the dorm whose stories and testimonies encourage me to know more about Jesus. I am thankful that I came to Campion because I wouldn’t have known Him better like I do now if I hadn’t.  Our mission from God is to make disciples. We are called by Him to share our testimony to people who need to hear it. Throughout the year, students around the campus will share how God has worked miracles in their lives, in hopes of sharing His love to inspire others. We want to remind and show people how real and good God truly is. As you read these, please think of what God has done for you lately. What is at the heart of your story?
The first story comes from someone who would like to remain anonymous: “For me, coming to Campion was hard. My whole life, I was always transferring schools, and I should have been used to it, but this time was different. Growing up, I didn’t have much of a choice of whether or not I had to change schools. I wasn’t very close to my family, let alone my brother. Aside from small talk and dinner conversation, I hadn’t talked to my brother for about six years straight. Besides the fact that my family was financially unstable, my family wanted me to come to Campion to experience a better life. Because I had moved so much, I was tired of meeting new people. I was never able to grow close to them, and they would often times forget about me. So I thought if I went to Campion I would have to experience it once again. But one friend changed it for me. My good ol’ roommate. My companion. My grapefruit (this is a hint so you should know who you are once you read this). She is the reason I can finally smile and forget the bad days I had. She helped me shape who I am today. God put her in my life to help me be able to start over with my family. I didn’t think I could be so close with someone, but I see God in her. With her help, I was able to finally talk to my brother, and we are closer than we have ever been. I am extremely grateful that God put the realest people in my life that I can lean on despite everything.” Edited by Adrianna Campbell, Senior, Student Editor |
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