International Events Flavor the Weekend

A weekend full of greetings from all over the world, colorful flags, and exotic food showed us the value of all cultures. The Campion Church and Academy joined together to put on the international events on both Sabbath and Sunday.  Many of our students contributed to these wonderful events by carrying in flags, greeting us in different languages, or making and selling foods from around the world to raise some money.
 
Both International Sabbath and the International Food Fair were a big success in uniting our church members and students in learning more about the different cultures represented here. “I thought it was really interesting to see a lot of the students from Campion represent their cultures,” mentioned Sandra Marin, a junior at Campion. 
 
International Sabbath took a lot of work to put together, and all of the pastors were beyond grateful for everyone who volunteered to participate and help with the service. Not only did they carry in flags or sing bright and joyful songs, but the church was full of people wearing different clothing from countries all over the world. “One of my favorite moments was when we sang “Dame la Mano” and people got up to shake each other’s hands. It really brought a piece of home over here,” said junior Fabiola Castrejon.
 
The day continued with all of the Campion students heading over to different church members’ houses. Together they ate the delicious meals that their hosts had prepared for them, and enjoyed games along with a lot of laughter. “It was fun to get to know more about people that I had never really talked to before. It was a really great experience,” explained Brisa Maldonado a freshman here on campus.
 
The weekend was finished off with our annual International Food Fair. Church members, international students, staff, and some classes prepared wonderful meals and drinks from countries that they represented. All were filled with brilliant colors and decor that was eye-catching. Students got to enjoy the yummy food for supper on this beautiful day. Sophomore Nelly Salinas exclaimed, “I only got to try a couple of the booths and it was so hard to choose which ones to go to because everything looked and smelled terrific!”
 
Although the festivities had to come to an end, no one went home without trying marvelous food, experiencing new cultures, or a huge smile on his or her face. Cultures are meant to be shared and certainly this campus was filled with that this weekend. We are blessed to have international students and diverse members in our community!

Stephanie Salinas, Senior, Guest Contributor
Photos by Jill Harlow

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