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Westminster Christian School senior Elizabeth Butler has participated in three mission trips to help people in developing countries. She is also a member of Twenty Little Working Girls, a community service organization that provides volunteers and raises money for a variety of charities locally.
Her first mission trip was with Blue Missions, the organization that provides running water and latrines to remote villages in the Dominican Republic. On this trip, Butler dug trenches up the mountain and installed the pipes that brought the water to the village.
In their free time, they mingled with the villagers.
“We spent a lot of time with the kids and the women in the community,” she says.
They all celebrated when the water reached the village.
“It was very exciting,” she says. “It sprayed in the air, and we were all dancing and playing with the kids in the water.”
Teens who attend the Blue Mission trips come back with almost empty suitcases.
“I left boots, the majority of my clothes, left over snacks and candy for the kids,” she says.
This past summer, Butler returned to the Dominican Republic on a Blue Missions trip to provide a village with latrines.
The teens built 15 latrines. Each single toilet latrine has two to three households sharing them.
“They would go in holes before we got there,” Butler says.
The latrines are deep enough so they should last for 20 years. They are better for the environment and will keep the waste from contaminating the environment.
Butler also went on a mission trip with Christ Journey Church this past spring. They went to a remote village in Guatemala.
“This one was more spiritual,” she says. “There were two communities that had a conflict and feud. The main goal was to build a community center between them so they could come together again.”
The community center was just finished a few months ago. She says they got word the community leaders are working together, and the community is together again.
“We spent a few days with the women and children,” she says. “We visited the school and found out what their school life is like. Three other days, we went to the community center and helped building it.”
She says she participates in the trips because she gets happiness in helping others.
“Making others happy is better than anything else you can get,” she says. “And that’s what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
How she will help others is still the question. She’s considering a wide range of options, including the Peace Corps or becoming a travel surgeon.
“Third world countries that don’t always have doctors and surgeons available and help them,” she says.
Butler’s college list includes Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Michigan. Her major is undecided, but she plans on going to either medical school or nursing school.
At Westminster, she’s on the Cheer Team and she’s the team manager for the Girl’s Lacrosse team.
“I help and plan schedule practices and games,” she says. “I manage the team’s social media. I plan fundraising events and I work the scoreboard at the games.”
She’s a member of the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Rho Kappa, the History Honor Society, Alpha Sci Omega Thespians and the Foreign Language Honor Society.
She’s on the executive board for Twenty Little Working Girls and is the Chapman Partnership for the Homeless Partner Liaison, in charge of coordinating fundraisers and service drives for Chapman.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
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