CENTER for STUDENT MISSIONS

John Cummings

John is from San Luis Obispo, CA (1/2 way between LA and San Francisco) and attends CA Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, about 20 minutes North of downtown LA. He’s a junior majoring in Sociology with a music minor. His missions experience includes house building and ministering in Tijuana, Mexico, as well as a semester in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which was a big turning point in his life. He is looking forward to working alongside of people in the city and hearing people’s stories.

Kirby Fike

From Spokane, Washington, Kirby will be a senior at CA Lutheran University earning a degree in Psychology. He’s been on a few mission trips to Tijuana, Mexico. He loves the outdoors and is excited to be ministering full time in an urban environment and hopes to live out the Gospel every day this summer.

Becky Hendrickson

Becky is a granola-head from Bothell, Washington. After graduating from Whitworth College in 2002 with a degree in Religion, she decided to pursue her passion for the inner city by working with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps in D.C. and now with CSM. She has been working at the LA site since January and after surviving an action-packed spring she is excited about starting up the summer. Specifically, she is excited about sharing the city she has fallen in love with to the groups as well as working with the rest of the LA team.

Heidi Hewitt

Heidi will be a senior at Judson College in Elgin, Illinois majoring in youth ministry with a concentration in multi-cultural studies. Last summer she ran the youth program at her home church in Princeton, Illinois and this year has been leading a senior high youth group at a local church near her school. She enjoys tennis and has played for about 10 years. She also loves theatre, writing poetry, and spaghetti!

Ben Kraker

Ben was born in Holland, (West Michigan) and raised in nearby Zeeland, MI. He attends Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids and is a junior majoring in youth ministry. He has been traveling around the country (yet never on an airplane… his first flight will be to CSM LA) as a youth speaker, ministering at youth group meetings, retreats, camps, inner-city churches, rural churches, wilderness camps, and everything in between. He’s a youth leader in his church’s youth group (Berkley Hills Wesleyan Church in Grand Rapids). Ben enjoys mountain biking, canoeing, and being outdoors. His favorite band is Switchfoot. This summer he wants to see God break through his own fears and false conceptions so he can reach out to hurting people. He hopes the same thing will happen in the lives of the students and the people of the city so everyone can experience God’s love and grace expressed to all those in need of His touch.

Cindy Neufeld

Cindy is from Bakersfield, CA and is a senior at Fresno Pacific University in Fresno where she’s majoring in Contemporary Christian Ministries, and completing a minor in Business. She has missions experience in Mexico, where she helped build a house for a low-income family through Habitat for Humanity, has served as a college group intern for her church in Fresno, and has been on two Urban Immersion trips through CSM to Los Angeles. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing sports (golf, soccer, and volleyball), and trying new things. She loves going to the beach, Magic Mountain, and Christian rock concerts. She hopes to learn more about urban ministry, growing in her leadership skills as well as her understanding of Christ.

Lauren Pike

Lauren is from Richmond, Virginia and will be a senior at Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!). A Human Services major, she’s been on ten mission trips, three of which were CSM trips. She loves urban missions and is very excited to immerse herself in Los Angeles and to serve God and His children. She plans to pursue urban missions after graduating. Her favorite place is Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She’s on the tennis team at her school and is an avid Virginia Tech football fan and a Duke basketball fan!!

Jordan Smoke

Jordan is from Pittsburgh, PA and is a senior at Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, Ohio). He’s majoring in Biomedical Engineering (smart guy!) and hopes to be involved in medical missions in the future. He’s a leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter on campus and loves to play and watch soccer. While in high school, Jordan went on several mission trips to Phillipi, West Virginia and last summer ministered in Haiti with Youth with a Mission. He’s looking forward to learning how God works in the city and meeting lots of new people this summer.