CENTER for STUDENT MISSIONS

Brenda Berchie

Brenda from the Northern Virginia/DC area. She is currently a student at Liberty University and will be a sophomore in the fall. She knows God has called her to work with children and to do missions. In high school she served on two missions trips   one in Florida and the other in Long Beach, Mississippi helping with Hurricane Katrina relief. She has been a camp counselor at Camp Dynamite work with elementary to high school aged kids. Brenda has experience working with junior high and high school kids through volunteering at church and in her community. She loves and has such an appreciation for the performing arts. She loves to sing and can play some piano! “My goal in working with CSM is to do in John 13:34-35 which is love others and to meet some amazing people who also have a desire to serve others. I wanted to serve in D.C. because I have such a love for this city and I want to make a difference in the lives of the people in this city.”

Craig Blocher

Craig is from the suburbs of Columbus, OH. Despite his strong Buckeye ties, he decided to head south for school at the University of Florida. Craig has just graduated from UF with a degree in finance. While he was a student at UF he was able to serve as the vice president of a Christian fraternity there. Last summer Craig worked as an intern with the youth program of his church back home. Through the internship Craig got to experience the work CSM was doing in Philadelphia, for the kingdom. Craig has experienced mission work in many different settings and through many different faces, while serving with his youth group, and fraternity. Craig enjoys spending quality time with his family and friends; he also enjoys traveling, and a good laugh. Living out Acts 20:24 is Craig’s goal this summer, testifying to the gospel of God’s awesome grace in our nation’s capital.

Lukas Dahlstrom

Lukas is from Etna, NH, but currently resides in Chicago, IL. He just graduated from North Park University with a degree in Physics. After high school, he went on a month long mission trip to an orphanage in Ain Leuh, Morocco. Lukas has worked at Camp Squanto Covenant Camp and North Park Summer Camp. He is also working on an Illinois Teaching Certificate to teach secondary science. His best days in the world are when New Hampshire kids have hot summers so they go play basketball, and then they go jump off train bridges into the Connecticut River, and then grill cheeseburgers. “I very deeply care about racial and social justice issues in our country and especially how harsh realities get played out in the lives of youths. There are young people from all over this country who deal every day with realities that they shouldn’t have to face. I hope that CSM is meeting a role in real healing and reconciliation for all who are involved in the process”

Shaina Lane

Shaina grew up in Indiana but now livea in Danville, IL. She attends Greenville College and is a double major in early childhood education and elementary education. She really has a passion for working with kids and feels that working with kids is not only beneficial for them, but for the people involved in their lives. Back in Danville, she has helped out a lot with the church youth group, nursery and various other projects. Recently Shaine has been involved with setting up a program called Without Ceasing (an all night worship event) and helping out with Agape Fest. Also, this past year, she was an R.A. or R.C. (resident chaplain). Shaina has worked with a daycare in Chicago, been on a CSM trip to Chicago, as well as to the Dominican Republic. “I think the biggest thing God had been teaching/revealing to me this past year is how to be intentional with people, as well as the importance of depending on Him and not my own strength. One of the biggest things I am looking forward to this summer is simply seeing how God reveals himself to the different groups and the relationships that are either going to be made or strengthened in one another.”

Stephanie Laurence

Stephanie is from Hopkinton, MA. She is a Sophomore at Gordon College where she is studying Sociology. She has taken mission trips to Costa Rica, San Francisco (CSM) and Washington DC (CSM). Stephanie was a Junior High leader at her youth group and was on the leadership planning teams for weekend retreats. She participated in Bible Studies throughout High School and college. She also formed a Prayer Ministry at Gordon. Stephanie comes from a family of 6 (2 brothers, 1 sister and her parents). She absolutely loves the ocean and coffee. “My heart is to be able to see the students (and leaders) I worked alongside this summer to have at least a taste of the heart that CSM gave me when I worked with them as a student. And to have fun while we’re doing it!”

Rita Lomeli

Rita lives in the Los Angeles area. She was born in Mexico City and raised there until she was fourteen. She comes from a family of four: her mom, grandma and brother. She currently attends Azusa Pacific University and is about to start her third year, majoring in psychology. Rita’s plan is to work with families who have autistic children. Rita has been really involved with the youth group at her church and with the children’s ministry organizing different activities for them. This past semester, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Lithuania and was also able to volunteer at an orphanage where they played with the children and gave them classes to learn English. “This summer will be a completely new experience for me, and I am really excited about this. One of my goals for the summer is to be able to open up my eyes to the reality of many cities, and contribute to the impact CSM is having here.”

Ashley Peterson

Ashley is from York, PA. She attends the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA where she is studying biology and sociology. She has participated in work trips and service trips to upstate New York, Bay St Louis MS, Nashville TN and Washington DC. Since starting school three years ago, Ashley have occasionally assisted with the church youth group, worked with and tutored African refugees and served as the Missions Coordinator and Woman's Bible Study leader at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries on campus. When she is not busy with school work or other commitments, she can typically be found hanging out with friends for dinner, a movie night or walks around the beautiful downtown area. Ashley also enjoys cooking; stargazing and every now and then exercising her creative brain with writing very brief poems or pieces of prose. “This summer will be my first experience with CSM, but I cannot wait to share the passion for the people of Washington DC that God has p0laced on my heart with those I meet through this experience. I am even more excited about the things God is going to teach me and the ways He is going to challenge me through every person I encounter this summer.”

Lauren White

Lauren is from Queens, NY. She will be a junior at the State University of New York at Geneseo where she is pursuing an International Relations major with a Business Studies minor. During middle and high school, she was a member of her church’s youth group and served on the leadership team. Lauren enjoys volunteering with local New York City ministries that work to form friendships with the people they are serving. In 2009, she went on a spring break service trip to St. Louis with her college’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) chapter. She also attended this past year’s IVCF Urbana Missions Conference in St. Louis. She loves checking out museums and trying new cuisines. “I’m excited to share my heart for the city and challenge students to see how God is calling them to serve as reconcilers in Washington, DC and their own communities. I am excited to see how God will transform the visitors and residents of Washington, DC this summer.”