Group of Washington Adventist University Students Travelled to Flint, Michigan for Distribution of Clean Drinking Water

Takoma Park, MD (March 21, 2016) Nearly a dozen Washington Adventist University (WAU) students, faculty and staff dedicated their Spring Break this year to helping families in Flint, Michigan, where a state of emergency was declared due to elevated levels of lead in the water.

The WAU group traveled 12 hours from Takoma Park, Maryland to distribute more than 560 cases of clean drinking water to Flint residents. They also helped organize a local warehouse where water donations from all over the country are being stored. The trip was supported by WAU faculty and staff, the Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church, and fundraising efforts.

During their visit to Flint, the WAU missionaries prayed with the residents of several neighborhoods, conducted a week of prayer for the children of Fairhaven Seventh-Day Adventist School, and put on a puppet show for children in the River Park area.

The missionaries were hosted by the Fairhaven Church, under the leadership of Pastor Steven Bramwell and Outreach Coordinator Carol Conner. Church members prepared dinner for the group, helped with logistics for the puppet show, and served as guides as the group travelled around Flint, which is located northwest of Detroit.

Sharing her thoughts on the trip, participant Tania Guevara, a junior majoring in nursing, said, “I have heard about Flint and the water crisis, but I never thought it would be so bad. God definitely used us to help out the community and the church in need.”

WAU Chaplain Kaneil Williams said that this would not be the university’s last water trip to Flint. He said he prays the group’s efforts during Spring Break will inspire others to serve God, even in times of inconvenience.

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Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. Approximately 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s nine graduate and 31 undergraduate programs. The 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north.

Media Contacts:
Angie Crews, 301-891-4134, acrews@wau.edu
Donna Bigler, 240-286-1169, dbigler@wau.edu