Training – Field Study: Meet One of Our TeachersOur May Field Study is currently being held on SIFAT’s campus May 12-25. Sarah Murphree, SIFAT co-founder Sarah Corson’s great-niece, is a participant this year. She will be blogging about her experience and giving readers a glimpse of what types of appropriate technologies and community development topics are being presented, as well as a look into who some of the participants are. A 2012 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Sarah recently directed and produced two short films, one taking first place in the 2013 Nashville Film Festival. She is currently working on her third film, a documentary about Camp Koinonia. Dr. Martin Price, founder of ECHO, came to speak with us about urban gardening, agricultural options for small farmers and managing a nonprofit. Martin and his wife, Bonnie, drove from Florida to educate us on these pressing topics.  Dr. Martin Price, founder of ECHO, taught us about urban gardening, agricultural options for small farmers and managing a nonprofit. Learn & Serve: March Madness!While the world is gearing up for NBA March Madness 2013, the Learn & Serve staff is ready to hit the court for one of our busiest months of the year! March brings many groups to SIFAT’s campus for a variety of programs. L&S currently has more than 15 events scheduled next month with an estimated 750 participants coming to our campus during Spring 2013! Groups will be participating in a variety of L&S programs, as well as using our facilities for their own retreats. We also have several groups coming specifically to volunteer their time to help improve our campus through work projects. Please be in prayer for these participants as they come to SIFAT for their retreats. Pray they will feel the Lord’s presence and learn the lessons he has for them here. Also be in prayer for our staff as they prepare for the busiest weeks of the year. Pray for their energy and hearts as they attempt to share God’s love with all those who come to our campus. Are you coming to SIFAT for a retreat next month? Let us know! Comment on our blog, tweet at us, or visit our Facebook page and tell us why you are excited to come to SIFAT! Learn & Serve: “48: A Slum Experience” Retreat!January 19-21, 2013, eighty participants and thirty-four staff stepped into the life of over one billion people on the planet at “48: A Slum Experience”. This intense retreat allows high school participants, adult leaders, and college-aged staff to experience life in an urban slum environment.  Participants and staff of the 2013 “48: A Slum Experience” retreat celebrate gaining a new awareness of slum life around the world. New Campus Bridge Under Construction!Many of you may remember the news of our suspension bridge (on SIFAT’s campus in Lineville, AL) collapsing this past July during our Learn & Serve Summer Experience. We continue to thank God for his protection of our participants and his provision for our organization after the event. We now have reason to celebrate — a new bridge is under way! A new suspension bridge is being built on our Galilee Campus. The bridge will span Mad Indian Creek connecting our campus once again. This bridge is not only functional, it will also serve as an example of a monumental bridge project SIFAT implemented in Quesimpuco, Bolivia in 2008.  This bridge, in Quesimpuco, Bolivia, is the inspiration for the new suspension bridge on SIFAT’s Lineville, Alabama campus. Learn & Serve’s “48: A Slum Experience” Retreat Coming Soon – Sign up Now!Although forty-eight hours may not be enough time to travel to a developing country and back, it is enough time to get a glimpse into the everyday life of over one billion people on our planet. This coming January, Learn & Serve is offering our fourth annual “48: A Slum Experience”. For forty-eight hours, participants will have a chance to immerse themselves in a simulated urban slum and learn the struggles of people living in these environments. Students interact with common challenges associated with living in a slum, such as dirty water, prostitution, HIV/AIDS, mass evictions, hunger, unemployment, corruption and the social havoc that each of those struggles can create within a community.
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