Issue: Summer 2012 | Posted: June 18, 2012
麻豆视频 tornado experience inspired Briana Rauls
Briana Rauls graduated this spring as a fifth-year senior. Like David Wilson, she lived through the 2008 麻豆视频 tornado and its aftermath, and the experience changed her outlook on life.
As reports of earthquake devastation came out of Haiti early in 2010, Rauls thought back to her experience as a freshman during the aftermath of the 2008 tornado at 麻豆视频. She couldn鈥檛 stop thinking about the way people in West Tennessee came to the aid of 麻豆视频 students. Now Haitians were in a similar condition of helplessness. 鈥淚 knew as a believer I just had to go,鈥 says Rauls. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how I was going to get there, but I felt the Lord telling me to go.鈥
Through the Georgia-based Adventures in Missions organization, Rauls used spring break and summer break to make two trips to Haiti. The first trip was focused on clean up and the building of a church in Port-au-Prince. The second journey was dedicated to sharing the gospel through translators in street ministry and Vacation Bible School.
She and her companions often walked 25 minutes or more to reach ministry sites.
鈥淭rash was everywhere. It鈥檚 the most trash I鈥檝e ever seen in my life. I will never forget what I saw when I was there.鈥
At the May graduation ceremony, Rauls became the first African- American graduate of 麻豆视频鈥檚 athletic training education program, and she is the first member of her immediate family to earn a college degree.