Two Idaho volleyball players took separate service trips in the offseason in an effort to help people in need.
Katelyn Peterson, a junior outside hitter, travelled to Ho, Ghana, for two weeks to teach second grade, while junior defensive specialist, Jenna Ellis, did relief work in
Havre, Montana.
Ellis, who is a member of the student-based Resonate Church, went to Montana for a week during spring break to remodel homes damaged by flooding and other
natural disasters.
“We just went out in the community and met with students that are at the university in Havre,” Ellis said. “We did small groups, we did a lot of construction work and there were a lot of takeaways. I love the work we did for the people there, but also I grew as a person and I made a lot of
new friendships.”
Peterson ventured out a bit farther to Ghana, where she spent two weeks teaching a second grade class. She said the teachers there work for little or no money due to a lack of funding.
“I was teaching math, English, morals and all that in the mornings,” Peterson said. “We’d then experience the culture in the afternoon. It was a huge eye-opener for me to experience a new country, as well as make a lot of new friendships and I also felt like I made a good impact there.”
By the end of the trip, Peterson said she learned about the culture and it made her realize how lucky she was.
“I learned so much more from them than I could give to them,” Peterson said. “Just going there made me so grateful for what I have here. Just the little things that I take for granted here — they don’t even have over there. Having that experience has really opened my eyes and just given me the bigger picture. The small things, like a missed ball — it is something you need to work on but it’s not as big of a deal.”
Ellis said she grew in her faith prior to her trip, which is what made her decide to follow through with it.
“I grew in my faith a lot,” Ellis said. “It was the most present I’ve ever felt. My takeaway for that was just to make the most out of my teammates — the conversations I have with them, how I interact with them on the court and just being present each play. Just being present all the time and trying to really be there for them — that way is what I took away from the trip.”
Conor Gleason can be reached at [email protected]