Introducing the Team
My name is Anna Vander Kamp, one of the team members on the Little Hands, Big Hearts mission trip. I am a freshman studying computer engineering at Lipscomb and I’m from Portland, Oregon. I am so excited to be on this team! We will be heading to Trujillo, Honduras this spring break to help Little Hands, Big Hearts improve their water system and working on a therapeutic playground for the kids there. Little Hands provides schooling and resources for children with disabilities and their families. I chose this trip because I went on a mission trip to Little Hands during my junior year of high school and I fell in love with it. My group painted their school and helped them build a wall on the far side of their compound, but my favorite part of the trip was getting to work with the kids in the school and visit their homes. Those experiences showed me the the true spirit of the nonprofit: love. I was inspired by how much joy the children had despite their limitations and how much the Little Hands community values meaningful relationships. I am so excited to go back and renew my friendships there, and I am also looking forward to getting to know my amazing team members better.
The team is co-led by Luke and Lydia Burris. Luke grew up in the small town of Mitchell, Indiana and graduated with a civil engineering degree from Lipscomb in 2012. During his time as a student, he went on seven engineering mission trips to Guatemala and Honduras. Now he works at Barge Design Solutions where he works with cities and utility districts on their water and wastewater infrastructure. In his free time, he enjoys running, triathlons, and most anything that can be done outside.
Lydia is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee and graduated from Lipscomb in 2013 with a degree in social work. She and Luke chose to lead this trip because they have both been involved with Lipscomb Missions for several years and wanted to go on a trip that incorporated both of their interests. Since this trip involves both working with a ministry that partners with children with disabilities and requires an engineering skill set, they are excited to put both of their skills to work! Lydia is currently a social worker in the Public Defender’s Office and works with students with disabilities who are at-risk or currently involved in the juvenile court system. Since Luke is a water and wastewater engineer, he’s looking forward to helping Little Hands improve their water system so that they can better serve their students.
Two other Lipscomb graduates are also joining our team, Ruth Steele and Caleb Stubbs. Ruth graduated from Lipscomb in 2014 with a degree in civil engineering. She is originally from Nashville and chose this trip because she has gone before and has family in Honduras so loves serving the country. Caleb's information will be coming soon!
The rest of the team is made up of 6 current Lipscomb students, including myself. Mark Sewkarran is a junior at Lipscomb pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. He is from Saint Louis, Missouri and he chose this trip because he wanted to share what he has learned and put his skills to good use by helping others. He also is excited about this trip because it is a great way to give back to the Lord.
Mariluz Rivera chose this trip because she had the chance to serve on a previous trip and is excited to continue to serve such a great community at Little Hands. Her hometown is Tegucigalpa, Honduras and is a sophomore civil engineering major and Lipscomb.
Originally from Charlestown, Indiana, sophomore Tanner Wesp is working towards a degree in civil engineering at Lipscomb University. He decided to be a part of this trip because of the opportunity to work with and help children in the area. He can’t wait for the chance to impact the lives of others and for the trip to impact his life even more.
The two final members of the team, Natalie Shaffer and Anna Keim, have a special connection to this trip because they were both in a lab this year to design the playground that we will be building, or at least preparing to build. Everyone in their class worked in a group to create a design and presented them to the board.
Natalie Shaffer is a freshman mechanical engineering major from Plymouth, Michigan. She chose this trip because of her lab experience, and also because she has been to Honduras before and knows that she wants to do missions there in the future.
Anna Keim is a freshman from Knoxville, Tennessee and is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. She got very attached to the playground project while creating her design in lab and she loves serving kids with special needs, so she was drawn to this trip.
Though we all have different reasons for wanting to go on this particular engineering mission trip, we are all so excited to use our abilities to serve the community of Little Hands. We ask for prayers as we continue the challenging, but rewarding process of preparing for a mission trip. Thank you for your support!