From Dec. 27-Dec. 30, students had the opportunity to serve on a Doxazo mission trip.

The mission trip took place in Topeka and aided kids in the Hi-Crest community.

Ryan Wynne is the Director of Doxazo Ministries which was founded in 2005 originally as a one-week sports camp for elementary-age boys. Since then, Doxazo has developed into a broader organization.

“In December of 2012, Doxazo was invited to host a camp for children in the Hi-Crest neighborhood. This began a close partnership with NET Reach,” Wynne said. “In the years since, Doxazo has partnered with countless churches, organizations and individuals to impact hundreds of children, students and families in the Topeka area.”

Throughout the development of Doxazo, more and more Washburn Rural students have begun to participate in the program.

Senior Katie Rogg helped in Doxazo’s most recent mission trip.

“I help with the DOK program, or Daughter of the Kings. This is the group of girls in middle school and high school,” Rogg said.

Sophomore Jordan White was also a part of the mission trip.

“I was an MC for the tacky formal with [junior] Cooper Ramshaw,” White said. “There are a lot of different parts in Doxazo, but the one I usually tend to be with is Mighty Men. They are the middle school boys. We start the day off with worship and small groups, then we eat lunch and go do a fun activity out in the community,”

During the mission trip, the leaders stayed overnight at Topeka Bible Church and headed out early in the morning each day.

“We wake up, eat breakfast and do our devotionals. Then, we go to our service sites. You can serve at the Topeka Rescue Mission, the nursery, younger kids, older kids or the housing projects. With DOK girls, we eat breakfast, dance a lot and then go to a separate facility where we play games, worship, listen to a speaker and then do an activity like rollerblading,” Rogg said. “When we return from our sites, we have a big activity that we do with all of the leaders. This could be sports or tacky formals or anything. Then we eat, shower and then worship or listen to a speaker.”

Every mission trip has a theme. The theme is created to teach the kids an important lesson.

The theme of the winter break mission trip was “Trust” from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.”

“My hope is that the students would have a better understanding of what it means to trust God with all areas of their lives,” Wynne said.

Rogg enjoys spending time with her kids, and finds it to be beneficial.

“The mission trips always becomes a time of self reflection. Sometimes life during the school year is hectic, but to process the last semester and realize my goals for the next semester with people I love is refreshing,” Rogg said. “I also cherish the relationships I have made from Doxazo.”

Similarly to Rogg, White said Doxazo is a time for him to recharge.

“Even though we are there for the kids, Doxazo is a great opportunity to grow your relationship with Christ, too, just by focusing on him and the kids there and just loving on them instead of some outside things we tend to get worried about,” White said.