Now that the 2019 Spring Break has come to an end, many Gables’ students have returned from many of their both national and international mini-vacations, bringing back with them priceless memories and stories. While every student at Gables had a different experience, two very unique trips taken by Gables students show the caring and adventurous Cavalier spirit. The first student spotlight is that of senior Sutton Payne who was given the opportunity to get to know France, a completely foreign country to him and his family. The second is junior Estelle Erwich, who traveled to Colombia on a mission trip, helping out a community in need and similarly experiencing a new country for the first time.

Sutton’s Journey:

Leaving the first day of the break, Payne flew across the vast Atlantic Ocean to France, where he, his parents and two siblings, would spend the week touring the beautiful country before it was time to go. Once there, he and his family looked to visit all of the major tourist locations in France, especially Paris, where they were staying.  Payne spent his days in the city of love exploring attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Paris’s gigantic iron tower, and the Louvre, Paris’s most famous historical museum. In addition, the group went to tour the Picasso Museum of Art, which displays some of France’s finest pieces. In his time there, Payne looked to experience the delicacies of French cuisine, visiting various restaurants throughout the trip.

“I really enjoyed touring France and was truly blown away by all that I was able to see, because most of these places are ones most people only ever get to see in pictures,” senior Sutton Payne said.

Estelle’s Journey:

Also leaving the first day of break, Erwich traveled with a group of her fellow peers and classmate in her grade into the South American nation of Colombia, specifically the city of Bogota. She was using the time in her spring break, through her church, to go on a mission trip there to help less fortunate communities in need of both physical and spiritual help. Thus, while there she and her peers spent time working particularly with many of the Venezuelan refugees, fleeing the conditions in their own country, and with many of the at-risk youth of various ages. This involved teaching, playing with, and often times simply spending time with and showing love to these children.  On top of this, the group spent time evangelizing throughout the community and showing others how God can and will love each and every one of us. When asked about how the experience impacted her, she responded positively as she reminisced on this life-changing experience.

“I feel that my experience in Colombia was one like I’ve never had before, as it was extremely humbling and impressive even to see how these kids that we were working with, who had next to nothing, were so happy with what they had, a very different mindset than what we see here in the United States,” junior Estelle Erwich said.

All of this being said, we hope that all of Gables had a wonderful spring break, and are sure that many more of you have interesting and impact stories to tell. Spread the news of what you did, we’d love to hear about it!