Shelby Johnson

Road trip is an understatement for several Lone Oak High School students who spent their summer traveling. Honduras, Africa, and Germany drew students overseas to explore new cultures, help people in need, and realize how fortunate Americans are.

Four students accompanied Teresa Wallace to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland where they immersed themselves in the German culture and language. LOHS graduates Ryan Steele and Christopher Grief along with senior Sean Fitch, and Brooke Grief (11) and Daniel Robinson (10) explored Munchen, Black Forest, Rothenburg, and Nuhrenburg. Grief was particularly fond of the architecture including a church tower with a long stairwell which is her favorite memory. Robinson was amazed by all the differences, "Germany as a whole, was so much cleaner, and more organized. The beauty of all of my surroundings while I was there amazed me at each moment."

Honduras was a travel destination for two of Lone Oak's girls, Lizzie Brown(12) and Haley Dallas (12), who stayed in Ojojona, a mountain town. They lived in Casa san Sebastian and helped impoverished people by teaming with doctors to meet basic hygiene needs. Locals would walk from different distances and towns just to get their teeth cleaned and checked. In the afternoons, the LOHS girls would distribute necessities such as food, water, and lard. While they went expecting to help others, they benefitted from the people as well. "I will never forget the people down there who helped me put my daily life in perspective. I can't wait to go back," stated Brown.

A group of Lone Oak First Baptist Church youth travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa. Nicole Walker (12), Tyler Wallace (12), Erin Traughber (12), Audra Davis (11), and Rachel Willingham (12), Samantha Isbell (10), Christina Swadley (11), Bryce Lawrence (12), and Cole Bell (11) joined together to host block parties in three different Soweto villages. Besides reaching out to the natives, these LOHS students went on safaris and petted baby lions. Nicole Walker believes, "Once you go to Africa, you come back and realize all the clutter in your life. You realize what is important and how to care for people."

Traveling brings the joy of expanding the mind and growing in experiences, but helping others in those distant lands changes one's perspective all together.