On the cold night of December 4, silhouettes of people eating, dancing, and singing could be seen in Buller Hall. The partygoers were members of the Makarios ministry club, celebrating after their outreach event at Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día de Berrien Springs. “Makarios is a ministry on campus…made up primarily of Hispanics,” Grecia Castillo (senior, psychology and Spanish), president of Makarios, describes. “Our purpose is to go to Hispanic churches in the area…providing the churches with a different form of praising.” Planned by the “directiva”–or the officers of the Makarios club–the party itself signified the culmination of a semester’s worth of work of traveling to multiple cities and providing programs.
The Makarios Christmas party featured food–such as tamales, rice, and cupcakes–and several fun events, one of which was Secret Santa. Uniquely, the Makarios club hosts a Secret Santa tradition where small gifts are given secretly throughout the semester. “The Secret Santa presents a way to get to know each other,” Castillo describes. “You give gifts to someone who may be a complete stranger and then you learn their interests and get to know each other beyond the surface level.” Then at the party, members bring a final big gift and reveal their identity to the person receiving their gifts. Open karaoke was also hosted. Members quickly gathered with their friends and performed songs such as "Feliz Navidad," "Mistletoe," and even George Michael’s “Careless Whisper.”
When members were asked if they enjoyed the event, Vany Carballo (junior, speech-language pathology and Spanish) said, “Yes, I enjoyed everything. [The Christmas party] provided an opportunity for those in Makarios to get together. It’s definitely what I look forward to every fall semester.” Gabriel Pontes (junior, pre-physical therapy), added, “I would agree [with Vany]. I liked everything. My favorite part was Secret Santa.” Hannie Casamayor (junior, biology) said, “I enjoyed the party. Karaoke was fun. I liked Secret Santa. I liked my gifts. They were cute! It was an exciting moment to see who got me my gifts.”
As the Makarios Christmas party concluded, members grabbed their phones and took selfies, sang and laughed together, and shared stories. Many talked about their adventures with Secret Santa, where they got their gifts, and the close calls throughout the semester. As the moon began to hide behind the nightly clouds and the December breeze skipped between the buildings, the members of Makarios departed, closer to those around them than when they had first arrived.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.