Breaking Boundaries

Breaking Camp is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by the Metzes, who are Intercultural Ministries missionaries. Their mission is to share the gospel with Native Americans by building relationships through outreaches, small groups, workshops, and student interactions.  

“Once we got here and started understanding the culture and obstacles that the individual students are going through, our goals really changed from reaching the masses to focusing more on helping individuals succeed in all areas of their life, which is rooted in Jesus,” Jason Metz says. 

Haskell’s enrollment of about 1,000 students comes from over 100 tribes throughout the country to Lawrence, where 82 percent of the residents are white. The tribal diversity is apparent in the numerous religious, cultural, and economic differences on campus. Many of the religious traditions and beliefs have been practiced for centuries within the various tribes, including the practice of witchcraft and worship of ancestral spirits.

“There are strongholds that these kids don’t have a clue they are facing,” Amy Metz says. “Aside from the cultural differences and leaving their homes, they are struggling in a white community and are stuck between two worlds.”

While the majority of students practice the religious traditions of their tribes, there is a small percentage that comes from Christian backgrounds. Dylan Kitchell, an alumnus of Haskell, grew up in a Christian home. Kitchell discovered Breaking Camp during the back-to-school barbecue that the Metzes host at the beginning of every school year. Kitchell quickly became a part of the Breaking Camp ministry and the Metz family.

Kitchell says that his favorite aspect of the ministry was the prayer walks through campus during which participants pray for the student body and that God would break through barriers.

“I needed a place to continue to grow in Christ,” Kitchell says. “Without the leadership of Jason and Amy, I would have struggled a lot more when I was at Haskell.”

While outreaches such as the back-to-school barbecue play a significant role in the ministry, the heart of Breaking Camp is meeting with students individually throughout the week. During this time, the Metzes enjoy listening to and counseling students, as well as engaging with them in prayer.

The Metzes aren’t allowed to hold services on campus, but they welcome students into their home on Sunday evenings for services. They also conduct Bible studies on campus every week.

“God has given us the gift of having the opportunity to speak into these students’ lives and to show them what a loving, God-fearing, Jesus-centered family looks like,” Amy Metz says.

Andrew Hurst

 Andrew Hurst is a journalist and freelance writer in Springfield, Missouri. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Evangel University in 2015. At Evangel, he served as the news editor for The Lance, Evangel’s student newspaper.  Hurst grew up in Asia and the South Pacific as a missionary kid. He moved to Springfield in 2005.