By JEFF FEBUS

A group of 14 members of the Calvin men's and women's swimming and diving program recently returned from a mission trip to Thailand that took place May 8-23.

Led by Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos, a group of Calvin swimmers partnered with the Paladin Rescue Alliance to teach children life-saving aquatic skills along with English lessons.

The Paladin Rescue Alliance is an organization with its main goal to rescue those caught in human trafficking situations by providing purpose in their lives through work, purpose, and Faith.

The Calvin group worked with K-9 grade students with a school in the Northern Thailand village of Mae Taeng.

It continued a mission trip commitment that began with an initial trip to the village in 2019 and continued with a follow-up trip in May of 2022.

Using a portable pool supplied by Paladin Rescue Alliance, the Calvin swimmers taught local students basic swim skills with an emphasis on flotation and survival. In addition, they taught English and cooking skills, CPR and survival skills along with human trafficking prevention. The group worked in the school for eight full days.

"We use local fire stations to help fill the (portable) pool up and it really serves as a center for tremendous connection," said Gelderloos. "One usually doesn't put swimming lessons and human trafficking prevention in the same conversation, yet it works amazingly well together. If the kids have the courage to learn how to swim, it builds into courage to gain life skills that help them in other dangerous situations too."

According to Gelderloos, the area they served has high water levels further heightened by rain and monsoon seasons.

"The area we were serving has a high drowning rate," said Gelderloos. "The rainy season contributes to high water levels and flooding. By providing basic water safety skills, one of our goals was to teach our students skills that would help them stay alive. We also taught hands-on CPR lessons to give the students survival tools that could be used at any point in their lives."

The Calvin contingent used a local native as an interpreter to help communicate with the children. The communication grew each day of the trip. "We use an interpreter which is a big help, but it is amazing how we use swimming to communicate," said Gelderloos. "It is really fun to watch that happen and grow throughout the week."

Outside the pool, the Calvin swimmers were able to further their mission work with the teaching of daily English lessons to local children.

As part of the English lessons, they also emphasized the need for local students to stay in school and steer clear of human trafficking.

"Human trafficking is a problem around the world and where we were at, children will at times, drop out of school and enter the world of human trafficking," said Gelderloos. "The message we stressed to our students was to continue their education. Staying in school will decrease their chances of falling into that (trafficking) circle while also enhancing their positive life options and opportunities."

Through three trips (2019, 2022 and 2024), over 50 student-athletes from the Calvin swimming and diving program have now participated in the mission program to Thailand. It is estimated that over 750 children from the village of Mae Taeng have been educated by the members of the Calvin swimming and diving program over the course of the three mission trips.

The 2024 Calvin swimming and diving group concluded its trip to Thailand with three days of sightseeing through the country. Highlights included taking care of elephants in an elephant park, experiencing a Thai deep tissue massage, and walking the streets of the picturesque northern Thailand city of Chiang Mae.

"This is one of the coolest and memorable things I do with our program," said Gelderloos. "It is eye-opening, challenging and life-giving for everyone involved. It is a trip that turns love into action and continues to reward our athletes, even after we return home."