With the start of spring semester came the third quarterly book drive organized by One Glance Mission a student-led ministry created by junior Elisha Soch to benefit Kapsowar Hospital in Kenya.
A crowded storage room in Towers room 239 is home to the 166 books students donated during finals week last semester.
Junior Courtney Chatterson vice president of One Glance Mission spent winter break copying the textbooks’ ISBN numbers and creating a book list. Soch says all books are priced at Amazon’s used book rate or $5 less than Amazon’s used rate.
A textbook for Introduction to Psychology costs $15 at the book drive and $140 at the bookstore. So far this semester $750 has been raised for Kapsowar Hospital and since the group’s first book drive in the fall of 2007 they have raised $4500.
“It’s not as much money as a larger group like International Justice Mission but it’s something Soch said.
Pepperdine’s contract with the bookstore does not allow One Glance Mission to advertise on campus. However, Soch says the bookstore is both aware and encouraging of the book drive. Professors such as Priscilla MacRae of sports medicine, the group’s faculty advisor, and Phil Gussin of political science have helped spread the word across campus by sending mass e-mails to their classes. Others learned of the book drive from One Glance Mission’s event on Facebook.
Working with Samaritan’s Purse, all book sales profit Kapsowar Hospital in Kenya. Soch said Kapsowar caught her eye when she and her team were searching for a hospital in need of financial assistance. In a district with only two physicians, Kapsowar Hospital is particularly needy.
Soch, who is considering a career as a missionary doctor in Uganda, said she is thrilled to raise money for Kapsowar. I think it [the hospital] is so cute. Every time I am in a bad mood I look at its Web site she said.
Soch, a pre-med and English major, launched One Glance Mission the spring of her freshman year with friends Courtney Chatterson, Elyssa Gage, Megan Salinas, Katie Cullen, Nichole Best and Adriana Gonez. Soch chose the name One Glance Mission with Solomon 4:19 in mind: You have ravished my heart my treasure my bride. I am overcome by one glance of your eyes by a single bead of your necklace.” Soch said One Glance Mission is her way of putting the verse into action.
“God loves us with one glance of his eyes and as a Christian I want to see what he sees. The whole point of the mission is to show love to other people.”
In addition to holding book drives at the beginning of each semester One Glance Mission hosts fundraisers at convocation to raise awareness about world issues. Last semester the student-led ministry showed a documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan. Through these events Soch attempts to boost campus world awareness.
“Pepperdine can be an apathetic campus she said. I like people that are passionate who care about something – anything!”
One Glance Mission’s book drive will continue until the end of January or until student demand dwindles. Remaining textbooks will be sold through online booksellers to benefit Kapsowar Hospital. To see a booklist or set up a time to buy a textbook call Elisha Soch at (530) 798-3270 or e-mail her at elisha.soch@pepperdine.edu