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Summer Missions 2004: Worth the Trips
By Elaine Lau, Class of 2005
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The graduate students' team, which consisted of team leader Letitia Simpson and members Avis Kimpson and David Pokaletski, believed God for an answer to a Puerto Rican girl's prayer. |
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The Ghana medical team shares Christ through medicine. Crystal Hardin takes the blood pressure of a Ghanaian woman. |
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Assistant team leader Breanna Barber is not too busy to share a dance with a little girl and play with children. |
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Left to right: Stephanie Zarlengo, team leader Katrina Jones, and Hanna Kim lead worship for a Wednesday-night service at Izumi Christ Glory Church in Osaka. |
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Stephanie Zarlengo and Steve Negahbani perform the "Heart Skit" at Komyoike train station for passersby and bystanders. The skit is about giving one's heart to Jesus. |
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Japan team member Hannah Devries helps to cut flyers that were given out to students at a university and people at the train station to invite them to come for food and fellowship at the church. |
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Will Jones of the Japan team shares his testimony to encourage the congregation as Ai Kusudo translates. |
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Just a few short months ago, ORU summer missions wrapped up yet another year of successful and fruitful missions trips to 16 countries. About 200 students were sent out in 21 teams all over the world, reaching and ministering to the lost. Teams were sent to two new countries in Asia this year: Japan and Singapore.
The process of selecting the countries where students will spend one week to one month of their summer can be rather lengthy, according to Dennis Russell, director of ORU Missions. First, a country that is chosen must be approved by various levels of administration, termed the "community process" by Russell. The people in this process include spiritual life administrator Daniel Guajardo, vice president for Student Services Dr. Jeff Ogle, President Richard Roberts, and Risk Management.
The ministry side of the process involves making sure that the country is safe and nonthreatening, as ORU Missions wants to ensure that students return from their trips safe and sound. Also, the Missions Office makes sure that students have regular contact with the nationals of the country while they are there.
Lastly, Missions staff members spend much time in prayer, trusting God to bring in the harvest and use students to further His kingdom in the respective countries.
As for finding contacts, Russell said it is usually through relationships, such as those established by President Roberts. If the contact falls through for some reason, Missions contacts Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in that country and has students work with them.
Russell has served as Missions director for about four years, and he said that they are all about the Great Commission. Overall, he said this was a good year, with many able and godly team leaders overseeing the teams. Students did not encounter very many problems, and the contacts in the various countries, in general, were pleased with the teams.
Sophomore pre-med major Hanna Kim went on a two-week trip to Osaka, Japan, and said that she would go on an ORU missions trip again in a heartbeat, especially on medical missions. Kim said ORU missions gave her an opportunity to meet new people and "to experience God's work....
"It was an awesome experience...," said Kim. "This trip has really shaped me into a more disciplined and patient person. The team and I engaged in daily house chores and menial things, which was something we didn't quite expect. But through this task, I believe God taught us to become humble and to glorify His name no matter what."
