For some Pensacola Christian College students, their summer travels didn’t end with the journey home. With Youth Outreach Ministry (YOM), eleven summer missions teams that included many PCC students traveled to Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Ghana, Honduras, Australia, France, Romania, Spain, and the Philippines to share the gospel while ministering to others.
For PCC natural sciences faculty Timothy Francis, this summer was his first time to volunteer as a team leader. In Santiago, Chile, Timothy and the team of ten ministered in churches and during youth activities, assisted with manual labor for the local Christian camp, and supervised children’s activities for the school. Looking back, Timothy was thankful for his hardworking team. “One of my student team members named David [Dare] (Jr., FL), who spoke Spanish, was a huge blessing,” he recalled. “He enthusiastically stepped up in translating, sharing the gospel, and teaching the students. Every student jumped in to serve and all enthusiastically did whatever was asked of them. I saw Christlike willingness in every member of the team.”
Emily Roberts (Jr., NH) joined the Ecuador (ESL) team for her fourth missions trip. Her time serving in other countries has given her a clearer perspective on how to better serve God by serving others. “It has shown me that no matter what, serving should be done through a love we have for God and through God’s strength,” she said. “Faith is not seeing but in trusting that God sees and knows what is best for us. Faith is an action of trust and believing that God will take care of, guide, and protect His children.”
PCC’s Distribution Center assistant manager Trevin Houk, on his fourth YOM missions trip to Honduras, said, “We’ve had over 40 students go on trips now, and every one of them at some point has been a little unsure or skeptical or hesitant, and yet the Lord has 100 percent provided every penny of their finances and has incredibly blessed every one of them.”
“I learned throughout the whole application process that if God wants you to go, He will provide the way,” said Brianna Bourne (Office Administration ’19). Serving in Honduras was her first experience going on a missions trip and going out of country. “It may be terrifying to get out of your comfort zone, but if you don’t step out in faith, you may never see how God can use you.”
Courtney Thompson (English ’19) joined the Peru (ESL) missions team. While at Colegio Raymond Clark, a school in Lima, she worked with students from the ages of 3 to 16. “Working with this school presented several unique opportunities,” Courtney said. “Through our interaction with the students, we were able to present the gospel and help them practice their English.”
The team to Australia spent the longest time out of the States. They traveled to cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane, helping put on Holiday Kid’s Clubs and Youth Rallies at local churches. For Dehan Requintina (Interdisciplinary Studies ’19), one church in Sydney was especially meaningful to her. “While at Condell Park Bible Church, it was such a pleasure to fellowship with old family friends,” she said. “To be able to have the opportunity to meet a couple who were friends of my parents even before I was born was such a welcomed surprise and a blessing. God certainly works in wonderful ways!”
These YOM teams came back from their trips with a new perspective on service. In thinking of encouraging others to go next year, Houk said, ”It will change your thinking and your view of ministry and give you a greater appreciation of what our missionaries go through. It will help you pray for and better support every missionary.”