JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 4, 2005 — Even though he was on a different continent, Neal Rager was in a familiar setting during his mission trip to Tanzania over January.
Rager, coordinator of student leadership development at 51社区, and his GO team worked with college students at the University of Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania team was just one of seven GO team mission trips sponsored by Union in January.
鈥淲e were just extra boots on the ground for the missionaries 鈥� extra eyes and arms and ears they didn鈥檛 have before,鈥� Rager said. 鈥淲e went out and knocked on doors of dorm rooms, met kids around the cafeteria and just talked to them about faith.鈥�
In addition to the Tanzania team, Union sent groups to Northern Africa, Central Asia, Thailand, Botswana and Seattle, Wash. Suzanne Mosley, Union鈥檚 director of student outreach, heard good reports.
鈥淭hey all went really well,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think the students had great experiences and saw God do some incredible things that they鈥檙e not accustomed to.鈥�
The Tanzania team worked with six missionaries from the Southern Baptist Convention鈥檚 International Mission Board who are assigned to the Tanzania university of 15,000 students.
One of those six missionaries, Laura Lee Moore, is a journeyman in Tanzania for two years. She graduated from Union in 2004. Another Union graduate, Bethany Davis, is also a journeyman there, though she isn鈥檛 assigned to the university.
鈥淭hey were really receptive,鈥� Rager said of the students at the university. 鈥淐ollege is a time when you鈥檙e receptive to new ideas anyway. Even people who were staunchly Muslim would want to talk to you about religious issues.鈥�
For Megan Fuller, a 2004 Union graduate and member of the Tanzania team, the experience prompted her to think about her daily conversations with others.
鈥淗ow many of my conversations here turn around to what the Lord has done for me and what the Lord can do for someone else?鈥� Fuller asked. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 happen as often as it should. Here I am in one of the easiest places to be a Christian, and my conversation doesn鈥檛 turn around to that like it should.鈥�
Fuller said the trip helped her realize that 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to go to the other side of the world to tell somebody else about the Lord.鈥�
Because the Tanzania trip was all about 鈥渄ay-to-day missionary work,鈥� Rager said it had a significant impact on his team. Four of the team members left Africa feeling calls to do missions work.
鈥淭hey understand what it is to do,鈥� Rager said. 鈥淭hey understand that it鈥檚 not hard. It doesn鈥檛 require perfection and sainthood to do this kind of thing. It made God鈥檚 global purpose real, and I guess that鈥檚 the point of a GO trip.鈥�
Graham Mayfield, missions manager for Global Youth Ministry in Jackson and a 2003 Union graduate, led a team to a central Asia country that, for security reasons, cannot be identified. The team held a camp for children of IMB missionaries from several countries.
Mayfield said that the Bible study during the camp centered on the second half of the book of Acts and Paul鈥檚 missionary journeys.
鈥淲e used that as a way to encourage them that even though their parents are the ones called to the mission field, they can still have an impact and do awesome things for the kingdom,鈥� Mayfield said.
The kids were grateful for the Union team鈥檚 efforts, especially since many of them don鈥檛 have congregations where they can fellowship and worship as a group.
鈥淜ids were thanking us,鈥� Mayfield said. 鈥淥ne kid came up and said the speakers really had a big impact on her life. One girl emailed me and said thanks for coming.鈥�