Asbury College GOes International
By Heidi Heater, a senior from Jackson, Ky.
WILMORE, KY—GO International partners with Asbury College to provide internships and short term mission trips to help students meet the College’s cross cultural education requirement. For eight weeks this summer, Kayla Mangrich, Jarad Bivins and Evan Slee are completing internships at the GO Institute for International Leadership.
“I’m taking what I’m learning in class and putting it into a real life situation,” said Evan Slee, a Bible and theology major.
These students are learning to be effective missionaries by watching and ministering to people both in the office and on short term mission trips. In July, Mangrich and Bivins will travel to Peru, and Slee recently returned from Nicaragua. He and his group helped build a church, teach English and conduct church services. For Slee, however, the trip taught him more than how to swing a hammer.
Using the Biblical account of Mary and Martha, Slee said, “I’m learning the difference between doing and just being. Coming from a Western mindset, I’m focused on accomplishing a task, but it’s more about finding value in who you are. Martha’s distracted with many things, but Mary’s listening to Jesus. I’m learning to be like Mary.”
In addition to internships, GO international also plans to host 38 mission trips in 2009 to allow students the opportunity to fulfill the cross cultural requirement. According to Zach Szmara, director of the GO institute for International Leadership, these mission trips and internships will be geared for students with specific majors and gifts.
For example, students will have the opportunity to host basketball camps, teach English as a second language and assist with children’s programming.
“Some internships are geared more toward the goals of the organization, but ours are for the goals of the individuals,” Szmara said. “We want to help GO out, but we want students to leave as changed individuals who are prepared to be better pastors or missionaries around the world.”
Released: July 2008
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Tagged: features, news, internships, missions and Bible-theology
