Seven student mission teams traveled to seven different countries over the course of three months. Going to places as remote as Ulaangom in Mongolia and into the urban cities of Chiang Mai, Thailand and Sydney, Australia, the teams worked in children’s homes, engaged in street evangelism, taught English, and partnered with local churches. Biola’s Student Missionary Union teams sought to help and serve in any way they could.

Team Indonesia

From May 27 to June 27, eight Biola students traveled throughout Indonesia to remote villages where they met with village leaders, prayed for the Muslim communities they stayed with and experienced the hospitality of Indonesian culture. While in the small village of Sikuwung at the base of Mount Merapi, a member of the trip, Sean Mickelsen, was challenged by the hospitality of the people he stayed with.

“I am rich in every aspect of the word compared to the people we’ve built relationships with, but it is not instinctive for me to give half as much as they have displayed,” Sean said.

Nicole Hong, one of the leaders of the team, was encouraged by seeing her team love the people of Indonesia.

“Though we had to leave, we know our Father is faithful to water those seeds and His movement in Indonesia continues until the day of Jesus’ return,” said Hong.

Team Australia

This past year, seven members of the SMU team made a trip to the ‘land down under.’ Working with local churches, the group started in Sydney with the Southside Christian Fellowship and continued on to Shepparton in Victoria, Australia where they worked with GV Christian Fellowship. The team participated in a variety of services that included preaching, organizing youth group, helping out at a football tournament, and going door-to-door to ask for prayer requests. According to the group, it was really cool to encourage and pour into the younger students. Although the team was met with rejection while going door-to-door, they were still confident that God would continue to do work in each of their lives and the people to which they ministered.

Team Sri Lanka

Dubbed “Season 4” by the 13 members of the Sri Lanka team, this is the fourth team sent to the country by SMU. In the six weeks they were there the team was given the opportunity to work in youth camps and speak at a prestigious college in the capital of Colombo. By serving in many different ways the team said that they were able to share some of the passions of their heart.

Roderick Garcia, a member of the team described the team as being “as ragtag as the disciples.”

“The men of our team have been adopted as ‘aye yas’ and the women as ‘ah keys,’ or ‘big brother, big sister’ of these precious children,” Garcia said about their time working with the children of Colombo.

All members of the team found great comfort in the attitudes of the children they worked with.

“The visibility of their love for the Lord is so pure, somewhat convicting, and deeply touching,” said Michelle Van Camp, another member of the team.

Team Japan

After more than 12 hours flying across the Pacific, the eight person team landed in Japan for their month-long trip. The team stayed from July 17 to August 17, working on a variety of projects that ranged from helping out the fledgling Tonamino Bible Church, which was only 3 weeks old, to passing out tracts, and helping out at Takaoka Baptist Church’s “Joy-Joy” Bible camps retreat. The team hiked to waterfalls, played games with children at the Bible camps and prayed for people on the streets. While teaching an English class, the team met an elderly woman who was troubled with “seeing spirits.” They prayed and talked with this woman. Because of the visit, the woman was greatly impacted. The team received a letter from the woman thanking them for their prayer and ministry.

Team Mongolia

From losing their luggage twice, having trouble with hotel reservations, and a two-day bus ride with 30 people, the team finally made it to their destination — Ulaangom. Traveling from the capital of Ulaanbatar, or “UB,” the all men team of seven arrived in the southern region of Ulaangom where they backpacked for 25 days, ministering and sharing the Gospel to more than 30 families. The days in the mountains were spent sawing and splitting wood, milking goats, and spreading the Gospel. The team estimates that seven people were saved and said that they were the very first missionaries to have ever set foot in the valley.

Team Uganda

While the 7-person team worked on painting the 3-point line on the basketball court at the Agape Children’s Village, it started to pour. Before long, an improvised ‘slip-n-slide’ was set up for the kids to enjoy.

The students traveled more than 35 hours to get to Uganda then another 40 hours to get to the Agape Children’s Village where they would work for the majority of the time.

“God's work for us may be finished in Uganda, but he is already continuing his work through us in America. Personally, I am so excited to see what he has in store for us next,” said Heather Pape, one of the team members.

Team Thailand

The Thailand team faced a tough transition; they had to move from teaching English at a local university to the red-light district. The transition was made easier by meals at local restaurants, and the riding of elephants and petting baby tigers at a local zoo. Yet, the 5-women team still required prayer.

“Pray for us as we begin our next ministry,” said one member of the team members, Chelsea Tonti. The spiritual atmosphere is much heavier here, and many of us have been fighting the feelings of hopelessness that we’ve encountered in other people around us.”

Although the transition was hard at first the team continues to assert that God is good despite what they encountered.

 

Written by Ethan Froelich and Sarah Enriquez, Public Relations Interns. For more information, contact Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator, at 562.777.4061 or at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.