Growth

Every every time someone asks you, “How was Urbana?” it’s an opportunity to share not only about your conference experiences but also about the broader story of God you’re living in.

I play basketball with a group of guys at the local 24 Hour Fitness. Our relationship consists of playing ball together and that’s pretty much it. But a few months ago, after we finished playing, a group of us stuck around to shoot the breeze.

Isaac may someday return to an overseas mission field. But his Global Program experience has given him a new appreciation for international student ministry.

We expend a lot of energy trying to figure out God’s will for our lives. We seek his guidance selecting colleges, majors, career paths—all with the underlying notion that there is a hole in God’s plan that only we can fill.

Hikari Saiga was an ordinary student at Waseda University in Japan. And she liked it that way. But recently, while an exchange student at the University of Washington in Seattle, God worked through her reluctant efforts and made himself known.

Your paths to fulfilling your commitments will look a little different for each of you. But no matter what your specific path looks like, plan for it to include these eight steps.

After I attended my first Urbana Student Mission Conference in 1973 as a 19-year-old college sophomore from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, I returned home exhilarated: the size of the conference, the caliber of the speakers, the awesome worship, the array of workshops and exhibits, and the small group interactions combined to make that conference one of the greatest experiences of my life to that point. At the “anywhere-Jesus-says-I’ll-go” challenge, I stood and dedicated myself to go wherever God would send me in the world.

If it hasn’t already, there’s a good chance that your path in missions will include a short term missions program. If you haven't already had to, there’s a good chance you’ll need to avoid some pitfalls along the way, especially the pitfall of fear.