From small spring break trips to summer internships overseas, Oklahoma Christian University’s Center for Global Missions works to provide students with hearts for missions with various opportunities.
Director of Center for Global Missions Ben Langford said his focus is toward global mission internships, which he starts recruiting for in the fall. Langford said 22 different interns are chosen and then assigned to 10 different countries, including Northern Ireland, Austria, Croatia, Uganda, Tanzania, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Canada.
Dubbing missions abroad as a “faith exercise,” Langford said the fundraising aspect of missions tends to scare students, yet, he said he frames fundraising as asking people to participate in God’s work in the world rather than asking money for oneself.
“It is a revelatory experience going and seeing what God is doing in the world, how he is working through other people, getting to serve alongside people and getting to be God’s hands and feet,” Langford said. “Those are the moments where you get outside of your comfort zone.”
This summer, Oklahoma Christian student Jack Smith will intern with the Center for Global Missions in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Smith will stay with a family in Port Vila and work with the local ministry. Smith said the project of his internship is to assist in uniting the churches of Vanuatu.
“The Christian foundation is set [in Vanuatu], but there are some cultural things that are off and cultural norms that are not Christian-based,” Smith said. “The island has a lot of domestic abusive relationships, lack of decent healthcare and a low cost of living.”
Langford said several opportunities for mission work are available for students. While the Center for Global Missions focuses on overseas internships, other opportunities are available, including Let’s Start Talking and HonduraServe, which is exclusively for nursing students. Churches in the Edmond, OK area—Memorial Road Church of Christ and Edmond Church of Christ—also provide mission opportunities for students.
Junior Valerie Stanglin participated in last year’s Edmond Church of Christ mission trip to McAllen, TX and she said the goal of the trip is to help those unable to help themselves. Stanglin said she would encourage others to join along in the this annual trip because it is a way to plug into a church and make memories.
“Some of my favorite memories happened after the work was done and we were just hanging out in the camp,” Stanglin said. “One night, Molly Peterson and I took a nap and missed dinner, so we got to hang out in the kitchen. I think the best night was in San Antonio when we packed almost 20 college kids in a hotel room to play Mafia. There were tons of laughs, and it was a great way to end the trip.”
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