Mission Addiction: Summer 2014 in Uganda
The following is excerpted from The Vision Magazine’s Fall 2014 edition. Read the article in its entirety by picking up a copy of “The Vision” on newsstands across campus, including the library and the Stud.
Original article by Carli Frady, The Vision Magazine staff writer
Edited by Miranda Bradford, The Vision Online Assistant Editor
During the span of a year, many students at North Greenville University decide to go out of their comfort zones and step into the life of missions, whether it is short-term or long-term.
Sophomore Glenna Hallinan was able to travel to Uganda for two weeks during the summer of 2014 and spread the Gospel to that part of the world. She said she spent most of her time playing with kids and talking to the locals about Jesus Christ.
“Being [in Uganda], learning the culture and making lifelong friendships with locals made it all perfect. I saw joy in people who had very little and I saw children smiling. I learned love. It was just what I needed and I could never thank God enough for what He gave me while I was there,” said Hallinan.
Although God’s Word was shared over the summer, many are praying for Him to shed light during the upcoming turn of the season.
Jon Kesey, freshman, is one of the team members who was set to make a trip to Africa over Christmas break.
“The basic outline so far is working with an orphanage, preaching in prisons, doing some construction, doing door-to-door evangelism in a heavily Catholic area, and possibly doing relational evangelism by playing basketball with local teenagers,” said Kesey. “Our plans rarely fully match up with God’s and we are all prepared to do whatever we feel Him leading us to do as doors open and close.”
Allen McWhite, NGU’s director for global missions, said, “We want to see long-term results. We want to look at our own Judea and Samaria so that we can focus on what is near us, so we also want to go to more immigrated cities here in North America.”
Nikki Clifton, associate director for missions, shared what she desired for missions to look like at NGU. “My desire is for [missions] to be concrete and tangible for students in a way that they take from what they are doing. I want it to be more permanent for them, and not be just a trip or a country to mark off of a map. I hope God reveals Himself to the students and if they’re called to go into missions, then they do that. I would like it to permeate all throughout the campus,” said Clifton.
