NGU students adapt and serve on Peru mission trip
Treasure Hardwick, News and Feature Editor
Photo courtesy of Lilliane Yorio
Every spring break, North Greenville University sends students all around the globe on mission trips. This year, one team planned to travel to Ecuador, but unrest in the region forced a change. The students went to Peru instead.
The change left the students going on the trip uncertain at first, but they eventually embraced the new opportunity and stories that could come from Peru.
In Peru, the team partnered with local ministries, led children camps, visited schools and participated in outreach in villages along the Amazon River.
Naomi Elkins, junior biology major, explained that she was not concerned when there was a change of plans with the trip. Instead of giving up on the idea of a mission trip, she continued to fundraise and pray for new trip opportunities. She would not have thought to go to Peru, but she said she is so grateful that she went.
“Honestly, I didn’t even really choose Peru, but now that I’ve done it, I wouldn’t have chosen anything else,” she said. “It was so amazing to see the Lord working through that.”
Once in Peru, the team served all day, every day. For most of the trip, they served with children in schools.
Elkins found working with children both challenging and rewarding because of language barriers.
“Even if you didn’t quite understand what they were saying, just giving them your attention meant so much to them,” she said.
Elkins described a particularly moving moment during a visit to an elderly woman’s home. The woman was suffering from dementia, leading her to not understand what why the team was there.
The group started to sing worship songs with the woman, and she immediately began to sing along, remembering every word.
Elkins said, “I just began to cry. Even though we live in a broken world…the Lord was still there and with her.”
Freshman Lillian Yorio said the trip taught her the importance of adapting to the difference age groups of the children she worked with. Each group needed a different thing and needed to be met where they were at.
Students spent the first part of the week helping an organization called Rise Together with one of their programs called Club Alegria, which means club joy. The program is similar to Vacation Bible School, where students receive tutoring and hear the gospel.
The team worked alongside Peruvian leaders to teach lessons and play games with students ranging from kindergarten to 16 years old.
Toward the end of the trip, the team traveled down the Amazon River to a remote village where a dental team treated families while students led children’s programs.
Yorio said the experience gave her a deeper appreciation for the local culture.
“The people in the village were so welcoming, and you could see how much they valued our time with them,” she said.
The students also attended a local church service, which they explained was much different from what they were used to in the United States.
“People at church were just so happy, and they were there for so much longer,” Yorio said.
Both students said the trip strengthened their faith and gave them perspective on the global church.
“Don’t forget that the church is not just here in America,” Elkins said. “The Lord is working in churches all over the world.”
Yorio encouraged other students to trust God’s plans when going on a mission trip or even just thinking about going on one.
“I wasn’t expecting to go to Peru, but I ended up there, and I’m so glad I did,” she said.
