NGU students to serve in Ecuador
Megan Conley, Lifestyle Editor
A group of Ecuadorian children gather together. Photo courtesy of Allen McWhite.
On May 9, nine Intercultural Studies students will travel to Ecuador to serve alongside a missionary until June 7.
The students will be accompanied by Allen McWhite, Director of the center for cross cultural engagement and global missions. This trip is part of the immersion required for the Intercultural Studies major. McWhite has served in Ecuador as a missionary and he has a grasp of the culture and what the students will be experiencing.
“My family and I served two terms in Ecuador. I was first appointed there in 1989, then we came back in 1991 on a medical leave and we went back in 1995 before coming here to NGU,” said McWhite.
According to McWhite, Catholicism is the predominant religion of the area. The students have spent this semester learning about the culture in preparation for this trip. They studied history of the area, studied Ecuador in depth, as well as Skyped the field missionary they will be serving with.
A group from a previous trip gathers for a picture. Photo courtesy of Allen McWhite.
“They have spent a semester in preparing. From reading, watching movies, discussing Catholicism, but the full impact will happen when they get there,” said McWhite.
McWhite also stated that the work the students will be doing is a lot more involved than a normal mission trip.
“What this particular group of students has planned to do, this in some ways, is not a traditional mission trip,” said McWhite. “They will be learning about the culture and will be visiting cultural and historical sites. They will be interviewing leaders, pastors, evangelists, convention officers, and they will be doing a variety of ministries.”
On April 16, 2016, an earthquake struck the coast of Ecuador and hundreds of people have died as a result. Although the team is not travelling there specifically to aid with the recovery, McWhite states that they will do all that they can to assist those in need.
“People all over the country are devastated. The whole country has been impacted. I don’t know how much they’ll be able to get into the earthquake relief type work, but hopefully we can take some money down.”
McWhite also shared words of encouragement for others that will be serving on mission trips in the future.
“We need to go in with humility and let them teach us,” said McWhite. “Don’t harm the work. If we go in with a sense of pride, then that is often not received well. So we try to prepare our students to go in as learners and to recognize we’re guests. Students have tremendous power and potential to breakdown stereotypes and barriers more than anyone else I know.”
