May 6, 2024
Most college students typically spend their spring break visiting home or going on a big trip with friends, but this spring break, a group of students from the Shorter University Baptist Collegiate Ministries decided to forgo the usual relaxation and fun in favor of being of the hands and feet of Christ.
They packed their bags and headed almost 2,000 miles away from Shorter to serve the small town of Livingston, Montana.
Hayden Lanier, a senior Middle Grades Education major, and Ella Ballard, a junior Ecology and Field Biology major, volunteered to share their experience and what the team was able to accomplish while there.
Why did you choose to go on the trip?
Hayden: “I chose to go because we have opportunities while in college to participate in short-term mission trips that we will not have after college! Right now, whether it is through BCM or Send Me Now, many students involved in a campus ministry have the flexibility and means to travel to places where the gospel is being shared among people who do not know Christ. God has opened my eyes to what missions are and their importance during my time at Shorter, and I am grateful to be able to take trips like this to serve others and share the gospel with them while in college. “
Ella: “I felt called to go on the trip. I chose to go in service to the Lord, and I enjoy serving. I absolutely love seeing new places, or at least less familiar places and the Montana landscape is gorgeous. From past experience, mission trips bring me out of my comfort zone and really grow my faith, and so I wanted to go knowing that would be the case on this mission trip too.”
What did you do while you were there?
Hayden: “We worked with a church plant called Expedition Church and a couple from Georgia who live in Montana and work at the church. They had several projects for us to do such as visiting an assisted living facility, making crafts and serving lunch at a local Christian school, and painting a boys & girls home! We were blessed to be able to build relationships with several people at the places we served.”
Ella: “We did a little bit of everything. Kids ministry, attended the Sunday morning service at Expedition Church, visited Castlen (an assisted living center in Livingston) and were able to play bingo with the residents, did a craft with them, and had dinner together (each a different day of the trip), went on a prayer driver, had fun in the snow (sledding, snowball fights, building snowmen, etc.), visited Yellowstone, did some painting for a boys and girls ranch, explored Downtown Livingston and did our best to witness to those the Lord put in our path, did crafts, served lunch, and had recess with the students at The Way Christian School, explored along the Yellowstone River, and packed back of food and treats for school kids to take home over the weekends.”
What was your favorite moment from the trip?
Hayden: “My favorite moment from the trip was when we visited the assisted living for the third time on the final night of the trip. This was a very sweet time as we conversed with the residents, enjoyed a delicious meal, and listened to and sang hymns. We were able to get to know a few of the people there, and we enjoyed going there and were grateful for their hospitality.”
Ella: “Mission-wise was getting to know all of the kids we worked with throughout the week, to be able to love on them by listening to and playing with them. Otherwise, one of my favorite moments was making lunches together the night before our trip to Yellowstone. Honestly, any moment where our team was enjoying time together, whether that was during a debrief or just us having fun, was a favorite moment for me.”
What did this experience teach you?
Hayden: “This experience taught me that we need to be willing to serve others in order to share Christ’s love with them as well as the importance of loving those in our community. Wherever you live, there are people in need and individuals who have never heard the truth of the gospel. We don’t have to hop on a plane to serve others, we can share with them on our campus or in our hometown!”
Ella: “That one of the best ways to evangelize is to look for the needs of others and meet them. To show God’s love through acts of service, and that service can be absolutely anything. I learned how I can be more bold in my faith and in sharing it with others. That prayer, and your motive behind prayer, is extremely important. Talking to God in a way that pleases Him and enhances your walk with Him makes all the difference.”
