More and more college students are spending their summers and spring breaks traveling abroad for mission trips. Africa, Sweden, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Haiti are some of the destinations visited by these mission-oriented students. Each destination has a different experience that sheds light on the impact gained from these unique opportunities. The UNCW campus has numerous untold stories of students spending their time off to help the impoverished, the needy and the poor succeed through their own efforts.

Over the last decade, Africa has become an increasingly popular place for churches to send missionaries. The forest-covered jungles and dangerous wildlife might be appealing to the eye, but junior Carson Joyner sees Africa through a whole different lens. Last summer, he traveled to Kenya to spend his time with a children’s choir.

“It was an eye-opening experience to travel to the homes of the little kids,” said Joyner. “They lived in horrible conditions with barely enough food, yet they still had giant smiles on their faces. Their favorite activity was singing, so a choir was formed of just the children. Now they bring their message all across Africa and even to the U.S.”

Joyner spent two weeks in Kenya with the children’s choir, practicing their music and singing for local villages. They then flew to the U.S., stopping at different cities to sing at churches.

“This gave a chance for Americans to hear about the troubling story of the kids in the children’s choir,” said Joyner. “It also provided opportunities for the kids to leave their conditions in Africa and express their love of singing.”

Sweden has recently become a favorite spot for student missionaries to travel to. Campus Crusade for Christ, a Christian college organization, sends students on mission trips. Junior Emily Farmer is a member of CRU and travelled to Sweden last summer.

“This mission trip changed my perspective on God’s heart for the world,” said Farmer. “I have always had a heart for missions, but had my mind set on going to Africa. God opened my eyes to the need in places that people usually look over, like Sweden. Many Swedes have never heard the Gospel and rarely talk about God with their closest friends or family.”

Farmer spent 12 weeks in Sweden with 20 other American college students. They were invited into high schools and universities to converse with students and invite them to special events put on by CRU. The interactions at the schools and events provided opportunities for Farmer to speak to the students about Christianity.

“I believe these mission trips are beneficial to the people we are trying to reach, and the people who are doing the reaching out,” said Farmer.

Although Sweden and Africa have made their mark as top mission trip destinations, other countries have also attracted student missionaries.

Seniors Zach Reynolds and Leisha Sitton spent two weeks in Puerto Rico last summer with 20 high school students. They traveled with the local youth group from First Baptist Church of Wilmington to build houses for the people of Puerto Rico.

“This was a great experience for me to understand the importance of serving people in need of help,” said Reynolds.

“This was my first mission trip out of the country,” said Sitton, “I can’t wait to do more in the future because of all the incredible experiences I walked away with.”

Junior Jordan Sasser journeyed to Mexico for one summer with his family to bring aid to the people.

“We built houses, worked with local churches and just talked to the Mexicans about Jesus Christ,” said Sasser. “The places we visited were so poor and had such harsh conditions. This was a unique experience because my family experienced the same heartache that I felt when I visit Mexico.”

“I hope that college students can understand that there is more to be gained from serving rather than being served,” Sasser said. “They can walk away with the same transformation as I have from doing a mission trip.”