Out of the many outreach opportunities available through Union, GO Trips is one of the most well-known. As many students prepare for the end of the school year, those who have been placed on the May international GO Trips anticipate their long-awaited journeys with much excitement.
There are three international GO trips this summer from May 19-31: Calgary, Ethiopia and Kenya.
ETHIOPIA
Those going to Ethiopia are excited to work with True Light Childcare.
“True Light Childcare is an organization similar to Compassion Kids but specifically for Ethiopia,” said Ash Cioto, a sophomore social work major and member of the Ethiopia GO Trip. “It is more centralized and community-based, which provides more opportunities for children to be sponsored.”
While there, the team will be leading workshops for the children as well as participating in home visits throughout the surrounding community. This enables the team to get to know the children and their families in a more personal atmosphere.
Cioto shared ways others could be praying for the trip:
– That God would prepare the hearts of the people in Ethiopia who will hear the gospel.
– Safety in traveling for the team.
– For clear communication across language barriers.
KENYA
The team traveling to Kenya will spend the first week working with partners at an orphanage outside the capital city of Nairobi. They will be serving at a local school and assisting field partners as they go out into the surrounding communities.
Though the first portion of the trip will involve work outside the city, the remainder will take place in Nairobi. Shelby Titsworth, a junior elementary education major and member of the Kenya GO Trip, shared what they will be doing in Nairobi.
“We will be going into local communities, reaching out and building relationships with them,” said Titsworth. “We will also be going onto college campuses and sharing creation to Christ stories.”
When asked what could be prayed for, Titsworth shared things that students can pray for as they go:
– Prayers for safety and peace in travels.
– For physical energy throughout the trip.
– To be able to share with clarity.
CALGARY
Team members preparing to go to Calgary are excited to work with their partners’ churches: Tapestry and Hope Church. While there, the team will be doing community mapping and doing door-to-door outreach to help them strategically find where churches need to be planted.
They will also be helping prep for the summer camps that the churches hold to engage the community with the gospel for both the children and parents.
Ben Fuller, a senior graphic design major, shared what he is most looking forward to about the trip.
“I am excited to be able to go,” said Fuller. “This is the first mission trip I have gone on by myself without parents or my church. I am so excited to be able to take the gospel further.”
As this team prepares to leave for Calgary, we can pray for them in the following ways:
– Eyes to see opportunities to share the gospel.
– That they will be an encouragement to the people and leaders in the church.
– That they will be challenged and help challenge others.
– Pray for Calgary and its diverse community, which holds many religious backgrounds.
For more information about GO Trips, visit https://www.uu.edu/oum/mobilization/go-trips.cfm.
