Annual Report

0222 a year in review:

overseas
summer

trips.



A YEAR IN REVIEW:

2022 OVERSEAS

SUMMER MISSION TRIPS

TO EVERY NATION, TRIBE, & TONGUE.

A SUMMER

OVERSEAS

MUMBAI, INDIA | PHOTO BY: MAX CARVER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

02 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
03 ABOUT CORNERSTONE CHURCH
05 UNREACHED MEANING
07 WORLD EVANGELIZATION STATUS
09 OVERSEAS STORIES
11 INDONESIA
17 THAILAND
23 FRANCE
29 INDIA
35 KENYA
41 VIETNAM
47 REVIEWS & FINAL THOUGHTS

to those
near to &
far from

God,

1

a letter from the editor,

Revelation 7:9 says, “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude
from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could num-
ber, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in
white robes with palm branches in their hands.”
When the gospel enters people's hearts, there is an urgency to share the
good news. What is good news, you ask? The truth that Jesus Christ, the son
of God, has set us free from our sins through His life, death, and resurrec-
tion. This instills hope that cannot be kept to oneself. Believers share the
ways the gospel has transformed them in hopes of reaching every nation,
tribe, and tongue.
Cornerstone Church, in Ames, Iowa, was planted by the college ministry,
Salt Company, at Iowa State. Every summer, Cornerstone Church and Salt
Company send out people to love and encourage the unreached. The Josh-
ua Project explains unreached as “groups that lack enough followers of
Christ and resources to evangelize their own people.” Students and recent
graduates travel overseas to share the good news of the gospel with those
who may have never heard it before. Whether you're a college student inter-
ested in an overseas trip, a family member of a student who went overseas,
or simply someone who is curious about the process and wants to learn
more, you've come to the right place. Over 40% of the world's population
is unreached. This means that over 40% of the world doesn’t have access
to God’s word. But that doesn't mean they're out of reach of God's love.
Being called to go overseas looks different for each person who goes. When
your life has been changed by the one greater than us all, your response
will fit accordingly. This annual report accounts for students' experiences
overseas in the summer of 2022. I am grateful to be able to share these
experiences and the impact of a summer overseas.
Sincerely,
Tessa Judge | Editor

2

Ames, IA

CORNERSTONE CHURCH
& THE SALT COMPANY

ABOUT CORNERSTONE CORNERSTONE’S SALT COMPANY HISTORY
CHURCH CORE VISION
For almost 50 years God has been
A Gospel-Fueled Church. Faithful Presence: This means writing a story that we believe is
The greatest news in the world is unflinching commitment to live for both unique and inspiring, yet far
not what we have done for God, but the city. A faithful oak tree in Ames from complete. Jack Owens started
what God has done for us in Christ. and Story County and Iowa. a Baptist Student ministry at Iowa
This Good News should shape and Fruitful Witness: We are called to State University in 1972. In 1986 the
empower every aspect of life. our community, our family, and our ministry transitioned and became
A Gathered Church. We place a career, all through which we share part of a local church and changed
high value on gathering as a church the Good News and show the love the name to The Salt Company.
body to hear from God as the Bible of Christ. In 1994, fueled by a passion for
is taught and to respond to God reaching the next generation, the
with worship and praise. WHAT IS SALT COMPANY? leadership of The Salt Company
A Church Family. Beyond our planted a new church, Cornerstone
weekend gatherings, we are The Salt Company is the college Church, with 24 community
faithful to pursue accountable ministry of Cornerstone Church members and 200 college students.
relationships, to develop of Ames, focused on developing Since 1994 both the church and The
intentional friendships and live out Christ-centered community among Salt Company has thrived under
the “one anothers” of scripture. students of Iowa State University. the waterfall of God’s blessing.
An Outward-Facing Church. Our Thursday night gathering is In 2016, The Salt Network was
We want others to know Christ, so about celebrating Jesus as a family. formed. There are over 400 major
we share the love of Jesus as we universities across North America.
speak the Gospel and show the love BELIEFS Through the Salt Network, we pray
of Jesus as we live for the good of we will see a thriving church and
our neighbor. There’s a God. Salt Company established in all of
A Next-Generation Church. We’re free to choose. the major university centers.
We believe the university is the God loves us, regardless.
most strategic mission field in the We can love Him back. written by: cornerstonelife.com
world, so we prioritize reaching
students through our college
ministry, The Salt Company.
A Sending Church. We believe our
measure of success is not seating
capacity, but our sending capacity.
As we strive to be a vibrant Gospel
church in Ames, we want to fuel
a multiplying Gospel movement
through our church-planting
initiative, The Salt Network.

3

CORNERSTONE CHURCH | AMES, IOWARomans 10:14-15
How, then, can they call on him they
have not believed in? And how can
they believe without hearing about
him? And how can they hear without
a preacher? And how can they preach
unless they are sent? As it is written:
How beautiful are the feet of those
who bring good news.
4

UNREACHEDRECLAIMING THE MEANING OF

The Joshua Project | (joshuaproject.net) | Marvin J. Newell

Your neighbor across the street does not believe in
Jesus. Your brother-in-law is still unsaved, though he
has repeatedly been presented with the gospel. Your
church has an outreach to Haiti, with a full-time couple
serving there. Just because someone does not believe
the gospel does not mean they are unreached.

Though none of the people referenced here have
come to faith in Christ, contrary to popular thinking
among many Christians, they are not “unreached.”
How is this so and why does this matter? The short and
simple answer relates to gospel access and opportunity,
and the church’s mission.

Just because someone does not believe the gospel
does not mean they are unreached. “Unreached
peoples” are actually those who have no opportunity to
hear the gospel at all. They don’t have a chance because
they don’t have a Jesus follower nearby to explain the
good news of Christ to them. In most instances there
is no church, no Bible, and no way of hearing about the
love of God and His redeeming work through the death
and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

To better understand who are considered reached and
who are not, we can divide the 7.6 billion inhabitants of
the world into four segments.

LESS THAN 2%

An unreached people group has a Christian
Evangelical population of less than 2%
(The Joshua Project)

5

FOUR SEGMENTS:
1 | reached and saved
2 | reached but not saved
3 | under-reached and unsaved
4 | unreached and unsaved

Reached and Saved - These are Christians who
believe in the Bible as God’s Word and have received
by faith alone the gracious atoning work of Jesus on
their behalf.
Reached but not Saved - They have some knowledge
of the gospel but with no or nominal acceptance.
They are “Christians” by tradition rather than by
conviction. They have access to the gospel – it is all
around them – without believing it.
Under-reached and Unsaved - They have never heard
a clear presentation of the gospel, although it is
nearby. They have some access to the gospel through
various means, such as a nearby believer, through
media, or the internet, but it is woefully sparse.
Unreached and Unsaved - They sadly have no wit-
nessing community within their people group or in
their geographic area – no access to the gospel. They
have no opportunity to hear, no chance to believe.
For a further breakdown of the above categories see
The Joshua Project.

“Unreached peoples” are actually
those who have no opportunity to
hear the gospel at all.

6

2022

STATUS OF WORLD
EVANGELIZATION

SOURCE: THE JOSHUA PROJECT

25% 25% LANGUAGES (7,382)

26% 10% Of the 7,382 world languages, 2,326 have
22% the New Testament available, covering
over 91% of the world’s population.

SCRIPTURE TRANSLATION

Translation Needed
Complete Bible
New Testament
Portions/ Translation Underway
Low Language Viability

7

ABSOLUTE NUMBER 10
OF NON-BELIEVERS
IS GROWING: 8

Percentage-wise Christ- Billion 6 6.35
followers are growing faster 4 5.28 5.53
than the general population
(2.4% vs 1.1%), but the absolute 4.16
number of non-believers is
increasing. The white bars are 2 2.47 2.66 3.42
getting bigger!
0 1.06 1.23 1.99 2.52
There are more people alive 0.56
today that do not know Christ
than at any other time in 1900 1970 2000 2020 2025 2050
history. (The Joshua Project)

Christians Non-Christians

42.5% 57.5% WHAT IS A PEOPLE GROUP?

A people group is the largest group within
which the gospel can spread as a church
planting movement without encountering
barriers of understanding or acceptance.

FROM THE WORLD POPULATION:

People Groups: 17,400
Unreached People Groups: 4,400

Unreached People Groups
Reached People Groups

8

PHOTOS BY: PEOPLE IN PAGES 13-46

9

A Summer

OVERSEAS

10

11

INDONESIA
POPULATION: 275,128,000
TOTAL PEOPLE GROUPS: 787
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS: 240
% OF GROUPS UNREACHED: 30.5%

12

AMANDA’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED TO
GO OVERSEAS?

During the summer of 2021, an overseas mission trip
was constantly in the back of my mind. After I met
Jesus and saw all the peace and healing He provided
for me, it was hard for me to imagine never hearing
His name or what He did for us. I knew some people in
other countries are in that situation, and I wanted so
badly to get to witness God reaching them.

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM YOU
ON THIS TRIP?

God transformed me by revealing things to me about
myself that I was previously unaware of. I learned so
much about the way that I communicate and receive
information. I am now much more aware of my
tendency to speak without listening first. I now pay
more attention to this and be sure to listen first and
speak with gentleness.

“I learned I can have grace for myself because

the Creator of
the world has
grace for me.”

13

“I learned what it feels
like to live for God and to

rely on Him only.”

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU INDONESIA | PHOTOS BY: AMANDA ROSICH & BRYSON MITCHELL
WOULD GO?

During Salt early in the fall of 2021, I learned
that the network sends students on summer
mission trips. When the staff members on
the stage mentioned the interest meeting
going on directly after Salt, I knew I needed
to go. During the whole service, I felt this
power over me. This was the first time I truly
felt the presence of God. There were tears
streaming down my face for what felt like no
reason at all.

WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
MET?

My expectations were more than met.
Sharing the Gospel was much more
comfortable that I anticipated. Oftentimes,
I could feel the Lord speaking through
me. I knew the words coming out of my
mouth were not my own, and that feeling
overwhelmed me with joy and confidence. I
was able to see what life looks like when I am
fully relying on God.

INDONESIA

14

BRYSON’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED TO
GO OVERSEAS?

I really developed a heart for the nations on
my short-term mission trips in the past. Also,
I felt the weight of how much more eternally
impactful a summer overseas could be over an
internship. I figured that I wouldn’t have another
opportunity like this.

WHAT WAS THE MOST
UNEXPECTED PART OF THIS TRIP?

The most unexpected part was the call to prayer
and how predominant the Muslim religion was
in everyday life. This was when a man performs
an Arabic saying over the microphone 5 times a
day as a signal for the citizens to pray.

15

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM YOU ON “I saw first hand
THIS TRIP? how I was just

It’s so easy to go overseas and feel like it is me that is the hands and feet
doing work for God. for God to work
For example, when I met my friend Ed. He has a through me.”
Christian heritage in his family, but his dad converted
his mom to Islam and sheltered him from learning
about Christianity. All of these things came together
for us to meet him and have successful interactions
with him. All I did was be faithful and bold when I had
the opportunity. None of my work overseas felt like it
was by my own power, but God working through me.
God transformed me on this trip was to grow me in
faithfulness and humility.

WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS MET?

I learned more than anticipated about the culture.
I wasn’t overwhelmed, but had to heavily adapt. My
expectation about sharing the gospel was met, but
the process was a lot more difficult than I thought.
I had a fallacy that I would just automatically be
bold in sharing my faith, but it took a lot of awkward
conversations and practice.

INDONESIA | PHOTOS BY: AMANDA ROSICH & BRYSON MITCHELL

INDONESIA

16

17

THAILAND
POPULATION: 71,482,000
TOTAL PEOPLE GROUPS: 114
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS: 77
% OF GROUPS UNREACHED: 67.5%

18

SARAH’S
STORY

DID YOU ALWAYS
KNOW YOU WANTED
TO GO OVERSEAS?

No. I grew up a nonbeliever
and had no intention of
working full-time in ministry
once I graduate college or
going overseas in general!
When I first became a
believer I didn’t think that
I would be good at it so
even as an early believer my
answer would have still been
a no.

WHAT MADE YOU
FEEL CALLED TO GO
OVERSEAS?

The great commission. Knowing
about the lost people overseas who
have never had a chance to hear
about Jesus. (Luke 10:02, Isaiah
6:8) Hearing from missionaries
and what the Lord is doing in and
through them and asking Him if
he could use me that way and that
I would listen. After lots of prayers
and what I feel were answers, I
decided to apply.

19

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM WHAT WAS THE MOST
YOU ON THIS TRIP? UNEXPECTED PART OF
THIS TRIP?
He showed me the power of His spirit that works in
me. He showed me ways that he was working in my The most unexpected part of
own life as well as the lives of the new friends I was my trip was how comfortable
making. He taught me to love better as He does, I felt in Thailand. It almost
to be more patient like He is, and to give my life to felt like home in a sense and I
Him in all I do and in my work. absolutely loved the culture.

“He transformed my
heart to love people
from different
nations in a way I
did not expect.”

WHAT’S NEXT? THAILAND | PHOTOS BY: SARAH PATTSCHULL & EMMA BOCK

I decided that I wanted to pursue full-time overseas
work after returning from my first summer trip. There
were many things the Lord taught me during my first
trip and showed me once I returned to the states as to
why I should go long-term.

THAILAND

20

EMMA’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU “He increased my heart
FEEL CALLED TO GO for the nations.”
OVERSEAS?

I felt called to go overseas
because the Bible instructs us to
spread the gospel throughout
the nations and it seemed like
a great opportunity to witness
how God works in other parts of
the world and be able to share
His love with the people there.

HOW DID GOD
TRANSFORM YOU ON
THIS TRIP?

God taught me a lot about
contentment throughout the
summer. It was hard to not have
the comforts of home or be
able to talk to the people I love,
but it helped me to rely on God
for contentment in new ways.

21

WHAT WAS THE MOST “God didn’t need me
UNEXPECTED PART OF THIS TRIP? to spread the gospel

The most unexpected part was some members in Thailand this
of my team getting Covid on the last week and summer, but I was
having to suddenly quarantine. We didn’t get to
say goodbye to some of our friends and we lost fortunate enough
our last week of opportunity to share the gospel that he chose to use
with people. However, God taught me a lot
about patience and the power of prayer. When me in that way.”
I wasn’t able to go out and meet people, I had
more time to stop and pray. I felt powerless and
useless, but God reminded me that prayer is the
most powerful thing I have in any situation and
that he is faithful.

HOW WAS THE TRANSITION THAILAND | PHOTOS BY: SARAH PATTSCHULL & EMMA BOCK
BACK TO AMERICA?
THAILAND
One of the girls we met texted me a
couple of months after we got back to say
she had started reading the Bible! She had
not seemed interested in faith while we
were in Thailand, but it has been so cool to
see how God has continued to work after
we have returned home and be able to
give glory to him for working in her heart.

22

23

FRANCE

POPULATION: 64,391,000
TOTAL PEOPLE GROUPS: 113
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS: 37
% OF GROUPS UNREACHED: 32.7%

24

LIV’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED
TO GO OVERSEAS?

From a young age, I recognized how
blessed I was to have grown up in a
faith-having family and knew that there
are countless people who have not been
told the gospel their entire life. God is
absolutely capable of giving me the ability
to do it and that was not in my control, but
I was able to control my willingness. I really
like the “allegory of the cave,” which in
summary means that those who have seen
the truth have the responsibility to share
it with those who don’t know. I wanted to
give time in my life to share the gospel.

WHAT WAS THE MOST UNEXPECTED PART OF THIS TRIP?

So much of our everyday life was unexpected because my partner and I were quite spontaneous in our
ways to spend time with friends. I completely fell in love with my city and the people I was there with. I
did not expect to make such amazing friends, both with my teammates and the people I met there.

25

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE FRANCE | PHOTOS BY: LIV MACY & QUINN GJERNESS
EXPERIENCE OF THIS TRIP?

This is absolutely the hardest question, so
much happened. I would probably choose
the story of meeting one of our best
friends. As we were walking through a park
we saw a girl sitting and eating by herself so
we went and asked her about restaurants in
the area. After chatting for a while we asked
if she would go to the restaurant with us
someday and she said yes. After swapping
contact info, later getting dinner, and
sharing the gospel with her she accepted
Christ. Weeks later she told us that she had
never been in that park before that day, she
rarely ever leaves work for lunch, and she
never eats by herself in public!!!

“That entire
friendship had
God’s hand print
on it from the
beginning.”

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM YOU ON
THIS TRIP?

God has given me an even bigger heart for the nations,
France especially. I met so many people that had such
large amounts of baggage and hurt from the church
in their past and it was stopping them from pursuing a
relationship with God.

“I pray that my heart
never stops breaking

for the nations.”

Now I want to go overseas again and I am quite certain
I will move overseas for at least 2 years!

FRANCE

26

QUINN’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL “He had the mercy
CALLED TO GO OVERSEAS? and grace to make this
desirable in my heart.”
I’ve always loved the idea of doing
radical things to serve God - this was
a great opportunity for that! In my
opinion, “Feeling called” is often a
phrase we use to describe our own
feelings, which may or may not be
God’s actual will for our lives. In this
case, God very much used my strong
desire to grow to propel toward this
opportunity. Was I meant for this?
Well, if “this” is sharing the hope and
life I’ve found in Jesus Christ, then yes,
I was meant for this. By any means
possible, we are called to that. So
rather than feeling called, I would say
that the Father called me as He does
all His beloved children.

27

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT GOING “By the grace of God,
INTO THE TRIP? I was able to see 2

I expected a rather grueling experience, filled people come to faith
with hardship and embarrassment, and a level in Jesus Christ.”
of fear with being in a new country. I expected
ministry to be difficult and near impossible. I (This was something missionaries in France
also expected lots of conflict between team had not seen in the last 3 years serving there.”)
members, and in all of this, I expected lots of
growth as a person. HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM
YOU ON THIS TRIP?
WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS MET?
Well… He certainly showed me that I am truly
No, not really. For one, it was SO. DANG. passionate about pursuing the salvation of
FUN! Yes, talking to people was hard, and yes, others in direct ministry. I grew into a more
ministry was typically scarcely fruitful in France, sturdy woman, leaning more heavily on the
but I felt the summer was marked with more authority of Scripture, and just in praying
joy, diligence, and peace rather than bitterness, prayers with that Matthew 21:21 kind of faith.
hardship, and conflict. I realized that I was willing to serve my Jesus
anywhere, and I believe that He will take me
back to France once I graduate! He also showed
me how to hold my relationship with my
boyfriend with an open hand, willing to give it
up, but having faith in its foundation on Jesus.
(Spoiler: we found we are both passionate about
global ministry, and we are getting married!)

FRANCE | PHOTOS BY: LIV MACY & QUINN GJERNESS FRANCE

28

29

INDIA

POPULATION: 1,410,717,000
TOTAL PEOPLE GROUPS: 2,373
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS: 2,135
% OF GROUPS UNREACHED: 90.0%

30

MAX’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED TO
GO OVERSEAS?

I had many different people in my life share with
me how going overseas changed their lives for the
better and that I should seriously consider going.
Matthew 28: 18-20 was also a very huge part in
moving me to apply for overseas ministry. I wanted
to be obedient to what God tells us and wanted to
go out and share the gospel with those that don’t
know about it. Hearing some of the statistics about
how many people were unreached also moved me
to pursue an overseas trip.
Matthew 28: 18-20
Jesus came and said to them, “All power has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go and make
followers of all the nations. Baptize them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Teach them to do all the things I have told
you. And I am with you always, even to the end of
the world.”

WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS MET? “God is the one that
changes the heart,
Most of my expectations were definitely met. I
can say that my time overseas was definitely one not me.”
of the most challenging experiences of my entire
life. However, it was easily the most rewarding
experience of my life. I would say that the first two
weeks were very difficult for me because I had to
adjust to the vast cultural differences. After the
first couple of weeks, I felt that I was able to adjust
to the new culture and be a part of it in a way. Even
though I thought I would, I did not get to witness
anyone become a believer while I was there. That
was a difficult pill to swallow at first, but ultimately
humbled me, reminding me that

31

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM “It was just a little
YOU ON THIS TRIP? glimpse into what
Heaven is going to
God quickly revealed to me that having
control in my life was an idol. When be like.”
you are in such an unfamiliar place, you
really have almost no control. That idea
absolutely irked me to the core. I was
reminded every day that God is in control
and that I don’t control my life. Another
area in which God transformed me was
my materialistic desires. I did not think
that this was something that I struggled
with until I lost multiple items on this trip.
I sensed myself being filled with anger
and sadness that I had lost a few objects.
God revealed to me that I cared far too
much about the things that I owned and
did not trust in him to provide for me.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE
EXPERIENCE OF THIS TRIP?

My favorite part of the trip was definitely
when I would go to church with South
Asian believers. We would worship God
in two different languages and it was
without a doubt one of the most beautiful
experiences of my entire life. All tribes,
tongues, and nations worshipping the
same God, forever and ever.

“I want to push
my comforts
for the sake of
the gospel.”

INDIA | PHOTOS BY: MAX CARVER & SUMMER MCVICKER

INDIA

32

SUMMER’S
STORY

WHAT DID YOU EXPECT GOING
INTO THE TRIP?

I expected it to be a challenge, but also fun! I
expected it to be eye-opening and perception-
shifting. I had a feeling this summer trip
experience would change the way I see God’s
creation, His people, other cultures, and
economies. I expected the environment to be
uncomfortable- I would not have the common
luxuries of life in America, or many friends/
family close by. I was excited to have FUN
with the team I was going with. I was eager to
learn how to work better as a team, grow in
listening and communication skills and how to
care for each other well in a foreign country.
(I expected my faith to grow in new ways- to
be challenged to trust God deeper, grow
confidence in His power, and have confidence
in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Through
the experience of living in a new country for 2
months, I expected I would be challenged to
grow in dependence on Him alone.)

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED
TO GO OVERSEAS?

I desired to grow and be challenged. I knew
my experience would bring me into new
environments and circumstances that I’ve
never had before, and thus challenge me
to grow my mindset, faith, and awareness
of what life is like on a completely different
continent. (I also knew the area I was going
to had very low access to the gospel and as
Christians, we are called to go and share the
good news with people who do not know!
I knew it would not be easy, but it would be
worth it- worth it for the Glory of Christ.)

33

WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS MET? HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM
YOU ON THIS TRIP?
Yes :) Was it challenging? Yes. Was it fun? For
sure. Was it worth the time, money, and sacrifice? One major thing God taught me on this trip was
Absolutely. Living in a foreign country in a assurance and peace in His Sovereignty. Countless
completely new environment and culture opened times we had friends cancel on us, or someone got
my eyes to see the diversity God created on this sick, limiting our ability to meet up with others to share
earth. And the beauty of that diversity. My faith, the good news. We often questioned this- why would
patience, and dependence on God grew stronger God allow so many meet-ups to fall through? At the
through living far away from home and my close end of the day, we had to remind each other, that God
community. The team I went with was amazing is all-knowing, all-powerful, and good - and most of all,
and we have countless fun memories to look back
on, laugh about, and admire. “we are only
called to plant

seeds and it’s
HE that gives
the growth. We
can’t change
people’s hearts,
but we can pray
and trust God’s
sovereign plan.”

INDIA | PHOTOS BY: MAX CARVER & SUMMER MCVICKER

INDIA

34

35

KENYA

POPULATION: 53,811,000
TOTAL PEOPLE GROUPS: 110
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS: 33
% OF GROUPS UNREACHED: 30.0%

36

JOSH’S
STORY

DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU
WANTED TO GO OVERSEAS?

No… I have always thought that “going
overseas/on a mission trip is for someone else”.
It was never something to which I had very
direct exposure, which meant I could never
clearly picture myself in that context. Doing
something for an extended period of time,
whether it be a week or a few months, always
seemed like something that could be cool, but
also something I would never do.

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM YOU “God showed me a
ON THIS TRIP? clearer picture of

It took me two months on an African university humanity’s need
campus to realize that every single person I see is for Jesus.”
a sinner, and that means that every single person
I see needs a Savior. This reality doesn’t change
whether we are in Ames, Minneapolis, Asia, or
Africa. Every person needs Jesus, and for those of
us who know the gospel, it is our responsibility to
share it with the people in our lives, whether or not
we assume they already know it.

37

WHAT WAS THE MOST UNEXPECTED THING THAT “he decided
HAPPENED TO YOU ON THIS TRIP? the next step
in faithfulness
During the summer, we had two baptism services for some of the to Christ was
students we met. One of our African friends that we met on our to be baptized
first day in the country was at the baptism service we held on one
of our last days. He was one of the most consistent and faithful that night.”
friends that we had. He told us that he wanted to be baptized, but
he wanted to wait for a few months until his family could be in
town to be a part of the special moment, which we all understood.
During the service, one of the American students was giving a short
message about baptism and highlighted the pattern we see in the
Bible of people believing in Christ and immediately being baptized
to signify and proclaim that belief. After the scheduled baptisms
and a time of worship, our African friend pulled an American
student aside and they talked for a few minutes. Ultimately,
It was an awesome moment that caught us all off guard.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCE
OF THIS TRIP?

There was a day when my ministry partner and I were, to be honest,
pretty lazy. About an hour before leaving, we saw a guy sitting at a
table by himself on his laptop. My ministry partner and I decided
that we needed to quit being lazy and attempt to have a legitimate
conversation with a student. What started out as a last-ditch effort
for productivity ended up becoming the start of one of our most
meaningful relationships of the whole summer. When we asked
this student about his faith, he gave us a perfect description of the
gospel and biblically accurate answers when we asked clarifying
questions. My ministry partner and I were taken aback by his
confidence in Christ. This one conversation turned into one of our
most consistent relationships over the whole summer. He would
regularly ask to meet up and talk about the bible and different
theological topics. By the end of the summer, we were going onto
campus and doing evangelism together, which was a huge win for
our ministry: to equip African students to reach African students
with the gospel.

KENYA | PHOTOS BY: JOSH MARCKMANN & ERIN GIBSON KENYA

38

ERIN’S
STORY

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WOULD WHAT DID YOU EXPECT GOING
GO OVERSEAS? INTO THE TRIP?

I remember I was sitting on the couch at my I expected my ministry to feel useless since
apartment making pros and cons list about going. everyone knew Jesus. I think God had me
I knew I wanted to go but kept telling myself I had going to Kenya to break my heart for the
better opportunities in Ames if I stayed. I kept filling people that think they are following God but
my head with all these reasons to stay: work, my actually have no idea who He is. I would say
c-group girls, my nephews, etc. I think deep down that 90% of the students I met claimed to be
I knew I wanted to go but was scared I would love Christians, but only about 10% of them could
it if I did. I think what ultimately led me to go was communicate what the gospel was.
the Holy Spirit. The phrase “you can work for the
rest of your life” kept running through my head and “I saw people
I realized it was true. Why would I pass up a one- who were lost
time opportunity to work when all I’ll do is work in the world
when I graduate? I decided to keep my name in the and didn’t even
running and the excitement continued to grow. realize it.”

39 It was heartbreaking and eye-opening to be
able to talk with these students and share the
gospel with them and I saw the importance
of that.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE “and now we have
EXPERIENCE OF THIS TRIP? a new brother in
Christ.”
My favorite experience would be with our friend James.
James was a 30-year-old homeless man who stopped
some of the guys one day to ask for money. They
declined but sat with him to tell him about Jesus. He
ended up asking to meet up again and it became a
regular thing. One Sunday, we were going to church
in the area that James lived in, so the guys invited him
to come with us. He met up with us and during the
message, the pastor did an “altar call” where he asked if
anyone wanted to be saved. James stood up in front of
everyone and said he did and walked to the front of the
room. The pastor prayed with him and James was saved!
After the service, he said he wanted to be baptized
so we went to a house to baptize him. I love this story
because it is such a perfect example of God moving
during our time in Kenya. We were there to work with
college students but God led James to some of the guys

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM KENYA | PHOTOS BY: JOSH MARCKMANN & ERIN GIBSON
YOU ON THIS TRIP?

I would say the biggest way that God
transformed me on this trip was by teaching me
the power of prayer. Prayer is something that
I’ve always struggled with but by being in prayer
for my friends more often and by name and
prayer walking around campus, I started to see
the value and purpose of praying for everyone
around me. Another way God transformed me
was by making the gospel clearer for me. I know
the gospel and could explain it to anyone but
this summer, something changed for me and I
understand it on a deeper level and understand
more about why I believe it. I didn’t even know
this was an area I needed to grow in until I went
overseas and God started teaching me about it.

KENYA

40

41

VIETNAM
POPULATION: 97,505,000
TOTAL PEOPLE GROUPS: 119
UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS: 68
% OF GROUPS UNREACHED: 57.1%

42

HANNAH’S
STORY

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED TO “any future “plans”
GO OVERSEAS? of mine are nothing

I had the most stressful day of my fall semester without God.”
junior year and felt like I had crammed so many
things into my life. Everything I was involved in
was either furthering my relationship with Jesus
or furthering my career. That day, my roommate
told me I should just skip Salt that evening in
order to feel less stressed. But going to church
had never even been in question when it came
to making my schedule. I planned church-
related activities and THEN I planned my
classes, social activities, etc. On my way to Salt
that evening, I called my sister in frustration at
what my roommate had just mentioned. I kept
stating how there was nothing I could possibly
cut out of my busy schedule at the moment, but
that ultimately God came before any career. In
fact, literally,
I hung up with my sister and walked into Salt.
That evening, someone on stage started talking
about giving your summer to God, and seeing
what he was capable of doing with it. All along
I had said that God comes before any career
plans, and then it hit me that I was called to give
up my plans for an internship that summer in
order to go overseas!

43

VIETNAM | PHOTOS BY: HANNAH ASHLEY & JAKE STENZEL

“This HOW DID GOD “God
summer TRANSFORM YOU showed
made the ON THIS TRIP? me there
gospel is nothing
real for God showed me how to be I can do
me.” obedient, even in the most to earn
discouraging and uncomfortable salvation
situations. Choosing to go out every He gives
day even amidst the heat, language
barrier, and people not wanting to us.”
hear about Jesus, was a way in which
I had never been challenged before.
I expected my time overseas to be
a lot easier than it was, but through
that, I learned how to be obedient to
God’s commands for us regardless
of the outcome. Looking back, I’m
so glad my time overseas was harder
than I thought. Because if I were to
have had a super “successful” trip
and had tons of my friends come to
know Jesus, this would have further
deepened the implicit works-based
mindset that I didn’t realize I had
before this summer. Through
failures this summer,
God transformed me by showing
me that I’m responsible for using
the gifts that he has given me to
make him known. This summer
made the gospel real for me and
gave me a changed perspective on
how I view my future career as a way
to benefit the kingdom rather than
to gain worldly affirmation.

VIETNAM

44

JAKE’S
STORY

2 SUMMERS OVERSEAS
2021: THAILAND | 2022: VIETNAM

WHAT MADE YOU FEEL CALLED TO
GO OVERSEAS & GO BACK?

I started to grow a lot in my faith in the latter
half of my freshman year and continued to do so
throughout my sophomore year. I knew I was either
going to pursue some kind of ministry or go back
to my family’s farm and did not feel the need for
an internship. Because of this, I was planning to
do local mission work in areas affected by natural
disasters, but then I was told about the opportunity
to go to Thailand and immediately said yes. I had
been told great things about Salt Global summer
trips and wanted to give it a try so I signed up and
ended up going. After that, I felt called to go back
again because I wanted to experience a more
“normal” summer (with fewer things affected by
Covid) and try to serve as a team leader to see if I
would enjoy that.

HOW DID GOD TRANSFORM YOU
ON THESE TRIPS?

I think He took me from saying, “I think I could
go on short-term trips in the summer or do
ministry along with farming.”, to saying,

“I want to give my entire
life, everything I want &
have known to Jesus,

and serve him in pursuing full-time ministry.”
45