October 30, 2026: Student Missions

There’s nothing quite like a paper map. Some would say they are inconvenient, wrinkly, too large. I think they are beautiful. I have a world map on the wall in front of me, with a star marking every country I’ve visited. I’m sure there are fewer stars than many of you could claim, but it has been an adventure, nonetheless.

Of all the places I’ve visited internationally, my favorites are the places I’ve lived. I’ve spent about half of my life in Canada and half here in the US, with one-year stints in Korea and the Marshall Islands. That last experience was, in some ways, the most impactful.

I was young, naïve, shy, and eager to make a difference as a student missionary. A friend and I decided to teach in a little two-room schoolhouse on an island in the Marshall Islands. We ended up spending most of the year on Ebeye, known to some as “the armpit of the Pacific”, with more than 10,000 people crammed onto an 80-acre strip in the middle of the ocean. An aerial view is shown above.

During that year I learned responsibility, organization, teamwork, flexibility, and persistence. Most importantly, I learned to find goodness and beauty even in places where they might not be immediately obvious. I hope I was of service to the people of the Marshall Islands. They certainly helped shape my life in ways I could not have anticipated.

I share this story because this week, our Andrews campus is focusing on Student Missions. Several of our biology students have had experiences at least as impactful as mine. I have heard some of their stories. What makes these experiences so meaningful is that you’re not simply a tourist. You work alongside and for people in another community, learn about their lives and challenges, and become invested in their well-being. You begin to see the world through someone else’s eyes. You might not learn much biology (although the snorkeling where I served was amazing!), but you will learn lessons about people, service, and yourself that can stay with you for a lifetime.

If you haven’t already, consider a short-term or longer-term mission project at some point in your journey. You may go hoping to make a difference for others and discover that the experience changes you, too.

Back here at home, however, the semester continues. We are just a couple days away from November, which means it’s time to start thinking about registering for next semester’s classes. Please contact your academic advisor as needed to select courses and plan for the coming semester and beyond. You should be able to register through Registration Central as usual.

This coming Sunday and Monday you may find a number of visitors on campus, visiting for a campus preview from the local Lake Union region. Give them a good welcome! Maybe some receiving this email are part of the visiting group.

This coming Thursday at 5:30pm, our Scientific Communication class will be sharing some of their hard work in poster form in our biology Chobotar Commons. You might consider stopping by and exploring some interesting topics in biology.

But for now, we hope to see you for some food, fun, and worship at this evening’s joint biology, chemistry, and agriculture Bonfire Vespers, to be held behind the Science Complex at 5:30pm. See you then!