Baylor Missions Reaches All Corners of the Globe

September 9, 2016

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2016 missions — Students from Baylor's Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority traveled to Antigua, Guatemala, on a mission trip to work with the Village of Hope and Special Needs Hospital Hermano Pedro. (Photo courtesy of Holly Tate.)

2016 mission hunger — Students on Baylor's Washington D.C.: Hunger in America mission trip learned about how hunger affects Americans, as well as the various programs in effect to help combat hunger nationally. (Photo courtesy of Holly Tate.)

2016 mission malaysia — Baylor's Malaysia Music mission trip offered students the opportunity to use music as a way to bridge cultural gaps between people and nations across the globe. (Photo courtesy of Holly Tate.)

2016 mission uganda — Members of Baylor's Phi Chi fraternity on the Phi Chi Uganda mission trip worked to provide food and clothing to Ugandan children, helped to spread God's word in schools and helped build an orphanage in Bukaleba, Uganda. (Photo courtesy of Holly Tate.)

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Media contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275

WACO, Texas (Sept. 9, 2016) – Each summer, Baylor Missions sends students across the nation and the globe to use their talents and skills to spread God’s message.

Over the past year, Baylor University sent 38 teams consisting of 403 students, 72 faculty and staff, and 18 guests to 15 countries, including the United States, on mission trips that aided in building community development, helped in hospitals, encouraged community education and constructed solar-powered battery charging stations, just to name a few.

“The purpose of Baylor Missions is to shape Baylor’s faithful engagement with Waco and the world by creating intentional opportunities to integrate faith, learning and service within a broad worldview,” said Holly Tate, assistant director for missions. “In fulfillment of its mission, Baylor Missions seeks to educate students about vocation as mission, Christian responsibility and the practice of intentionality. We help students practice intentionality within the context of their mission experiences, apply the practice of Christian responsibility to their mission experiences and discuss the concept of vocation as calling.”

Mission destinations are often long-term partners with Baylor and can be non-governmental organizations, churches, missions and development organizations, as well as other Christian universities, Tate said. Each year, Baylor looks to expand its missional reach by increasing its global partnerships to add new destinations and send more students abroad.

The goal is, by 2018, to have more than 700 students traveling with Baylor Missions each year “to serve others through their areas of academic interest and to discern their calling,” Tate said.

Baylor’s many discipline-specific mission trips offer opportunities for students to see how their majors and eventual professions can positively impact the lives of others.

"I never quite understood why God directed my path into the world of accounting when my heart told me I wanted to see my life clearly impact His kingdom through my career,” said Jenna Fischer, an accounting graduate student who was part of Baylor’s Uganda Accounting mission trip. “I am so blessed to say that God showed me that my calling to go into accounting allows Him to use me in parts of the world in need of basic business skills, decision-making tools and simply someone to partner with them on their journey through the joys and hardships of life.”

In addition, the variety of domestic and international mission trips gives students a chance to experience cultures and lifestyles different from, and often surprisingly similar to, their own.

"My main takeaway after visiting the Rio Grande on this trip is that I should not let where someone was born and their nationality determine whether or not I love them,” said Alexandra Holland, a senior majoring in social work who was part of the Laredo Social Work Human Trafficking mission trip. “Instead, God wants us to love everyone as He has loved us, regardless of nationality, culture, language, etc. I am more committed than ever to improving our immigration system.”

Baylor offers domestic and international mission trips throughout the year for students of all majors and educational tracks. Interested students should visit the Baylor Missions website.

by Karyn Simpson, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

Baylor Missions Reaches All Corners of the Globe

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