The final J-Term
Students traveling out of the country for MVNU’s final J-term trips learned valuable life lessons, gained new spiritual insights and shared unforgettable experiences.
This J-Term included three different trips that travelled to Turkey and Greece, Belize, and Papua New Guinea.
As with all J-term trips taken over the last 40 years, students were stretched in unique ways as they left the familiar for several weeks to experience life in a different culture.
Photo by Carlos Serrao - MVNU students pose in front of the ancient ruins of the Parthenon in Greece.
During the Turkey and Greece trip, a normal day consisted of traveling to different sites where the apostle Paul ministered.
The trip included some unique sites, from underground cities where persecuted Christians took refuge, to the majestic mountains of Corinth.
Students on the trip found the experience rewarding and inspiring, including sophomore communications major Alexis Eller.
“The world is so much bigger than we thought,” Eller said. “We can seem so insignificant, and yet God still loves us.”
The Belize trip was split up into two components. The first stage focused on business education as MVNU students taught schoolchildren long-term economics concepts and checked on the clean water project connected with MVNU’s Enactus.
The second part included more recreational activities as MVNU students experienced more typical tourist activities such as the Belize Zoo and cliff jumping.
Interacting with Belizean families was a trip highlight, said senior youth ministry major Morgan Wade. The children she encountered especially touched her heart, Wade said.
“Even though we only had a short time with the kids, God is so much greater, and we could leave knowing that God was still at work there,” she said.
Annie Wells, a junior early childhood education and intervention specialist double major attested to the change in perspective that came with her travel to Belize.
“Sometimes we can put God in a box, and as we get older it’s easy to forget that there is nothing our God can’t do,” Wells said.
The third trip was to Papua New Guinea where students performed a variety of projects that benefited Kudjip Nazarene Hospital.
The tasks included landscaping in front of the hospital, working at the local schools and shadowing and assisting doctors and chaplains with a variety of tasks.
Photo by Amanda Taylor - Dressed in the traditional costume, senior Daniel Tennefoss participates in a native PNG ceremony.
Sophomore educational ministries major Jessica Myers said the work was rewarding, and she enjoyed connecting with the other students who made the trip.
“The people always make an experience new and unique,” Myers said.
Photos by Amanda Taylor and Carlos Serrao.