“Participants Zoomed in from Jakarta, Surabaya, B.C., Alberta, U.S.A., and China. Talk about the global church!”
— Trina Pinzon, Assistant Director of Global Projects
In the midst of a pandemic year, a group of TWU students are redefining “missions.”
In some ways, their creativity was born of necessity. Faced with COVID-related travel restrictions, TWU’s Global Projects – a Student Life ministry that focuses on preparing and sending students on short-term service trips around the world – had to quickly re-model their plans.
Through prayer, reflection, research and collaborative effort, Trina Pinzon, Assistant Director of Global Projects, led a team of students to chart a new way of doing ministry.
One of their latest projects is called Adopt a Country.
“God impressed on us to ‘dream small,’” said Pinzon, who is Filipino, from Ottawa, Ontario. She said the idea of ‘dream small’ was inspired by Beginner’s Pluck by entrepreneur Liz Forkin Bohannon, a book that Pinzon and her team had read together. “I know the culture is all about dreaming big but…when you dream small, it feels like you can achieve it,” she said.
Since last fall, Pinzon has been leading her team to dream small, and commit those small dreams to God.
“God impressed on us to ‘dream small.'"
One of those small dreams led Pinzon to partner with Jennifer Graves, TWU Associate Chaplain of Discipleship and Group Ministry. Together, the two leaders invited Discipleship groups to “adopt a country.” These countries were the ones that TWU students traditionally would travel to for service projects during the summers, places such as Uganda and Indonesia.
“It’s very easy, simple.” Pinzon said in describing the project. “We wanted it to be doable.”
Pinzon’s team designed a booklet that introduces a specific country along with relevant ideas for prayer. The booklet was divided into five-week sections, with themes for each week. Within the book were prayer requests, and an introduction to a missionary family living in that country. A Discipleship group could rely on the booklet as a resource for their devotional times during group meetings.
There is even a QR code that leads to a form where people can write their prayers. Pinzon and her team have collected the submissions throughout the year. This summer, they are preparing to print the prayers, turn them into handmade cards, and send the cards to churches and ministry workers in various countries.
“It’s very easy, simple. We wanted it to be doable.”
Friendship Club with Indonesian students
Through the Adopt a Country project, students are able to learn about countries and ministry organizations around the world, as well as build personal connections with them.
One initiative saw TWU students and students from Indonesia meeting online weekly. They dubbed these meetings “Friendship Club”.
Through Pinzon’s connections, TWU students partnered with a ministry in Surabaya, Indonesia. The Youth Development Program (YDP) of the International Christian Assembly in Surabaya seeks to support at-risk youth by providing training in leadership and public speaking.
Pinzon and the TWU Global Projects team jointly hosted Friendship Club meetings together with three Indonesian ministers from YDP. They invited students to participate from around the world.
“Participants Zoomed in from Jakarta, Surabaya, B.C., Alberta, U.S.A., and China,” Pinzon recalled. “Talk about the global church!”
“Everything was bilingual. Everything was mutually participatory.”
Mutual encouragement
In these meetings, two-way participation and engagement was especially emphasized.
“Everything was bilingual. Everything was mutually participatory,” said Pinzon. Meeting organizers ensured that there were interpreters for each Zoom meeting’s main sessions and break out activities. The students produced short video skits for each other, complete with English captions and bilingual scripts.
“Even if you don’t speak English, you won’t get lost, or even if you don’t speak Bahasa (Indonesian),” said Pinzon. “We would teach each other languages, and take turns.”
Several TWU students recalled highlights from their experiences, provided through anonymous survey.
“My highlight is the worship and singing in another language," said one student. "I am thankful for the chance to laugh and mess up speaking.”
Another student noted how the experience changed their view of ministry. “I look at missions in a very different light than I used to. I see it less as trying to materially help people and more as simply connecting with people to fill them and be filled with God's light.”
Others recalled the benefit of socialization, “Simply that it was what kept me going each week, and that the joy and encouragement I received from it helped me to see God's goodness in my everyday life.”
“I look at missions in a very different light than I used to. I see it less as trying to materially help people and more as simply connecting with people to fill them and be filled with God's light.”
Those who participated encouraged others to step out of their comfort zone. “Just go with it. Sometimes the best times come out of being confused, especially when everyone else is confused together and in the same boat as you.”
“Plus you don't lose anything," one person encouraged. "The time you commit will be rewarded by the warmth of human connection!”
“It is a commitment, but the joy derived from it is worth it.”
Next month, Pinzon and her student leaders will package and send their prayer cards and gifts to their ministry friends overseas.
“It is a commitment, but the joy derived from it is worth it.”
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca