Biola’s Student Missionary Union is the largest student-led organization in the United States. They focus on mobilizing students to the ends of the earth to fulfill the Great Commission. Each summer they send out teams of students to different countries with one purpose: to advance the Kingdom of God.

This summer, SMU will be sending out teams to Zambia, western Asia, Guatemala, India and Sri Lanka.

The leaders for these teams were prayerfully and strategically chosen to lead students into missions trips that will have untold impact impact on both the team members and the people they will serve.

Sophomore Ben Goertz is double majoring in Biblical Studies and Intercultural Studies and is leading a coed team of Biola students to Sri Lanka. The team will be working with orphans that have been sexually abused and minister to widows and refugees. For Goertz, this is his first time leading a trip and being on an overseas mission. His motivation is to provide a Godly example to the boys who need great role models in their lives.

“They are the way they are because they don’t know any better, that’s the way they grew up to be,” Goertz said.

Above all, Goerts wants to be a servant leader for his team and wants to lead with both confidence and humility while being a solid example of a Christ-like leader. To prepare, the team has to learn about the culture they are going to step into and how they’re going to counsel the orphans they encounter. They are also thinking about putting on a benefit concert for fundraising.

Team Sri Lanka is hoping to make an impact in any way they can; to listen, to love and to just be there for the people they encounter. The team wants to grow as young adults in Christ, and they are passionate to learn about God in other ways while out on the mission field.

Sophomore Brittany Petro is majoring in journalism with an emphasis in public relations and is co-leading a trip to India this summer for five weeks. The team is joining Reaching Indians Ministry International and will travel to Uttaranchal in northern India to do village evangelism, Bible studies, Youth and children’s ministry work and visit both a medical clinic and a Bible college to encourage and pray for the students there.

Brittany shared that 78.8 percent of India is Hindu and only about 3 percent is Christian. The part of India where the team will be located has been less reached by other missions work than the rest of the country. To prepare for this trip, Team India will to attend a class lead by Ivan Chung that includes activities to prepare culturally and to train them for the logistics of the trip.

Team India is motivated to spread the Gospel and support long-term missionaries by encouraging and serving them. The team’s goal is to fulfill the great commission and to ask themselves “How am I going to be the light?”

Sophomore Nate Gentilin is majoring in Anthropology and sophomore Hannah Tyer, majoring in psychology, will both be leading Team Guatemala this summer.

Their team is partnering with One Challenge International and are hoping for a lasting impact for people there and for the members on the team and overall.

Gentilin hopes that “the members of the team will experience life’s happinness.”

“We don’t want to be the ‘American heroes’ thinking we got it all together—because we don’t,” Tyer said. “We want to be ready to be his servants.”

Team Guatemala will be working with street kids, orphanage work, visiting prisons, doing vacation Bible school and mostly relational ministry.

“All ministry has to be relational,” Gentilin said.