Here, There, and Everywhere: Part III
3 Students: Multiple Destinations
As we bring this blog series to a close we’re highlighting returning Trinity student, Skyler B.— a 2020-2021 Pack Your Bags team member. Originally when Skyler signed up for PYB we had announced a 4th track to a country we had never traveled to before, but COVID-19 presented unforeseen challenges and any hopes of leaving the country in 2021 seemed grim. Although we were unable to travel to overseas destinations that year we can confidently say that our year was no less fulfilling and that the Lord had us right where He wanted us.
Read on to hear how the Lord has honored Skyler’s dream of traveling overseas to serve in that same country He originally signed up to do PYB for. What an awesome God we serve who honors our hearts’ wishes when they line up with His will!
Skyler B.
Serving in South Asia
“During my Pack Your Bags year my track was originally set to work with a sports-based BAM (Business As Mission) in South Asia. Due to COVID-19, we had to change plans, but this summer I was able to have a similar experience through a two month internship!”
“I am currently pursuing a bachelor's in International Entrepreneurship, which is essentially a BAM-focused degree. As countries around the world become more difficult for missionaries to access, some creativity is required to reach these hard to reach places. One answer to this call is a business based approach. Using business for missions has many advantages. First, it provides long term access to a country via business visas. Second, it adds tangible value to the community through goods or services, jobs, and the payment of local taxes. Third, and most importantly, it provides a natural environment for relationships to be built with people who would otherwise never enter a church or even have a chance to hear the Gospel.”
Israel 2021
“This summer I was blessed with the opportunity to work with a sports based BAM in South Asia! I've been here for over a month and it's been an incredible experience. There have been opportunities to coach youth, do maintenance work, and build relationships with local people.”
“The longer I'm here the more I realize that, as with many approaches to growing the Kingdom, it is all about consistency, longevity, and living a Christ centered life. It is attractive to think of working overseas as a highlight reel of eating bizarre food, translating Bibles, and preaching the Word to unreached tribes. But, for the most part, field work is simply living as a Christian cross-culturally. There are exciting times, but often the real work is consistently living a life that reflects Jesus and then working to communicate that to those around you.”
Israel 2021
“A portion of Scripture that has been on my heart during my time here comes from 1 Thessalonians. Here, Paul is writing with instructions on how to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. He calls believers to live lives of purity, to love one another, and then he writes:
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders...
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“I think this sums up the essence of BAM as well as what the life of every follower of Jesus should look like. Showing the love of Christ through all areas of life, and doing this consistently. I am by no means downplaying the importance of preaching and explicit sharing of the Gospel, there are definitely opportunities and times for this! But I do believe the real work is done in consistently living a Christ centered life in the day-to-day.”
Skyler leaves us with some scripture to challenge us from the gospel Matthew: "...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (ch. 5, v. 16). It is our hope that all of our students that have come through Pack Your Bags (and all of those still to come) will let their lights shine so that the world will know and experience the love of Christ firsthand.
Thank you all for tuning in these last three days as we covered all of the places our people are going and what they’ve been doing along the way— we hope that you were encouraged!
Chicago 2020