GO Students, in association with Falls Creek and IGo Global, is a ministry that seeks to “send high school and college students to join in the work that God is doing all over the world.”
This summer, students have been sent to some of the least reached people groups in the world to serve alongside churches and International Mission Board missionaries in the field. They are trained beforehand and equipped not only to share the Gospel while they are on the field, but also to share the Gospel and live mission-centered lives wherever they are.
This year, GO Students offered three different trips that students could serve on. These trips were designed based on the students’ missions experience and age.
The first trip took place on June 16-23 when 47 high school freshman and sophomores from across Oklahoma served on a mission trip to Washington, D.C.
This team worked with six different church plants doing backyard Bible clubs, outreach events and relational evangelism. Of these six church plants, four of them were plants from Pillar Church. Pillar Church, where Clint Clifton is pastor, is a missional church that has a vision of planting a church on every U.S. Marine base in the world, starting with Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Kacie Potts, BGCO student evangelism and mobilization assistant and trip coordinator for the Washington, D.C. trip, said that because this was many of the students’ first mission trip, “it was important they saw that there is something bigger than themselves . . . they got to see work people were doing and to be a part of it.”
These students had the opportunity to be the hands and feet of the church as they worked on turning a trailer into a community center and played with children in backyard Bible clubs.
Many of these students learned the importance of evangelizing in their own towns, too. Hannah Staton of Keefton, Trinity said the Lord taught her that she needs to spread the Word more in her own community. Staton said that “even the little things can really speak words.”
The second trip was for high school sophomores and older. This group served in Paris, France June 30-July 10.
This trip caused students to step out of their comfort zones as they traveled to a new country, encountered people who speak a different language than they do and worked with a largely Muslim population. They spent most of their time doing relational evangelism and prayer-walking.
The final trip GO Students offered this summer is to East Asia for students who have graduated high school, are in college or have been on a previous GO Students trip. This, too, will be a challenging trip for students as they dive into a new culture with the hopes of spreading the Good News. This team will be spending time building relationships and prayer walking in some of the most unreached areas of the world.
Norman Flowers, student evangelism and mobilization specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, asks Oklahoma Baptists to continue praying for God’s power and protection as students are being sent out. He also asks for prayer for students who are considering going on a GO Students trip next summer.
“Many students will hear about these trips at Falls Creek and feel the Lord leading them to go,” said Flowers. “Pray that they are receptive to the Spirit and His calling.”
One of the trips offered for next summer will be to Denver, Colo., working with Muslim refugees there. Students will be clearing land to plant gardens in the area, reading mail to non-English speakers, prayer walking and doing backyard Bible clubs.
Eight years ago, GO Students sent a team of fewer than 10 students out to proclaim the name of Jesus. Since then, this ministry has grown and the Lord has been clearly at work. Be in prayer for these leaders and students as they prepare to go and serve.
