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Seven young women embarked on the adventure of a lifetime this summer in what was The Mission Society’s first GreenLight: Gateway program. The program is designed to give college students and young adults (ages 18-23) the opportunity to explore ministry, culture, and calling with a team. Led by two mentors, these women were able to experience what it looks like to live, work, and do ministry cross-culturally.

Gathering from all across the US, these women spent time in Thailand and India during their six-week trip. Jennie Clements, a former missionary to Mexico and a recruiter for The Mission Society, and Amanda Allen, a student at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, led the experience.

The first stop was Thailand where the team spent time with Mission Society missionaries in Bangkok and Roi Et. The team was able to see missionaries in their location of service doing a variety of ministries. The Mission Society’s Thailand team teaches English, coordinates youth ministry, leads Bible camps, works with young men and women who have escaped the sex trafficking industry, leads Bible studies, and disciples Thai youth in their relationship with Christ.

After exploring Thailand, the team participated in The Mission Society’s H. T. and Alice Maclin Mission Training Institute. For two weeks, Mission Society staff trained new missionaries on aspects of cross-cultural ministry.

At the end of the six weeks, the team flew back to Atlanta and prepared to go their separate ways. Having started the trip as strangers, the women became true friends during the summer. “I have never seen a group mesh like this one,” said co-leader Jennie Clements. “During the summer, we had a very small taste of what it looks like to work and function together really well as the body of Christ.”

Most of the women are considering full-time cross-cultural ministry and are praying for discernment about their next step. Jennie commented, “Many of the team members were struggling to discern God’s will for their life. They wanted to know where God was calling them to serve, when should they go, and for how long. It was neat to see them release those questions to God throughout the trip and just draw closer to Jesus.”

While reflecting on their experience, each person shared how they have been challenged to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ. Having witnessed dire poverty, several members of the team expressed how their hearts had been broken and God had given them a deeper compassion for His people around the world. Megan said, “God has shaped me into someone who is now yearning for more for Him, who is seeking Him more, and who desires to abide in Him on a deeper level.”

Having experienced worldviews different from their own, the women now see their own faith through a different lens. Danielle reflected this change when she said, “I want to identify with being a follower of Christ and not just the comfort and familiarity of being a Christian.”

“I came on the GreenLight trip hoping to learn whether or not God has called me to missions. I was so intent on finding the answer in the beginning of the trip that I was missing out on everything God was trying to show me. It finally hit me that what I was seeking may not have been what God was trying to reveal,” said Bethany.

Laura said, “All of the missionaries we met said cross-cultural ministry is worth everything they had to give up. I am praying God will call me overseas and shape me into the person He’s created me to be.”

The trip that changed these young women’s lives will continue to have ripple effects as they, in turn, share their experiences with others. Taylor said, “God has shaped me into a new disciple so that I can be different when I go home.”

For information about the 2017 GreenLight: Gateway experience, visit our website.