You just can’t forget some memories from growing up, and this is one of mine. It was THE Wednesday night after church…you know, the one where the youth group goes out to eat together for a specific reason? This was the night Truth and Peace selections were announced, and we all wanted to be together for it.
There we were, sitting outside the local coffee shop while the names were read online. One by one, we celebrated each other; we cheered and let out some squeals as we anxiously awaited each name. A few minutes (that felt like days) went by, the video concluded, and my name wasn’t called to return for my third year. Some of you may relate to the sinking feeling I experienced. Perhaps you weren’t accepted into a school club, hired for a job you wanted, or chosen for the athletic team for which you had practiced all summer.
Over the next few days, I kept remembering a moment from Truth and Peace the previous summer. I could still picture it like it was the day before: everyone sitting in a large auditorium while one of the staff members talked about the next year, and how some current participants wouldn’t return. The speaker went on to say something like: “If you do not put into practice what you have learned during your time here, you’ve missed it.”
If I can be honest with you, up to that point, I had missed it. I wasn’t stewarding the opportunities and the abilities I had been given. Or, to put it another way, I was taking my gifts and abilities for granted. Whichever way you choose to identify the concept of stewardship in your own life, the principle remains the same. God has given all of us different gifts and abilities; what will we do with them?
Our denomination has many programs for people of all ages to use their gifts for the church, across the country and around the globe. I’m so thankful Free Will Baptist young people aren’t excluded from these opportunities. Each summer, students can apply to participate in Truth and Peace, as mentioned above, and IM sending programs: ETEAM (high school students) and College Missions Program (CMP; college students). Each of these denominational programs offers students opportunities to meet other like-minded students from all over the country, learn more about their various gifts, and put the lessons they learn into practice immediately.
Each summer, I have the incredible blessing to walk alongside your students as they participate in ETEAM and CMP. For ETEAM, we welcome students from across the country to the Welch College campus for a week of training before sending them overseas to work alongside IM missionaries and partners for two and a half to three weeks. For CMP, college students meet via Zoom over the course of their spring semester before flying overseas to spend between two and ten weeks serving alongside IM missionaries and partners. Sometimes, I wish I had a video camera attached to my head, so people in the denomination could be encouraged by our next generation.
I am not a parent, but I have experienced what it’s like to be a “mom” as I accompany kids to the airport to begin their journey. Some students are so excited to experience the ministry and adventure at the end of the flight they forget to turn around and say goodbye. Others need a word of encouragement or a last hug from a familiar face before they step foot on that plane.
This isn’t an honor we at IM take lightly. We feel the weight and responsibility of these moments. And we always welcome questions from parents to help give them peace of mind while your students are in our care. The following are commonly asked questions I have received over the years. I hope the answers not only help you breathe a little easier (since, by the time you read this, your students will know their placement in these programs) but also reassure you we are stewarding your students’ time, gifts, and resources well.
Why is training week so long for ETEAM? Could students stay on the field longer?
If you have had a student participate in ETEAM, you know the schedule has been adjusted each year as we seek the perfect balance between training and time on the field. Many factors contribute to this decision: we bring together a group of teens and their leaders and attempt to create a team bond before they leave for the field. We want students (and leaders) to have a better understanding of cross-cultural and biblical principles and practices, and — the hardest at times — to be rested by the time they land overseas. It is difficult to meet all these goals and give teams over a week and a half overseas (preferably two Sundays when possible). In short, yes, students could be on the field longer, but we want to make sure we steward their training for what they will face when they land.
How do you determine locations for ETEAM and CMP?
We hear this question often because many people, in the U.S. and abroad, would like to host at their church, or would like to host in general. (Often, hosts are former participants and leaders.) We appreciate these requests, and we wish we could fulfill them all. However, we send ETEAMs to IM missionaries, IM international partners, IM partners, and occasionally to U.S. church plants in partnership with North American Ministries. We are thankful for our missionaries and partners and the way they welcome students into their communities each summer.
How do you determine the cost for these opportunities?
Expenses are based largely on the destination’s cost of living, transportation costs, and the expenses of infrastructure during training week for ETEAM. The programs are trying to keep up with the ever-fluctuating prices, not only in the U.S. but also around the world. We are conscious of the amount we ask each student to raise and take extra precautions to ensure the funds are stewarded well. We do all we can to help students raise funds and provide fundraising tips and ideas through our social media channels.
Just for Students
Many things want your attention, your gifts, and your talents. Don’t let the talents the Lord has given you be wasted on something that does not produce fruit in your own life or in the lives of others. The Lord has called us to be a church, to be a whole body, and to bring all our gifts and abilities to the table for Him. Don’t let this moment be a time where you look back and realize “you missed it.”
About the Writer: Leslie Nichols is director of mobilization for IM, Inc. Learn more about student missions:
iminc.org/go/student-missions
