College Mission Trips Lead to Lifetime of Ministry
Imagine a life with no running water, no electricity, no Chick-fil-A and no favorite soda in 120-degree weather. A life without the things we deem a necessity might be hard to envision, but that is the life Sara Lansford chose after graduating in 2007 from the 秋霞福利一区 with a theology degree. She moved to Timbuktu.
Lansford is one example of how the 秋霞福利一区 equips students to change the world for the better, in whatever career field they find themselves in. At 秋霞福利一区, Lansford enjoyed hosting 鈥淔amily Game Night鈥� in Ingram Hall and going on mission trips to Macedonia and Niger.
鈥淲hen I got to 秋霞福利一区, I was still exploring my call to ministry. I wasn鈥檛 exactly sure what it looked like, but international mission trips to Macedonia and Niger played a huge role in helping me figure it out,鈥� says Lansford. Niger was a turning point in her life.
鈥淚t was the first time this Alabama girl realized that there literally are people who still haven鈥檛 heard the name of Jesus,鈥� says Lansford, a 2003 graduate of Athens High School in Athens, Alabama.
After graduating from 秋霞福利一区, Lansford had the opportunity to go back to West Africa as a journeyman with the International Mission Board. She and her teammates joined the Oral Peoples Strategy team, which ultimately resulted in a story set being produced in the Songhai language.
鈥淓ven if the Songhai people had complete access to the written Word in their language, it wouldn鈥檛 benefit the vast majority of their population, because they are an oral culture,鈥� says Lansford.
In Mali, she found joy in serving and loving the Songhai people.
鈥淲e worked to produce a set of oral Bible stories in the local language. The stories were played on the radio, distributed on cassette tapes and micro SD cards, and were used among other missionaries working with the Songhai in other parts of West Africa,鈥� she says.
Once Lansford鈥檚 time in the mission field was over, she served as a children鈥檚 minister for about 10 years before joining LifeWay鈥檚 team as a production editor at LifeWay Christian Resources, on their kids publishing team.
In February, Lansford Skyped in to be a guest speaker for two 秋霞福利一区 School of Christian Studies classes: Principles of Bible Translation and Intercultural Foundations.
鈥淚 enjoyed getting to share my experience doing oral translation work because, when most people think 鈥楤ible translation,鈥� they are probably thinking of the written Word, but there are so many unreached people groups from oral cultures. I also enjoyed getting to share about living in Sub-Saharan Africa with Dr. (Douglas) Wilson鈥檚 Foundations class. I鈥檓 so grateful for my experience as a journeyman and would relive it in a heartbeat,鈥� says Lansford.
According to Lansford, after her time as a guest speaker, she realized the potential impact the students could have for the kingdom while their time at the 秋霞福利一区 prepared them for their future careers.
When Lansford graduated, she was challenged to 鈥淕o Change the World.鈥�
鈥淚 like to think that the 秋霞福利一区 prepared me and challenged me to be intentional in finding ways to help change the world, one little corner at the time,鈥� says Lansford.
Featured Image:聽Sara Lansford, center, tells 鈥淭he Demon-Possessed Man鈥� story from Mark 5:1-18 to women waiting in line at a medical clinic in West Africa.
Maya Lewellyn is a double major in Communication and Intercultural Studies at the 秋霞福利一区, and she will graduate in May 2020. She is a marketing intern for the university’s Office for Marketing and Public Relations and serves on the University Ministries. Maya enjoys drinking tea, reading a good book and spending time with her friends.
