At Experience Mission, we are passionate about seeing people make missions a lifestyle, not just a one-week or six-month experience. Our IMMERSION program gives young adults the chance to go, but also the challenge to come back and make a difference in their home context.
We’re proud of our growing network of young adults who are choosing to live boldly. If you're considering joining an IMMERSION team, we challenge you to ask the question, “Who will I become?”
Meet Drew! He represents one of many team members who come from military backgrounds and are able to take a leave of absence to join the IMMERSION program. To date, the Air Force, Army and Navy have been represented on several of our teams. Drew has made it a career to serve and protect his country, but he also has a passion to impact the world through international mission work and local service.
In 2014, Drew served as part of a 3-month IMMERSION team in South Africa. He stood out as a leader and was able to return the following year to lead a new team in Namibia. His commitment to the United States Air Force has continued since returning home from IMMERSION and he is challenged each day to be authentic about his faith. He says,
“I have always had a passion for working with people, experiencing new cultures and serving. So what better place than the uniformed services. Unfortunately, religious conversations have stringent parameters within a military work environment, and though freedom of speech is not denied, there are clear guidelines as to when it is and is not appropriate to discuss your faith. Given these constraints, we must find a way to continue to operate according to our faith in a manner that would not disrupt good order and discipline.”
We asked Drew: How do you share your faith in a way that is both bold and respectful to your position in the military?
“Lieutenant Colonel Groves, a Chaplain in the U.S. Air Force is quoted to have said, ‘The most powerful way to share your faith may not be through words, but through actions. Your lifestyle, habits, decisions and especially the way you treat other people, creates far more influence than anything you say.’
I believe these words by Lt. Col. Groves embody the principle of ‘Live your mission’ which we sought to pursue every day during our IMMERSION experience. It is my desire moving forward to continue to love those I can reach ‘not in word or talk but in deed and in truth.’”
Keep living your mission, Drew. And thank you for your service!
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