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 Luke! He was part of a 6-Month Caribbean IMMERSION team in 2015, traveling from the Navajo Reservation to the countries of Haiti, Jamaica and Belize. Luke was a "guy’s guy" on a team of girls. He’s a bug-collector. An adventurer. And if you sat down with him over coffee, he’d tell you the incredible story of change and second chances that he has experienced in his own life.
As he reflected on what his IMMERSION experience taught him about life, Luke said:
“I went into IMMERSION thinking I was going to decide my career, location, and all other important life decisions. The truth couldn't be more opposite. I was more confused after IMMERSION than I was before, but the beauty in that is that it left me open to what God wanted for me, not what I wanted for me.
But IMMERSION taught me a great many things. First, it taught me how to love equally, no matter the circumstances. But it also taught me all nine fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I have taken all of those lessons and applied them to my post-IMMERSION reality.”
So, what does life look like now?
Since returning home, Luke has worked for Experience Mission leading short-term mission trips and putting his construction abilities to use serving others. He’s traveled all over the United States, helping EM develop partnerships and getting to share his story and faith with hundreds of people. It was an unexpected path after IMMERSION, but we are so glad Luke has stayed connected with us, using this season as a stepping stone into new things.
We asked Luke about those new things on the horizon, and if he had any advice for people considering IMMERSION. He responded,
“Starting this fall, I will be attending a Bible college and pursuing a career in ministry. It started with a click of a button. Requesting information about the IMMERSION program. Experience Mission has become a second family to me; a home away from home. Like so many of us, I was looking for meaning, purpose, and a chance to grow like I couldn't on my own. IMMERSION gives you the opportunity to expand your cultural perspective, expound on your ideologies, and experience the freedom of living outside your comfort zone. But most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to love people across cultural boundaries and in new ways.
My IMMERSION team, and the Experience Mission staff pointed me down the path that God had cleared for me, and I promise it will do the same for you if you're willing.”
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