CHANGED BY THE JOURNEY
Global Outreach trips challenge Cedarville students to serve cross-culturally, deepening their faith and reshaping their future as they experience the life-changing joy of sharing Christ with the world.
Cedarville University’s heart beats to the rhythm of the Great Commission.
Every student has confessed their faith in Jesus Christ, and throughout their 1000 Days on campus, they are challenged to make Christ known through both personal evangelism and organized Global Outreach (GO) trips.
Global Outreach has been a part of Cedarville’s ministry for 55 years, sending more than 11,000 students with faculty and staff mentors to serve alongside established ministries across cities, continents, and cultures. From medical missions in Togo to orphan care in Mexico or church planting missions in Boston, these experiences are defining moments — not just for those being served but for those who go.
I’ve always believed that when a Christian steps away from familiarity to serve the Lord, they are changed. During my time at Cedarville, I’ve led five Global Outreach trips, walking beside 52 students on their missions journeys. On every trip, I am awed by the way the Lord transforms my students when they leave their comfort zones behind.
The joy of sharing Jesus is infectious, and GO trips give students the chance to experience that joy — not just in theory but in action.
Echoes in Eternity
This spring, 11 students joined me on a trip to Mazatlán, Mexico, to care for orphans and families alongside Back2Back Ministries. We saw the power of Christ’s love in action as we worked with staff to invest deeply in the lives of vulnerable children and families fighting to break cycles of poverty, abuse, and abandonment. These students worked hard to help build a community center where families can be strengthened, and they played hard to bring smiles to the faces of children hungry to know they are cared for and loved.
As someone who has led my own family and numerous church teams on missions trips over the years, I was moved once again to witness lives transformed — both those we served and those on our team. This kind of experience speaks to first-time participants and seasoned mission-goers alike, proving that even the smallest act of obedience can echo in eternity.
For one of my students, Spanish education major Maysun Faulconer '26, saying “yes” to a GO trip meant stepping into the unknown — and being changed by it. Maysun approached the trip with a willing spirit and a heart eager to serve. She consistently took initiative, always the first to dive into projects and connect meaningfully with those around her.
“I wanted to use my Spanish in ministry,” she said. “When I saw the trip to Mazatlán, Mexico, I knew it was the one.”
Maysun's excitement to practice language skills quickly turned into something far more personal. “As we worked and served, the Lord truly overwhelmed me with His love,” she shared. “His love for people, His love through service. And in those moments of joy, I knew: This is what I want my life to look like.”
Maysun is still seeking God’s direction for her future, but she's no longer holding on to her own dreams too tightly. “I want to live a life completely sold out for Christ and His mission,” she said. “And that might mean walking a path I never expected.”
Stepping Out in Faith
Cedarville's global mission reminds me of the apostle Paul, who was always on the move with the message of Christ. For Paul, missions wasn’t just a calling — it was a joyful addiction. That same joy calls to my students, like Charis Marshal '26, a professional writing major, who also traveled to Mazatlán with our group.
Charis was initially hesitant to sign up for a GO trip. The thought of raising the necessary funds felt overwhelming, and she wondered how just a few short days could make a meaningful impact, either in her own life or in the lives of those she would serve. But as she stepped out in faith and overcame those doubts, she witnessed firsthand how God can use even the smallest offering to accomplish something extraordinary.
For Charis, the most powerful part of the trip was the time she spent with people. “The trip wasn’t about what we did physically,” she told me. “It was about showing others that they are loved by Jesus. The parents we played games with were worth that effort. The children we laughed with and painted with were worth it.”
Charis left Mexico with a newfound conviction from the Lord. “I was willing to fly to another country to share the love of Christ, but how often am I unwilling to do that in my own hometown?” she admitted. “This trip reminded me that every person, everywhere — friends, neighbors, my own family — is loved and valuable in the eyes of God.”
That is one of the most profound outcomes of GO trips: They both sharpen students’ global vision and give them a renewed sense of mission at home. GO trips help students develop a heart for the nations — and for their neighbors. They come back seeing their communities with new eyes. They understand that they can be missionaries wherever they are.
Three of the students I’ve traveled with are now committed to serving as full-time missionaries in sensitive countries on three different continents. Others have gone into church planting, full-time ministry, and even returned to lead GO trips of their own. That kind of fruit can only come from hearts transformed by the Gospel.
Shaped by Surrender
Behind every GO trip is a network of prayer, financial support, and planning. Dr. Thomas White, Cedarville's president, urges every student to participate in at least one trip during their time at Cedarville. That vision requires dozens of trips every year, coordinated by the Global Outreach office and supported by generous donors.
These trips are moments of surrender. I’ve seen students leave behind familiarity, expectations, and sometimes even safety to love people in Jesus’ name. They return with a changed heart, a deeper calling, and often a new direction for life.
“I don’t know if I’m called to long-term missions,” Maysun said. “But I know this trip was part of God opening my heart. It’s changed how I see everything.”
Every GO trip has a cost. But the return is eternal. Students, faculty, and staff alike walk away with a richer understanding of the Gospel, a deeper love for others, and a greater willingness to say, “Here am I. Send me.”
After serving vocationally in the church for over 20 years — and participating in dozens of short-term missions trips — I feared that transitioning into higher education might distance me from this deeply cherished aspect of my life. But thanks to Cedarville’s unwavering commitment to the Gospel, its embrace of the Great Commission, and its strong emphasis on Global Outreach, I now have the privilege not only to continue going but also to introduce students to the addictive joy of taking Jesus to the nations.
To those who give, pray, and encourage these trips — thank you. Ď㽶ֱ˛Ąinvestment is bearing fruit in lives like Maysun’s, Charis’, and countless others around the world. You are helping Cedarville fulfill its call to equip bold, faithful believers who will proclaim Christ and live on mission no matter where He leads.