“Being Over Doing”: Noah’s Global Urban Trek Story

“My church at home is a lot of older folks, so I thought faith was just something older people do,” Noah said, describing his faith before college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “But seeing college students excited about God really got me excited, and I wanted to learn more.”

At first, Noah’s decision to get involved in InterVarsity was only motivated by his longing for community rather than a desire to get to know Jesus. But once he became part of the chapter, he was inspired by how deeply they loved each other and loved God. 

Noah eventually developed a true relationship with Jesus, went on to become a student leader, and led worship for large group gatherings attended by more than 130 students. He spent much of his time serving the chapter, coordinating chapter events, vision-casting for them, and ensuring they ran smoothly.

Even though Noah had learned and grown so much on campus since joining InterVarsity, God still had more to teach him about community through an InterVarsity Global Urban Trek to Nicaragua. 

Present in Worship

Global Urban Treks are 12-month cohorts culminating in a six-week experience living in a different part of the world, specifically engaging with urban poor communities and listening to their stories. 

Noah tried not to have specific expectations for the trip, but he did have one concern. 

“We were going to live in communities that do not have very much, so inevitably, the expectation is that we’re going to go in and feel bad for them and feel angry and upset with God that they don’t have what they need,” he said. 

But God had something else in mind for Noah. Many people Noah met during the trip didn’t have formal employment and didn’t make much money, but that didn’t seem to bother them. Noah noticed this particularly through how they worshipped. 

As a worship leader, Noah had seen many different forms of worship, from the hymns and choir of his Presbyterian church to the large band in his InterVarsity chapter. But he had never experienced anything like the worship in Nicaragua. 

“Worship is very physical; people are up and dancing around, and they’re very vocal while they are worshipping. A lot of our team, myself included, were a little uncomfortable with it at first because it was so different from what we were used to,” Noah said. 

Eventually, the Trek team was pulled into leading worship for the church they were serving with. As he played the drums, Noah was shocked by how clearly he could see the Holy Spirit moving among the congregation. 

Instead of being concerned about how the music sounded, members of the church simply enjoyed the presence of God and each other.

“Musical worship is a place for everyone to just feel the Holy Spirit, encounter God, worship him, praise him, all of these things,” Noah realized. “I think often people get too preoccupied in the performance of it.”

Noah experienced the exact opposite of what he was expecting on this trip. Instead of feeling pity, he felt a desire to have what they had: a community centered around “being” rather than “doing.”

Learning to Loiter

Noah learned that in Nicaraguan culture, there is a big emphasis on “loitering.”

Not only in worship, but in all contexts, people often lingered with each other for hours, prioritizing community over productivity, rushing to the next thing, or worrying about making every moment “perfect.” This was different from the culture Noah was used to, where being unproductive felt like a waste of time. 

When he returned from Nicaragua, Noah decided to adopt new rhythms into his life modeled after this. Though he already graduated from his InterVarsity chapter, he continues finding small ways to lead worship, like hosting spontaneous, unpolished “jam sessions” with friends. He also wants to work on living more communally, approaching his friendships in new ways. 

“If I’m going to go hang out with my friends, we don’t need to be doing something. We can just hang out,” he said. “[The Nicaragua Trek] helped me to reframe that idea of loitering; you’re not wasting time, you’re not being useless, you’re just sitting there and being with one another.”

Because of InterVarsity, Noah learned unexpected ways to engage in community centered around Jesus. The Global Urban Trek shaped him into a world-changer that is focused on being with people and with God, rather than being a do-er for them.

Interested in experiencing transformation through a trip like the one Noah experienced? Check out InterVarsity missions opportunities here!