Twelve InterVarsity students traveled to Ghana, Africa, this past summer to serve alongside the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) members in a kindergarten, a pre-school, and a school for the deaf, teaching children and sharing the Gospel of Christ. Both American and Ghanaian students participated together as they developed prayer groups in local communities, led seminars on topics about health and sexuality, and proclaimed the love of God in local churches.
Prayer Passion Rebirthed
The goal of the team’s time in Ghana was to strengthen the existing work of local churches and help establish community Bible studies within those churches. Prayer was a major component of this outreach and service project.
“I’ve seen a rebirth of the passion for prayer in these students,” said project director Joshua Settles. One of the participants from Vanderbilt University said, “The Gospel is now alive in my life in a way it hasn’t been before.”
Students on the Vanderbilt campus have developed an intensity and intentionality about prayer, with several students meeting both early in the morning and late into the evening to pray. “Students have come back to campus with a passion for evangelism and outreach. Christians who never would have begun spiritual conversations on campus now are excited about sharing their faith with others,” said Joshua Settles.
Career Directions Changed
At Georgia Tech, after returning from Ghana, a student changed his major from computational media to social work, a direct result of his active participation. While at the University of Tennessee—Knoxville, the only Caucasian student in the InterVarsity chapter has developed a deep desire to plan and host more cross-cultural events across campus.
Leaders of IFES in Ghana have reported that the Ghanaian participants in this project developed a deeper desire to pursue cross-cultural activities. Global projects through InterVarsity are valuable experiences because participation gives students opportunities for cross-cultural learning.
InterVarsity offers students across the country countless opportunities to learn together as they proclaim the Gospel of Christ and serve others around the world.
More information on Global Projects available here.
