Summary: Gregg Garner, Jeff Sherrod and Laurie Kagay from College Conversations interview Institute students; Genesis Garner and Erin Gammill. They reflect on previous mission trips as well as share hopes for upcoming trips. Genesis shares her experiences traveling abroad, particularly in Uganda, and the impact of teaching dance as a form of missionary work, and the differences in teaching dance between Ugandan and American cultures. Hosts highlight the importance of giving people meaningful experiences when they travel. They also discuss the challenges of addressing immediate needs versus deeper psychological needs in developing countries. Erin emphasizes the importance of corrections and growth during trips, as well as the significance of building friendships and working together as a team. They conclude by expressing their excitement for upcoming trips and the opportunity to contribute to the ministry.

S2E21: College Conversations Podcast - “What I Learned From My Mission Abroad & Why I Want To Go Again!” (Transcript)

[00:00:10.69] - Jeff Sherrod

Hey, and welcome back to College Conversations, a podcast about all things related to Christian higher education. My name is Jeff Sherrod. I am joined by the president of the Institute for GOD, Mr. Gregg Garner, and Mrs. Laurie Kagay, who runs all of our marketing and enrollment. And in this episode we are joined by miss Genesis Garner. Happy to have you here today.

[00:00:29.39] - Genesis Garner

Thank you very much.

[00:00:30.39] - Jeff Sherrod

Thanks for joining us.

[00:00:31.30] - Genesis Garner

Yeah. Thanks for having me.

[00:00:32.70] - Jeff Sherrod

So, Genesis, you traveled last summer. You're also about to take off this summer as well.  And so tell us a little bit about what you did last summer. What was your summer about?

[00:00:43.60] - Genesis Garner

So last summer, I did summer internship with the Institute for GOD, and we traveled. We had our boot camp here in Nashville, and then we went and served in Morristown, Tennessee. And then finally, we went to Uganda, Africa.

[00:01:04.29] - Jeff Sherrod

What were some of the things that you get that you did? Maybe, even, some of the things that you specifically did when you were there.

[00:01:09.59] - Genesis Garner

While we were there, I got to, I think the things that stand out to me most were the days that we got to spend with kids teaching them in their classrooms, at a local school that's near, our campus in Uganda. And, we, for me specifically I got to teach performing arts with one of my classmates so that was really fun for me because I teach dance here in the United States, and so to teach dance and music internationally was really cool.

[00:01:46.20] - Jeff Sherrod

They love it?

[00:01:47.00] - Genesis Garner

They loved it, and they were way better than most Americans.

[00:01:49.09] - Jeff Sherrod

Not surprised.

[00:01:53.90] - Genesis Garner

It was really fun experience for me, and, they were just very joyful. And, so, yeah, that was really fun getting to teach performing arts class for, like, three days, and then, we got to visit some prisoners, and that really touched me and was a cool experience for me, something that, I feel like  I revisit a lot. And, we got to play soccer against some of the inmates and preach the word to them. And then we got to perform some songs for them as well.

[00:02:28.09] - Jeff Sherrod

So cool.

[00:02:28.69] - Genesis Garner

They really loved it.

[00:02:30.30] - Jeff Sherrod

That's awesome. So one of the things that you brought up is that you do dance here in the states. You got to do that abroad. So this is something great. You’re mindful about this, giving people experiences when they go abroad. It's like, alright. You've been working this in the States. How can we also do this? So what was, maybe I'll ask kinda both of you guys, like, Genesis. What was maybe some of the differences? And then, Gregg, you're like, you know, what are you trying to do when you're like, alright I wanna make sure they have an experience abroad that's similar. Maybe Genesis, I'll start with you.

[00:02:54.90] - Genesis Garner

The differences?

[00:02:55.90] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah, like when you're teaching dance here in the States, you're like, I got to do that also abroad.  And maybe even similarities too. I'd be interested in both.

[00:02:58.09] - Genesis Garner

Yeah. I think, I would say that the Ugandans were more willing to put themselves out there and look however they looked while they danced. Naturally, they have much better rhythm, but I think that they weren't self conscious like a lot of the dancers that I work with here in the States are. Which even, that helped me as a teacher not feel so self conscious about, like, what I'm teaching or how I look, or what they think about me trying to do their style of dance as an American. So, yeah, I would say that's a difference. A similarity, I think that no matter what culture you're a part of, dance is, something like a language that all people can speak and where they feel like they can express themselves. If they can get over that first, that initial, like, I'm being aware of myself, and I might look silly or I might not be the best dancer. But, I think for me, dance has been, a major way that I connect with God, and, I was able to see the unity in the Ugandan students I taught and even at a youth conference that I was able to teach dance at. Just the unity they experience through the Lord's spirit and, getting to dance with each other and just be free is the same kind of unity and freedom in God's spirit that I see in dancers here that I teach in the states.

[00:04:38.60] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. That's awesome. Gregg, I know you're you're super intentional about making sure people have experiences abroad that kind of line up. What is kind of some of the rationale?

[00:04:46.30] - Gregg Garner

There are several reasons. The first being that sometimes a person has a hard time knowing what's different, even though they can look at surface-y things and go, "oh, yeah. That's a different kind of food,” or “This is a different kind of construction.”

[00:04:46.42] - Laurie Kagay

Mhmm.

[00:05:03.50] - Gregg Garner

When it comes to their everyday life, the differences are so foreign. They can't make sense of how they translate into the new environment. So it actually can become quite uncomfortable for the person. However, you give them an opportunity to exercise a skill set that they're familiar with, now that becomes their constant. So as Genesis teaches dance here, she she does what she does, and she gets the experience that she experiences with the result that emerges. Well, she does the same thing in a different context. And because she has that similar trajectory of exercise, she's gonna get different results.

[00:05:04.26] - Laurie Kagay

Yeah.

[00:05:39.80] - Gregg Garner

And that's gonna give her the baseline for determining how things are different. So it's already come out the way she's talked. Like, she talked about, the the levels of vulnerability when it comes to physical movement. She’s noticed that people here are much more concealed with their vulnerability in physical movement, where in Africa, they're not. So it for me, it gives the student a working opportunity to do something that's comfortable and makes sense to them and now helps them to observe the compare and contrasts, of society. Now the the second one, is that I do want  to expand people's mind as to what it means to be a missionary. And I think, traditionally, being a missionary means holding a crusade. Preaching the gospel, get people saved, or maybe maybe doing something that's, like, very capital intensive, like opening an orphanage or a hospital.

[00:06:33.80] - Genesis Garner

Mhmm.

[00:06:34.50] - Gregg Garner

But, again, because we are his workmanship and we are the city on a hill, we are the salt of the earth. The human being in and of themself needs to have some contributory capacity. And so when I can help a student understand that what they love to do and who they are can contribute to the well-being and the beauty of this blossoming society, I think that hits deep for them.

[00:07:00.89] - Gregg Garner

And I think finally, I am very interested in helping people see that people are people all over the world. Sometimes when we meet a developing, a person in developing world because they are usually in survival mode, you think that, you want to... I think as Americans, Westerners, we want to prioritize a hierarchy of need. And so, we're like, why would they want to laugh at a comedy sketch when they can't feed their kids at night? Let's get some food out here immediately. But you can't always accommodate that to the degree that they need. And then plus, if you do bring food, they're gonna be full in a little bit, and it sometimes doesn't attend to the deeper psychological needs. You know? So being able to help students see that there is a way in which you can positively impact a community that is outside the scope of attending to the survival needs, especially in developing world, I think opens up their mind as to more ways in which they can contribute to advancing our mission.

[00:08:10.69] - Laurie Kagay

I love that so much. I think, like, I think that can be the risk, I think, in trauma in the third world is you can get so overwhelmed or feel paralyzed.

[00:08:10.74] - Gregg Garner

Yeah.

[00:08:18.50] - Laurie Kagay

I know that I've felt that sometimes, and I think I felt it in new ways. I  took my family abroad for a little bit. And so it kind of all, you know, felt like it resurfaced where I was like, oh, so much of the day is surviving with children and figuring out how to do this. But my highlights of the experience were teaching the Bible. And it was like when that, you know, gift that was in me had a venue.

[00:08:38.29] - Gregg Garner

Mhmm.

[00:08:40.10] - Laurie Kagay

That was, that was the thing. You know, that parted the clouds and allowed me to be like, there's still possibility here. We can do these things.

[00:08:48.50] - Gregg Garner

Yeah.

[00:08:48.89] - Laurie Kagay

But I think I think that's a great way to help people, you know, not get paralyzed in it all or wonder, “how can I help?” So, I love that.

[00:08:56.29] - Jeff Sherrod

Mhmm. Yeah. I've seen some of the pictures of you teaching dance class, and it's just like, I mean, you don't have to be able to hear what's being said to know that there's so much happening in that moment.

[00:08:58.43] - Genesis Garner

Yeah.

[00:09:05.89] - Jeff Sherrod

I mean, I think, Gregg, you're right. It's like, people might not traditionally think, like, alright. We're gonna go abroad and do a dance class as part of normal missionary activity, but then you then you see the result. And  people are people. We're we're dancing. Right? You can't stop us. I forget the saying. Isn't there some kind of saying about stopping us?

[00:09:22.89] - Genesis Garner

We’re dancing, you can't stop us?

[00:09:25.89] - Gregg Garner

I don’t know what you're talking about.

[00:09:27.20] - Genesis Garner

It's a saying now.

[00:09:28.79] - Laurie Kagay

Genesis, I know, like, on the last trip, you also got to partner with, you know, young people there. So, like, I know in one scene I was in the classroom with you, you were there with Gideon. And you guys were getting to teach the students together. Like, what did you learn even not just being a, you know, yourself a purveyor, but even having some friends alongside you cross culturally.

[00:09:50.70] - Genesis Garner

Mhmm.

[00:09:51.39] - Laurie Kagay

And ministering that way?

[00:09:52.89] - Genesis Garner

I think that I was very challenged at first, but also it came kind of natural at the same time, just to work alongside someone I know—a friend I know has been raised in Christ similarly as I have and who understands understood that we were there to serve the kids. And I really enjoyed having Gideon there and, the banter we had back and forth and even the challenges we had to work out our first day, where, you know, maybe the kids were so loud we couldn't hear each other, and so we had to, like, you know, we're talking back and forth in his broken English, and I'm trying to teach dance and song at the same time, or maybe he's being picky about the drumbeat that he's doing or something, and I'm like, they can't handle that or something. So there were those, like, challenges at first, but I really as we did it over the course of three days, it was fun to find that, like, groove with each other and, to work with a friend who doesn't come from the same, background as me, but we're, you know, united in that we wanted to, use what gifts we had. And for him, he was able to translate, for me.

[00:11:12.00] - Gregg Garner

So for greater context, Gideon is ,or was at the time an upper high school student as a part of our academy program.

[00:11:22.29] - Genesis Garner

Mhmm.

[00:11:22.60] - Gregg Garner

In Uganda, and he applied to be a part of this trip because we don't only take people from the US on these trips. We also take people from abroad and even in the destination country.  And then we give them the whole experience that the the others get, and it just intensifies the experience in a very, I think, meaningful way.

[00:11:43.70] - Genesis Garner

Mhmm.

[00:11:44.50] - Gregg Garner

And, I'm happy to hear your testimony on that. That's good.

[00:11:47.29] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Talk to me a little bit about the, preparation for the trip. So I know that when I traveled, I was always, like, couple weeks out. I was like, here we go. You know? So when when you're getting ready for a trip, like, what are some of the things that you're thinking through, praying for through? You know, dealing with your emotions? What's some of the build up like?

[00:12:05.89] - Genesis Garner

Yeah. I think that one of the things I try to prioritize is time with my family, and in particular, my mom. And so I think that that is something that even not just helps her and helps my little siblings because I do have little siblings, but it helps me too emotionally, just knowing that I've spent some quality time with her before spending some time away from her. So, and she's a woman of faith, so she definitely has words and prayers to build me up and kind of get me ready for the work that we do. And then, also, I always, I'm an avid journaler, so I always try to journal at least, like, two to three weeks consistently before I travel, just to ensure that I am daily recognizing, okay...  I'm about to go on this. I’m about to go abroad. I'm about to be uncomfortable in certain ways. I'm going to need to stretch myself, and my flesh is gonna be tested. And, I'm gonna need to, you know, work hard to be a servant and, like, just kinda get myself in that mind in that headspace before I'm there, physically in that space. So, I think journaling is really helpful for kind of regulating your emotions and just kind of looking at everything as you're writing. For me, as I'm writing and writing down my emotions and writing down the things that I'm working through, once it's in the journal, sometimes I feel like I can close the journal, and now I've, you know, I've left it there, and I can move forward with whatever I gotta do the rest of the day. But I've at least, like, thought about my trip, and I'm getting my  head there so that once the trip starts, I'm not, like, “oh!” Like, shocked by, “oh my gosh we're here,” and I'm being stretched. And, woah, I wasn't ready.

[00:14:01.50] - Jeff Sherrod

Has this  changed for you? Like, since your your first trip with the college to the trip you're about to take? Like, your preparation, has that, do you think matured in some way?

[00:14:08.89] - Genesis Garner

I think, yeah. I think that I haven't had to be so, like, intentional. Like, okay. I have to journal. I think it's just kind of like a knee jerk reaction now. Like, oh, I'm gonna travel. It's time to, like, do these things. It's time to, be more intentional in prayer. It's time to, like, me and my friends have been reading first and second Corinthians together. So, like, being intentional to get in scripture with the people I'm gonna travel with. That's just come more naturally now because I have been, like, more intentional to do that on the on the, like, front end. Yeah, on the front end of traveling. And so, yeah, I do think that it's matured in me, and now I just, you know, journal naturally or I start, like, oh, I start feeling like I need to start getting more rigorously in the word and things like that.

[00:15:03.89] - Jeff Sherrod

What would you say someone is, like, you know, they're come maybe on their first trip and, like, super nervous. And deal with it. What what would be some of your advice?

[00:15:11.89] - Genesis Garner

Some of my advice would be definitely spend time with your family, as much as you can leading up to the trip. Be in communication with your teammates, those who you know you're gonna be traveling with, who are your peers, your fellow interns, and also stay up to date on all the communications that you're getting from your leaders. But, also, like, take time, especially, like, the three days before internship. Like, take time to really be with God and, spend time in prayer and get your mind quiet and kind of try to practice having a sound mind before things get busy and the trip starts and you're traveling.

[00:16:01.10] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah, that's a great response.

[00:16:02.79] - Jeff Sherrod

One of the questions that Gregg asked Jacob at the end was, you know,  what's one of the hopes that you have, and I'll ask the same to you?

[00:16:08.29] - Genesis Garner

For this trip?

[00:16:09.00] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah, for this trip. Yeah.

[00:16:09.79] - Genesis Garner

Okay. So many. So many. One of the hopes that I have is that I could... so for this trip, I'm going as a trainee.

[00:16:22.10] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. We didn't bring that up. Right.

[00:16:23.29] - Gregg Garner

Yeah. Which is in contrast to being a recruit.

[00:16:26.60] - Genesis Garner

Yeah. And with this role, and title comes just more responsibility.

[00:16:33.39] - Gregg Garner

On a leadership track.  Mhmm.

[00:16:34.60] - Genesis Garner

Mhmm. And when I was a recruit, so for my first internship experience, it was mostly about me getting exposed to the need around me and experiencing things. But now I'm at this point, I'm going into my senior year at the institute. So, even with my occupational focus, I'm just kind of trying to hone it in, and that is, giving me, that's allowed for me to have some leadership responsibilities on this team as a trainee. And so I have hopes that, personally, I can remember that I don't need to think about all the, like, expectations on me as, like, opportunities for me to fail or, like, I'm just you know? I'm gonna inevitably mess up or think of it like that. But instead of that, think of it as, answers to prayer, prayers I've made about God developing me and stretching me.

[00:17:38.90] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. That's awesome. Genesis, thanks so much for, like, a mature, I think that's how I would characterize this is, like, it's it's been a really mature reflection. On your trip coming up so thank you.

[00:17:47.90] - Genesis Garner

Thank you.

[00:17:55.00] - Jeff Sherrod

Hey, everyone, and welcome back to College Conversations. We are continuing to talk about travel and mission abroad and what that looks like. And today on the episode, we have Erin Gammill, who is a student at the institute. You're an upperclassman at this point, right?

[00:18:09.00] - Erin Gammill

Yes. I just finished my fifth year.

[00:18:11.50] - Gregg Garner

Super senior. A double major Super Senior.

[00:18:14.59] - Erin Gammill

That’s right.

[00:18:16.90] - Jeff Sherrod

Nice. You’re like a few units away right? From being done, pretty cool. How you feeling about being done?

[00:18:21.90] - Erin Gammill

Yeah. Yeah. I feel good, but this has been such a precious season that  I'm like, I almost don't wanna leave, but I'm excited to start my career more full time. So, I don't know, it's interesting.

[00:18:29.40] - Jeff Sherrod

It's a good time.

[00:18:30.09] - Gregg Garner

It's awesome.

[00:18:30.79] - Jeff Sherrod

Well, you've been a, you've been a great student, you know, as I've had you in classes. So I think one of the things I was interested in... well, before I get into it, I do wanna just say, tell us a little bit about, cause we're talking about this this series of people as students who are traveling. You've traveled with us before, and you’re traveling again this summer.

[00:18:47.79] - Erin Gammill

That’s true.

[00:18:48.20] - Jeff Sherrod

So maybe you can tell us what was your last trip, and, also, what's your plans for for this summer?

[00:18:53.70] - Erin Gammill

Last trip was an internship, and it was about three weeks full time in, like, in country, and then we had a two week, time training together beforehand. And then this summer, I'm going on immersion, which is a little bit different. It's further up in the program, and it is more time in country. And it's more of like a, I feel like internship is, like, you really go go go all the time, and you fit a lot of stuff in, and you're, like, running around and doing a lot of things. And immersion is more like you're just settling into the culture that you're going to visit and, like, learning how to live there. So, I think there'll be a little a mix of both this summer going places and doing things, but, ultimately, just being able to build up my friendships with my friends there and, even look into, like, opportunities to use my occupational skills in Uganda. That's where I'm going. I went last summer, and I'm going to Uganda again.

[00:19:42.20] - Jeff Sherrod

One of the things that you've, like I've mentioned, you've been a great student, but I know that one of the things that's unique for how, I did a summer internship when I was in college, but I did not travel with any of my teachers. And so I think that's something that's different that we do is that you're traveling with teachers. So maybe you can talk a little bit about that. What's that been like for you traveling with, you've traveled with Mr. Garner several times, like some other teachers. Mrs. Kagay, yeah. So tell us a little about that. What's that like?

[00:20:02.90] - Erin Gammill

I think the thing that made it different, because some of my first few trips, that wasn't the case for me, is the feedback is quicker and more direct, and the correction is. But it's really beneficial because it's so fast, and because it's so direct. I feel like I grew more exponentially than I would have on previous trips just because it's like you just have less time of doing things wrong. I don't know. That's, like, the best way I could think to describe it is, like, you get corrections so quickly on how you're doing that you can, fix things faster.

[00:20:38.90] - Gregg Garner

And it's subtle in those contexts. Right? Because the thing that you're doing, it's not, like, wrong in the egregious sense or, like, even really in a  bad sense. It’s wrong in that it's not the best way to do that.

[00:20:55.00] - Erin Gammill

Yeah.

[00:20:56.50] - Gregg Garner

Right? And so I think that's important. The correction, because you're talking about exponential growth. A person can stay on the same route going to where they they they want to go, believing that's the best route.

[00:21:09.50] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah.

[00:21:09.79] - Gregg Garner

Until someone says, “hey, let me show you a shortcut.” Then after that, you're, like, going left out of the neighborhood to get to Walmart or wherever instead of right out of the neighborhood. Do you guys get what I'm saying? Like, once someone introduces you to a more efficient way, growth happens. And, I think that's one of our jobs as professors on these trips is to help these guys stand on our shoulders. You know? Like, and I gotta tell you, there's a lot of trades out there. Like, I talked with a guy. He'd been a masoner for forty years. And he says in that group of people, like, you have to come and work with him, and he'll unlock a secret for you after three years. Then he'll maybe unlock another one after three or four more years. And he's like, I have guys working with me for twenty years still wanna know this one thing that I do, and I'm almost ready to give it to him. And he just says that's across the board. They're, like, real stingy with their, but, you know, when you serve a God, who's like; freely you've been given, freely give. If a student, who's an awesome student like Erin, can recognize that the correction isn't purposed to be punitive, but the correction is to expedite growth. It's awesome. So I'm, like, pumped about her response right now because that feels good. Because it can be easily misunderstood. Right?

[00:22:29.90] - Erin Gammill

Yeah.

[00:22:33.70] - Gregg Garner

I mean… when you see this face looking at you... and it says, hey!

[00:22:34.79] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Mission trip Gregg.

[00:22:35.70] - Erin Gammill

It's intense.

[00:22:38.09] - Laurie Kagay

But just the reality, cross cultural ministry is complicated. So there's just gonna, so the correction is, like, in the context of that. Not you did wrong as a person. Just in this setting, here's some things to consider that may be more...

[00:22:48.70] - Gregg Garner

You didn't know what you didn't know. So let's help.

[00:22:56.29] - Jeff Sherrod

And even just noticing the benefit of the time, like you said, happens quickly. Like, I mean, how bad, it wouldn't be as effective if you finished an entire trip and then got back.

[00:23:08.70] - Gregg Garner

And got corrected.

[00:23:11.20] - Gregg Garner

It would feel terrible because you did a ton of things the whole time. I mean, and I've seen that with people who go on trips.

[00:23:14.40] - Jeff Sherrod

Absolutely. Yeah.

[00:23:14.90] - Gregg Garner

And then they're, like, telling everybody how awesome it was that they did. And, you know, I ask a question. Just a I'm not even making a comment. Just ask a question, but the question kind of implies the comment. And people just feel deflated. Because it sometimes it's it's simple stuff. Right? We did a crusade, and and we led five hundred people to Christ. Can you give me one of their names? I just wanna know one of their names. Do you remember any one of their names? Crickets. That feels bad, right?

[00:23:43.20] - Erin Gammill

Yeah.

[00:23:43.20] - Gregg Garner

Yeah. So it it helps. Right? If you did one evening of crusades and that night, fifty people came to Jesus and you didn't get any names, you know, the next night you're getting names and all of a sudden we're like, hey. Yeah. Let's let's get to know who these people are. Let's find out where they live. Let's follow-up. Let's do what we're supposed to do in line with a discipleship trajectory, not just a conversion trajectory.

[00:24:04.40] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. For sure.

[00:24:05.00] - Gregg Garner

Anyways, some examples.

[00:24:06.50] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. I think that's helpful because, you know, you're noticing, I also like how you're picking out correction too because it helps us to recognize the purpose of these trips. Like you're not, we're not sending you abroad just for you to travel, here to see the world, and then, you know, that kind of thing.

[00:24:20.90] - Gregg Garner

Or even thinking that what they're going to do would be that which some of our faculty or staff do.

[00:24:26.79] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Right.

[00:24:27.50] - Gregg Garner

Right? We're we're this trip is and I tell you guys this all the time. This trip's more for you guys. Than it is even for the people you're serving. They will benefit.

[00:24:35.09] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah.

[00:24:35.20] - Gregg Garner

And they benefit greatly. But it's for you guys as you develop into the kind of people that, yeah, get out there and it becomes less about you and more about them. But you need an opportunity and a venue for it to be about you. It's not a bad thing.

[00:24:51.70] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. And now you're coming back with, like I'm guessing here. Right? You can correct me if I'm wrong, but you're coming back with way different perceptions about how you do school and how you do work even based upon what you've already done abroad. True?

[00:25:03.79] - Erin Gammill

Yeah. It’s, my experience is very much color. The ones that I get abroad in my experiences abroad very much color the way that I consider patients at work. I work in health care. Yeah. Just even motivation to do my work.

[00:25:18.59] - Gregg Garner

Oh, so you're not talking about the character trait of being patient. You're talking about working with patients.

[00:25:21.90] - Erin Gammill

Yeah. The people I interact with, the needs that they might have, just pretty much every like, I think you've described it to me before and to all of us is, like, holding two worlds. And I think that very much rings true, at least for me, is, like, once you see what you've seen, like, when you come back, everything's different. Everything changes.

[00:25:41.09] - Gregg Garner

Yeah. Yeah.

[00:25:42.59] - Jeff Sherrod

Talk to me a little bit about traveling with friends. So you've been in the institute for a long time

[00:25:48.29] - Gregg Garner

Super Senior.

[00:25:49.00] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Super senior. You've done trips with people that you've met recently and done now trips with people that you've known for long time. Like what does that mean for you? What does that look like for you, like, traveling with friends for so many years?

[00:26:00.29] - Erin Gammill

My first trip was, like, I didn't know anybody, and it was a train wreck just, like, to some degree. Like, our team dynamic was a train wreck.

[00:26:08.79] - Laurie Kagay

And are you saying first trip, like, ever abroad or first trip with G.O.D.?

[00:26:11.90] - Erin Gammill

My first trip abroad, I was sixteen. I went with my dad and some, like, older members of our church, so I didn't really have, like, a lot of age mates or friends on the trip with me. But my first trip with G.O.D., I really only knew one other person, and even our friendship wasn't very real yet because we hadn't, like, learned the word together. We were just, like, in high school together.

[00:26:30.29] - Gregg Garner

though That was with SLAM right?

[00:26:34:57] - Erin Gammill

No it was Da Mission. Well, I guess that’s SLAM, right?

[00:26:37.59] - Gregg Garner

Yeah, yes.

[00:26:39:48] - Erin Gammill

And then going to my last internship where I was like, on a trip with people I’ve known for four years and had been, like learning the Word with and serving. Just doing life with for four years, like the ability we had to tell the truth to one another quickly, to work efficiently and effectively was like, astronomically, exponentially different after spending all that time together. Learning each other, learning our strengths and weaknesses.

[00:27:02:37] - Gregg Garner

You guys were a great team, as well.

[00:27:03.70] - Erin Gammill

It meant a lot to to get good feedback at the end of that trip after my Da Mission. Like, I was, like looking at the two trips and was like, wow. That's a very good experience.

[00:27:11:63] - Jeff Sherrod

Really good progress here.

[00:27:11.20] - Erin Gammill

Yeah. Yeah. For sure. So that was, like it definitely changes the game, and it makes the trip more enjoyable, and it makes what we're able to do, exponentially greater.

[00:27:19.70] - Gregg Garner

Yeah. Love it.

[00:27:20.70] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. I wanted to bring this up because I know this has been part of your story, like, developing these kind of friendships. You know, since you've been here. Because I think sometimes when people even college students, they're thinking about summer trips. They're like, where do I wanna go, and what are the things I wanna do? And it's a really, “I” focused thing. So yeah. Like, there's a difference that happens when you do mission with friends, and Yeah. God's called us to do this together. Right? Even calls us friends. And so recognizing that God can do something, with a group of people. So how has that even impacted, like, your guys' preparation for the next trip, like, moving forward?

[00:27:53.59] - Erin Gammill

That’s a good question. You mean the one coming this this summer?

[00:27:54.70] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Because tell us a little bit about, do you have an idea of what you're doing this summer? Like, occupationally?

[00:27:58.00] - Erin Gammill

I know, yeah. At least me and, one of the other people going on immersion with me, Lydia, we work together also at HFC. So it’s, like, a really special

[00:28:05.70] - Jeff Sherrod

Which is a health clinic, here nationally.

[00:28:08.70] - Erin Gammill

Yeah, yes. And we get to dive in more to health care abroad and what that looks like in Uganda. And I think that the preparation that's gone into even my team, like, meeting together on a weekly basis, praying together, writing devotionals with each other. There's just, like, a different level of prep when you're accountable to other people also. I feel like that that adds a new layer even of, like, responsibility on each of us to each other. And I think it's made us, more, willing to to do the work on the front end necessary, like, less willing to procrastinate the stuff we need to do. And I think it also, like, having the time together to prep now and decide who's doing what, like, what is my role on the team, what needs will I fulfill when I'm abroad. I think it's gonna make us a lot more prepared and even, like, me and Lydia specifically to, like, dive into health care together, to have prayed together about it before going and, like, had conversations about it. I think it'll make our experience more rich just to have that preparation on the front end.

[00:29:05.29] - Jeff Sherrod

Absolutely. Yeah. That's great. What are what are some of the hopes that you guys have for this summer when you're thinking about it?

[00:29:13.50] - Erin Gammill

I think I have hopes still, that we'll continue to grow in our our friendships as a result because it is like, like, the intensity goes up a little bit when you're abroad.

[00:29:22.79] - Jeff Sherrod

Mhmm.

[00:29:23.79] - Erin Gammill

And, like, your communications with people can get a little shorter. But in the end, it's like you do develop deeper bonds with people when you're doing really difficult things together.

[00:29:32.20] - Gregg Garner

And it's not just, like, that you guys are abroad. It's like you're together all the time.

[00:29:36.40] - Erin Gammill

Yeah, that’s true. It's true. Every waking moment. Yeah.

[00:29:39.29] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Even every asleep moment.

[00:29:41.29] - Erin Gammill

Yes. This is true also.

[00:29:42.79] - Gregg Garner

Yeah. So that definitely increases the intensity.

[00:29:46.40] - Erin Gammill

That's true. Yeah. And it just, I think will push us in that realm and then, hoping to come out of this with a better understanding even of how we fit into the ministry and, like, all of us are that are going on immersion or pledge to the East Africa team together. So, even this will be an opportunity for us to see what needs we can meet, where we need to develop to meet those needs going forward in the future and, hopefully, moving us towards, like, membership being a part of this team, this greater team of our ministry and having something to contribute in the the future.

[00:30:17.20] - Jeff Sherrod

That's awesome. Yeah. That's great, Erin. What if you're thinking about this trip, where are you at in excitement level? Like, because we're a few weeks away now, right, at this point? Yeah. Where where are you at on the scale?

[00:30:26.00] - Gregg Garner

Scale, one to ten.

[00:30:26.70] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah, one to ten.

[00:30:27.29] - Erin Gammill

Probably ten. Yeah.

[00:30:28.09] - Jeff Sherrod

You're a ten.

[00:30:28.59] - Erin Gammill

I mean, gotta go ten.

[00:30:28.90] - Gregg Garner

Full ten.

[00:30:30.40] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. What else is it?

[00:30:31.29] - Erin Gammill

There's there's some nerves, but, like, anxiety override or not anxiety. The excitement overrides all the anxiety.

[00:30:36.40] - Gregg Garner

Love that. Yeah.

[00:30:37.00] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. That's great.

[00:30:37.70] - Gregg Garner

That's great.

[00:30:38.29] - Jeff Sherrod

Thanks so much.

[00:30:39.29] - Gregg Garner

You’re gonna do great. You’re gonna be so good. You're gonna love it. I can't wait to hear from you after this summer. It’s gonna be amazing.

[00:30:44.50] - Jeff Sherrod

Yeah. Thanks so much for joining us.

[00:30:47:07] - Erin Gammill

Yeah. For sure.

[00:30:49:28] - Jeff Sherrod

You guys out there, thanks so much for joining us on College Conversations. Please like and subscribe. Share the show with others. If you guys have a comment or if you have ideas for a topic you'd like for us to discuss, reach out to us. Our email is in the show notes. Until then, see you guys next time.