Missions

Why Should People Care?

Published on February 26, 2018 in Editorial by Sydney Anderson

2017 was an arduous year for the United States. Deemed the deadliest year for mass shootings in U.S. history, the country finished the year with around 307 mass shootings. Police killed 1,147 people, and there was a substantial number of bombings in public places. England and France also made notable headlines in the U.S. However, 11.5 percent of Syria’s population has been killed or injured since 2011, proving that is it much rarer to see news like that make headlines in first-world countries.

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Wesleyan Anticipates 2018 Mission Trips

Published on September 28, 2017 in Features by Suzanne Godard

Next spring break, 200 or more high school students and teachers will embark on a life-changing trip, but the preparation and anticipation for the upcoming missions season begins in early fall. Keep Reading

Wesleyan Mission Team Serves in South Africa

Published on September 1, 2017 in Features by Brooks Lalley

(Pictured from left to right) Elise Harper, Megan Gallagher and Peter Hess make new friends during their time in a township. Whitney Panetta.
Annie Cowart plays with children in Diepsloot during VBS. Emily Zavitz
(Pictured from left to right) Greg Lisson, Abbie Blauser and Chloe Hangartner enjoy interacting with the lion cubs at the Lion & Safari Park in Gauteng, South Africa. Emily Zavtiz.
Children enjoy field games in Johannesburg, South Africa. Emily Zavitz.
The South Africa missions team enjoys playing ultimate frisbee during their free time. Emily Zavtiz.

Just weeks after the 2016-2017 school year ended, the South Africa Mission team, led by Elizabeth Ables, Whitney Panetta, Greg Lisson, Andrea Shupert and Emily Zavitz, embarked on their 15-hour-journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Johannesburg, South Africa. Upon arrival, they were greeted by the welcoming staff of Godfirst City Church, their host for the week. After a long bus ride to Hoopoe Haven, a local bed and breakfast where the team stayed throughout the week, they unpacked and settled in. Jet-lagged yet excited, the team was ready to serve.

Children line up to play games during VBS. Whitney Panetta.

From day one, the team was put to work making maternity packs with the Grace Project, writing encouraging notes and packaging supplies for mothers who might not have anything. The following day, the team visited the township, Zandspruit, and partnered with Impact Africa, participating in door-to-door evangelism throughout the town. In South Africa, townships are informal settlements consisting mostly of shacks without running water, plumbing or any of the basic American amenities we take for granted. For many students, this experience was the most powerful of the entire trip.

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2017 Mission Trips Revealed

Published on September 29, 2016 in News by Julia Childers

Senior Morgan Keller spends time with a refugee in Atlanta.Morgan Keller
Kids in Jamaica play on a slide built for them. Kids Around the World
Girls wear traditional dresses in Ecuador. Alex Bufton
Kids sit at a school in Mikarios, Dominican Republic. Makarios.
The kids in Nicaragua try to break open the piñata. Charis Thompson.
Seniors Emily Greer and Barret Ramsey play with kids in the Dominican Republic. Emily Greer
Seniors Noah Young and Georgia Kuehn assist with dental work in Guatemala. Georgia Kuehn

Mission trips are some of the most unique experiences offered at Wesleyan. Each trip is different. All of them take place over spring break with the exception of a biannual summer trip. They are available to seniors, juniors and sophomores, with trip options varying each year.

Here is the complete list of mission trips offered for 2017.

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Mission Trip Retreats Get Students Excited for Trips

Published on February 26, 2016 in Features by Ellie Hall

Life stories, fellowship, and unlimited frozen lasagna are just three amazing aspects of the Wesleyan mission trip retreats. Every year, the Wesleyan mission trip teams take the weekend to go to someone on the team’s mountain or lake house in order for everyone to get to know their team better. This is a very important weekend for teams because it gives everyone a chance to share their faith journey and be themselves without the distraction of school or sports.
This year, the Bulgaria team is going to junior Abbie Lochmandy’s lake house; the Panama girl’s team is going to junior Whitney Archer’s mountain house; the Atlanta team is going to senior Kendall Dearth’s lake house, the Chattanooga team is going to senior Josh Garrard’s lake house; the Guatemala coed trip is going to junior, Emma Preston’s lake house; the Guatemala boys team is going to sophomore Daniel Baisier’s mountain house; the Dominican Republic girls team is going to junior Emily Greer’s lake house; the Dominican Republic boys team is going to junior Jason McCleskey’s lake house, and the Nicaragua team is going to junior Katie Stipe’s lake house.
This year, all of the mission trip retreats were a huge success, and everyone was able to grow closer as a team and get extremely excited for their trips. Junior, Eric Panther, who is going on the Guatemala Co-ed trip said, “It was amazing to see the different personalities mesh into one group who was willing to be vulnerable with each other and share their stories to grow closer as a team.”

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