BSU’s Summer Missions Program helps MC students spread the Gospel throughout the world

A record 30 Mississippi Christian University students visited five continents this summer to share the message of Christ through the Baptist Student Union’s Summer Missions Program.

Student missionaries served with the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board and the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board in locations ranging from New York, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and Idaho to Mexico, Peru, Scotland and the Philippines.

MC student Conner Duren, right, enjoys a moment of reflection with Tae Hwang, left, and Isaac Holston during their work with Meadowbrook Church in Redmond, Washington.

Nate Taylor had previously traveled with members of his hometown church in Olive Branch to Honduras and Guatemala on medical and dental mission trips. When his sister, Emma Kate, told him about her trip to Peru, he was determined to add a third Latin American country to his missions list.

Taylor spent almost seven weeks this summer in and around Lima, working alongside his sister to minister to university students. They participated in prayer walks, joined student-led Bible studies, evangelized and prayed. The senior accounting major’s most rewarding experience was in an indigenous village outside of Iquitos in the Amazon jungle.

“We got to attend a church service with the Matsés people, who spoke their tribal language, some who spoke Spanish and those of us who spoke English,” Taylor said. “Getting to worship alongside these precious people and hearing their language praise and glorify the same God was incredibly special.”

Lily Panquin’s only mission experience had been a weeklong trip outside of Dallas before she signed up to serve in Beaverton, Oregon. For more than two months, the sophomore pre-nursing major from Ridgeland served with Dusty’s Heart, a nonprofit ministry that sponsors kids’ clubs, food pantries and community events to build connections with local churches.

“It was my first trip with nobody I knew and the longest by far,” Panquin said, “but the Lord laid it on my heart and has blessed our work immensely. Being the hands and feet of Jesus is so important to me, and the Lord made it clear that mission work was what He had planned for me this summer.”

At a kids’ club event, Panquin met an 8-year-old boy who was eager to learn more about the Lord.

“On the last day, he expressed interest in salvation,” Panquin said. “As I had the conversation, there were certain concepts and questions that he had that I struggled to break down for him to understand. The Holy Spirit enabled my partner, Maritza, to say exactly the thing that he needed to hear, and he accepted Jesus. It was an amazing display of how intentional God is and how the Holy Spirit provides wisdom exactly when needed.”

Connor Duren has taken mission trips with his home church in Gordo, Alabama, since 2019. When the senior Christian Studies major traveled to Meadowbrook Church in Redmond, Washington, through the Summer Missions Program, he encountered a setback: only one local student showed up for the first night of Bible study.

Over his eight weeks, more students joined, and the most enriching events occurred at summer camp.

“I got to grow in my relationships with the students and to be there for them when they had questions about God and the Bible,” Duren said. “The students were very open and vulnerable about struggles they had within their Christian walk. To be in a place where your number one goal is to build relationships and to focus on Christ has been the coolest thing I have ever done. It has been incredible seeing how God is over all and is working and moving in all places.”

Dannie Waller, BSU director, encourages MC students to participate in the Summer Missions Program.

“Participating in summer missions allows students to see what ministry, what being a believer looks like, in different cultures and contexts,” Waller said. “It helps students grasp the eternal perspective of all nations, tribes and tongues bowing at the feet of Jesus.”

Cody Counts, associate director of the BSU at MC, said students from any field of academic study may apply for the Summer Missions Program. Approved students are matched with mission opportunities, and whenever possible, MC students are paired with students from other BSU’s in Mississippi.

“A wide variety of students come back with different experiences, but the most common thing you hear from them is how the Lord is faithful,” Counts said. “They come back changed. They have a new mindset, a new worldview, and they realize that as Christians, we have a great gift that needs to be shared with those around us.”

The program gives MC students firsthand missions experience serving alongside a pastor, church planter or missionary, reflecting the BSU at MC’s motto: “Making disciples who make disciples.”

BSUs raise funds throughout the year for summer missions. Students selected for international assignments receive a scholarship for each week they will be serving, but must come up with the remaining funds on their own.

“MC is a Christian institution that really does prioritize living out the Christian faith,” Counts said. “For students, that means having an opportunity to join a missions team and serve others. The Lord has called so many students this year to leverage their summer for the Gospel. It’s been amazing to witness.”

The BSU equips and sends students to serve internationally with the IMB or stateside with the NAMB. Mission opportunities are released at the BSU Fall Conference, and the BSU at MC hosts a banquet each spring to raise scholarship funds. Counts calls the next banquet, scheduled for Feb. 12, 2027, a “night of commissioning and encouragement” for upcoming BSU summer missionaries.

“What’s been rewarding is seeing how the Lord has used our college students,” Counts said. “These missions change how they lead and how they live.”

For Duren, that experience is one he hopes other MC students will consider.

“Pray about it before you dive in head-first, because going on a mission is not the easiest thing – but it is so worth it,” Duren said. “If you feel called to missions, it is a great experience. Even if you don’t feel the calling, explore the idea of using your summers to further God’s kingdom. Don’t look back and wish you had done it.”

Panquin and Taylor echoed Duren’s encouragement.

“Serving as a student missionary creates so much personal growth in every way possible,” Panquin added. “It’s a wonderful way to see how uniquely God has created you, the people you work with, the people you minister to, and the world itself. It requires sacrifice, but that is nothing compared to how blessed you will be from making the trip.”

“The lessons and experience I am taking home from my time in Peru are life-changing and transformative to my faith,” Taylor said. “I am grateful for all I was able to see, hear and do. Even on the hard days, God taught me to rely on Him fully.”

For more information about mission opportunities through the BSU at MC, visit mc.edu/students/bsu/missions.