Missions can get into your blood: Meet Elissa Ewald

'Tis the season for missions around the office. We spent three days this week meeting with students for local interviews as a part of the Send-Me-Now collegiate summer missions process. Applicants from UGA have almost doubled over last year! +Jenna Huckaby and those who have served as missionaries in past summers did a great job telling their stories and recruiting students to apply.

This time of year is one of the best in the collegiate ministry world. I spent 9 years and 10 summers guiding the collegiate missions process through the Georgia Baptist Convention. We just called it summer missions back then. Though I missed the day to day contact with students on campus, that job was one of the most fulfilling I have had. I was able to work with the cream of the crop of students from around Georgia, those who were seeking to live their faith and who wanted to apply the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20,

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I loved seeing how a) God would use these willing, yet naive students, who didn't know the word "can't" to accomplish ridiculous things each summer, and b) how student's lives were changed in the process. I warned collegians who asked me about summer missions, "Careful, it will change your life."

Over the next few weeks I will be introducing you to some UGA BCM alumni who are taking non-traditional approaches to life after college. Each of them have chosen to spend time overseas as an outgrowth of their faith instead of simply getting a job working towards the American Dream.

Elissa Ewald (UGA 2011)

+Elissa Ewald graduated from UGA in 2011. As is the case with many of our students who graduate and head out into the big bad world, I was sorry to see her leave! It was my honor to work with Elissa over the past few years as she exercised her musical gifts. She grew up singing with her musical family and sang in our bands for most of her college career. He senior year she worked behind the scenes coordinating our worship services and working with various teams that lead in house as well as those that ministered in local churches. I came to rely on her skill, insight and wisdom! Elissa's knowledge of worship, music, and her wonderful people skills made her one of the best Worship Team Leaders I have ever had the opportunity to work with. I still love talking with her about worship planning! But now she has a new venture.

Elissa caught the missions bug many years ago. For some crazy reason she felt called to go to Kenya - even though she had never been there, never met anyone from there, and was studying a different language in college. After making a few trips over the past few years, she is heading off to Kenya in a few weeks to work at Camp Chemi Chemi. Elissa dropped by the office yesterday afternoon to catch me up on the whirlwind of life over the last several months. It was incredible to hear all of the stories of how God has been working in her life and in her experiences in Africa. You can follow her experiences on her blog. Elissa is a great writer - I can't wait to read the narratives that she will relate as she serves! She would appreciate your prayers as he goes to Kenya to work with a retreat center and camp for the next 6 to 9 months.