What started out as a group photo became a moment when God burdened the hearts of young people for the lost.

On May 26, 41 college students arrived at the border of Mexico and the USA, each with one heavy suitcase, plenty of excitement and a readiness to travel around the global with the summer Youth in Mission program, sharing about the hope found in Jesus Christ.

The Nazarene Border Initiative Center in El Paso, Texas, turned into a training arena buzzing with cross-cultural orientation, team building and spiritual formation. The 2010 Youth In Mission participants completed the week-long training event prior to being sent as summer missionaries throughout the world.

On the second night of training camp, students were led to a scenic point in the mountains near the training center for what was intended to be a group photo.  Instead, their eyes were opened to so much more. The scenic point overlooks the cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Joel Tooley, a missionary serving as a Mobilization Coordinator for Global Mission and director of Youth In Mission, shared about the drug war violence in Mexico and how it is impacting the people in cities like Ciudad Juarez. It became a moving moment with tears and deep concern for the people just minutes away from where the group was training for global ministry.

Students gathered around Maru Rodriguez, a missionary from the North Mexico Field, as she prayed in Spanish for those affected by the violence, and for the dynamic church leaders who are engaging our Mexican churches in making Christlike disciples.

Please pray for the students as they spend their summer overseas in Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, El Paso, India, Italy, Liberia, Mexico, Romania, Senegal, South Africa, Vanuatu, and a creative access area in Asia.  These students join hundreds more who have been mobilized from each of our Nazarene Universities in the USA and even more from other world areas.border.nazarene.org/border.nazarene.org/

-- Laura Poff, Southern Nazarene University Media Strategies. Photo courtesy by Marty Hoskins, director of Global Mission Personnel.