Ask a Faith alumnus about their summer ministry experience, and you’ll likely get more than a quick answer.
You might get a story.
In April’s alumni newsletter, we asked alumni whether they had participated in any ministry trips during their time at Faith.
What emerged wasn’t just a collection of travel memories. It was a picture of how God used six weeks in Peru, a week in the Dominican Republic, a summer in Bavaria, a few months in Japan, a road trip through American churches, and a stretch in West Africa to shape lives for decades of ministry.
Lima, Peru — and Then Some
For Kathleen (Beck) Muth, one summer turned into fifteen years.
It started in 1984 with an eight-week Missionary Apprenticeship Program (MAP) in Lima, where she helped at Fetzer Christian Academy during its transition from a secondary school to a full K–12 school for missionary children. She also helped the missionary family she stayed with prepare Sunday school materials and songs for their church.
That summer planted a seed. Kathleen returned to Peru as a single teacher for two years, and then again with her husband to plant a church in Cusco, where they served for thirteen more years.
What began as eight weeks became a calling.
Singing in the Dominican Republic
Marty and Sue (Schoettger) Barnhart weren’t on a summer trip; they actually traveled to the Dominican Republic in December 1979 with Faith’s “Sounds of Promise” music ensemble.
Spending a week serving alongside missionaries, the Meyers, the group proclaimed the gospel through song in local churches, a nearby park, and a Christian camp where they spent several days with the campers.
What stayed with them most wasn’t the performance—it was the worship: “We adored listening to the believers sing hymns of praise with every ounce of their being!”
Bavaria, Beds, and Ice Cream
Anita Swedberg’s summer in Bavaria might sound idyllic at first glance, but it wasn’t without its challenges. Working at Camp Maranatha with the Bunjers, she made campers’ beds with starched sheets, washed lettuce in water that had just come down from alpine snowmelt, and struggled to communicate in German.
But God used all of it. “A summer with the Bunjers in Bavaria taught me about God, culture, missionary methods, and myself,” she says. The week always ended with Mrs. Bunjer’s homemade ice cream from the local dairy farm—a small grace at the end of hard work.
The eventual missionary wife in Brasil says that God used these experiences to prepare her for future ministries.
Six Weeks in Southern Japan
Susan (Strutz) Smith went into her MAP experience with an open mind and came out with a much clearer picture of what missions actually looks like on the ground.
She joined ABWE missionaries in southern Japan for six weeks after her senior year in the Christian Ed./Counseling program. The missionaries didn’t just put them to work—they invested in them, giving the three MAPers a history of missions in Japan, cultural insight, and a crash course in the language.
Then came the real work: handing out literature, visiting churches, helping clean up after a mudslide damaged a missionary storage shed, running an English camp, leading children’s camp, organizing a mini VBS for MKs, and sharing their salvation testimonies with adult English students.
It was a lot—and it was worth it.
Susan (class of 1993) later returned to Japan as a missionary with her husband, Norman (class of 1999), where they served for many years.
The Trailer, the Flats, and the Best Summer
John Coonrod’s experience looked a little different from a traditional missions trip.
He traveled with a summer ministry group that put on theatrical productions for local churches, a biblical times play and a modern-day play, all while hauling “large flats, props, makeup, lighting, sound, tools, literature, costumes, luggage, and anything else necessary for the productions” in a trailer behind a nine-passenger van.
Group members also served with music and participated in activities at each church they visited. “It was a grueling schedule,” John says, “but it was one of the best summers I’ve ever had.”
He especially appreciated staying in the homes of church members along the way—a reminder that ministry is always built on real relationships.
West Africa: Coming Full Circle
Rhonda (Rathbun) Branson already knew West Africa well. As an MK, she had grown up there, graduated from high school there, and understood the culture and language from the inside.
But her MAP summer between her sophomore and junior years showed her something she hadn’t seen before—how God could use her as an adult in ministry, not just as a kid.
She served as a staff member at her alma mater in Côte d’Ivoire, then traveled to Benin and Togo, where she sat in on pastoral training courses taught by her dad and Dr. Kober.
God used her on the mission field in West Africa for seven years after graduation, but civil war eventually forced the school to close, and two evacuations made it clear that God had other plans.
“Now, my mission field is here in a Christian school in Colorado,” Rhonda says. “God is good!”
A Pattern Worth Noticing
Six alumni. Six very different experiences.
But running through every story is the same thread: a summer (or December) ministry that left a mark.
For some, it confirmed a calling. For others, it redirected one entirely.
For all of them, it was more than a trip. It was preparation.
That’s exactly what the Missionary Apprenticeship Program and summer ministry groups were designed to do—put students in situations where God could stretch them, teach them, and sometimes surprise them.
Looking at where these alumni ended up, it’s hard to argue with the results.
Many more of you have similar stories, or you know a friend, a parent, or a child who has one of these stories.
Please email us at alumni@faith.edu so that we can feature their stories too!
