Students Traveling the Globe: Highlights from Some of DBU's Winter Trips
Dallas, TX – Over winter break, DBU's campus was quiet as many students returned home to spend time with their families and prepare for the upcoming spring semester. Some, however, took the opportunity to join in DBU’s global studies opportunities and travel abroad to locations such as Greece, Rome, Israel, and Spain.
“We pray that students on these trips would not only develop a greater understanding of the world around them, but also a deep desire to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in that globalizing world,” explained Dr. David Cook, Dean of Global Studies and Pre-Professional Programs at DBU. “We serve a God who loves the world, so we want each of our students to develop that same love through studying and serving around the globe.”
As the New Year began, a group of 10 students led by DBU staff members Chris Holloway, Director of Ford Village and Director of Global Missions, and Bailey Pylant, Coordinator of News and Social Media*, traveled to the small city of Denia on the Mediterranean coast of Spain to once again serve at Alfa y Omega, a local school. Alfa y Omega is the only private, Christian educational institution in Spain, founded by Dr. Jorge Juan Pastor, a long-time friend of DBU.
“We spent the week in classrooms with students ranging from toddlers to teenagers,” Pylant recalled. “During this time, we had the opportunity to share the Gospel and teach the characteristics of God followed by its implications for our relationship with Him. These lessons built upon themselves throughout the week to provide the students with a fuller understanding of God.”
Throughout the week of serving with Alfa y Omega, our team also had the opportunity to spend a few evenings with Pastor’s daughter and son-in-law, Eunice and Hugo.
“Our team served at Alpha y Omega for one week, and I think it was life changing for first-time students and returning alike,” DBU senior Jaycee Porter explained. “The people at the school are incredible servants of the Lord who care deeply for their people. My affections were stirred for the Lord through getting to minister to students and share the love of Christ.”
Miles away in Italy and Greece, another team of DBU students were impacted in a similar way.
The DBU team was led by faculty members Dr. David Cook, Dr. Jack Goodyear, Dr. Jay Harley, Dr. Brent Thomason, and Dr. Michael Whiting. Together they traveled through the famed cities of Athens, Rome, and Florence. Throughout the trip, the group explored places like the Acropolis, the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Coliseum, and so much more.
“In Greece we had the opportunity to visit the ruins of Ancient Corinth and Mycenae,” DBU senior Carter Cleveland shared. “While in Athens, we saw Mars Hill (or the Areopagus), the place where Paul shared the Gospel to the Athenians in Acts 17. In Rome, we toured the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica, along with the Coliseum and Roman Forum."
“It was amazing to see the Biblical sights where Paul preached, or seeing Rome where Christians were persecuted and even executed during the early stages of the church,” Cleveland continued. “Learning the stories of the early-church leaders and getting to see first-hand the places in which they preached or gave their lives for the advancement of the Gospel was very impactful for me. My worldview has vastly increased and my faith has been strengthened because of it.”
For many of the students, this impactful trip provided a tangible perspective of the Gospel. Some of the places the group had the opportunity to explore were the very sites of Paul’s ministry.
Whether in Spain, Greece, or other corners of the globe, DBU students spent their breaks well: learning, serving, and growing as they experienced pictures of the Kingdom all over the world.
*Bailey Pylant was the Coordinator of News and Social Media for University Communications at Dallas Baptist University from 2017-2021.
Faith Myers is a member of University Communications at Dallas Baptist University.