Liberty students return from trip to Romania

After a week of serving Ukrainian refugees in Romania, a group of eight Liberty University students and two leaders returned to campus Feb. 4.

The service opportunity had been in the works since the fall of 2022, when LU Serve Now teamed up with Greater Europe Mission and Ukraine Bucharest Churches 2022 for the trip.

Chad Nelson, the serve director for Liberty, said LU Serve Now exists to provide aid to disaster victims in three main ways.

“Our goal at (LU) Serve Now is to train up the next generation to be Champions for Christ in the field of disaster and crisis response by providing humanitarian, spiritual and psychological aid,” Nelson said.

Nelson believes that service opportunities like this help equip students to become “Champions for Christ.”

“Trips like this give students unique opportunities to love and serve others in humanitarian aid,” Nelson said. “Students are challenged to step out of their comfort zone and put into practice their Christ-centered training and education from Liberty.”

The team spent most of its time in Bucharest, Romania, where it served at The Center at Holy Trinity Baptist Church. The team also served at a Ukrainian refugee camp, where the members provided supplies to refugees and spent time interacting with families.

“I got to work directly with Romanian volunteers and interact with and serve Ukrainian refugees at the church and at a nearby refugee camp,” Ashley Murphy, a student on the trip, said. “The work there entailed preparing and serving food, cleaning living areas for new refugees and packing one of the monthly convoys (that) the churches drive into the war zones in Ukraine.”

Murphy appreciated seeing everyone come together to serve Ukrainian refugees.

“It shocked me to see the love and care for Ukrainian refugees displayed by Romanian and even Russian volunteers,” Murphy said. “It gave me a newfound hope for the spiritual future of Eastern Europe and the next generation.”

Aurora Keefe, a student on the trip, gained a new perspective on life’s challenges from her time in Romania.

“Life continues to present challenges to us that we must push through, but it’s always such a blessing to have others who will support us through that so we can have a moment of rest and a feeling of security,” Keefe said.

For more information about LU Serve Now, visit www.liberty.edu/osd/lu-serve/serve-now/.

Smith is the news editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on Twitter