Liberty students serve in Kosovo, New York through new GO Trips program

Through Liberty University’s new GO Trips initiative, students have even more opportunities to impact the world for the Kingdom as they serve across the country and around the globe.

The program, launched by the LU Send Office earlier this year, opens another door for students to serve alongside their peers and Liberty faculty in furthering the Great Commission. With both international and domestic options, students can apply for the trip that best fits their schedules, interests, and spiritual giftings.

During the school’s fall break earlier this month, Liberty sent its first two GO Trip teams to Kosovo and New York City to partner with local organizations in Gospel work. An additional 13 trips are planned through next summer.

The trips are strategically designed for students to experience different cultures as they participate in God’s work there. In Kosovo, a predominately Muslim country, the team spent the week working with local Christian churches, doing street evangelism, hosting youth and children’s ministry events, serving meals, remodeling for a future youth camp, and more.

“I was able to see, experience, and have conversations with people of a completely different faith,” said digital marketing and entrepreneurship senior Seth Huffman. “You have that at Liberty too, where you can have conversations with different types of people, but to actually experience it in their environment and their country was a game changer. It opened my eyes to see how other people practice their religions, and what I was able to draw from that as a Christian and how I can apply some of their disciplines to my life as a follower of God.”

He said he found encouragement in the strong faith of Kosovar believers. A church they served in Prizren met in a basement with a smaller congregation than Liberty’s 27-member team.

“To see such a small, tight-knit group of Christians come together to worship in a basement was truly an amazing, sight and it was an amazing feeling to be part of that as well.”

Huffman said he was hesitant to apply for the trip because of finances, but after encouragement from LU Send, he submitted his application and was able to secure the funds necessary through the assistance of his church and a scholarship.

Huffman said he now feels led to pursue full-time ministry overseas and has already met with a mission organization to discuss the possibility.

“If my plan ends up that I’m going to be going back to Kosovo and serving, it’s because of this trip,” he said. “This trip opened up doors and avenues God placed in my life that I (would have) never known would be there without saying ‘Yes,’ to this trip.”

Kaiya Bell, an interdisciplinary studies senior on the trip, said she appreciated the opportunity to build relationships with long-term missionaries in the region. Through these connections, she gained a better understanding of what it is like to live out the Christian faith as a religious minority.

Like Huffman, Bell said the overall experience increased her passion for missions, noting she originally transferred to LU because of the school’s strong focus on missions.

“I think (this trip) made global missions more practical,” she said. “Sometimes when we think of missions, we think of it really far away. My perspective of global missions was, ‘Oh, that’s someone else’s calling.’ Through this trip, I realized there were people who are willing to send you and those who are willing to back you up in this. The hardest part is just saying, ‘Yes,’ to that.”

In New York City, the 13-member team partnered with All Angels Church, Redemption Church, and The Bowery Mission to clean facilities, stock food pantries, serve meals to the public, and more.

English sophomore Abigayle Campbell said the trip was an enjoyable and challenging experience where she could build community with fellow students.

“I’ve always had a heart for the homeless and those in situations like that,” she said. “It was a really cool opportunity to do something to help people in that position.”

Campbell credited the trip’s leaders and her peers with strengthening her faith during the trip. The team held devotionals together each evening.

“I would really encourage other students to go on a GO Trip,” she said. “It was very eye-opening, and I was able to learn a lot about how to serve. It was really neat because it was a time I could be poured into while also pouring out. The ministries we partnered with were also very genuine and had a passion for serving their community, and that was very encouraging.”

LU Send Senior Director Steven Gillum said every GO Trip will connect students with trusted ministry organizations “so they can experience firsthand how learning, spiritual formation, and missional service intersect in God’s global mission.”

“LU Send seeks to help students understand their role and responsibility in fulfilling the Great Commission and prayerfully consider how God may be leading them to do so through their future vocations,” he said.

Students can explore current GO Trip options and apply online.