CBU volunteers set to serve in 26 countries on 39 teams in 2020
Riverside, Calif. (Dec. 3, 2019) – Excitement and anticipation filled Magnolia Church in Riverside as hundreds of California Baptist University students eagerly awaited the Team Reveal event held on the evening of Dec. 2. The event, hosted by the Office of Spiritual Life at CBU, reveals which International Service Project (ISP) teams and locations the students have been assigned.
Summer 2020 marks the 24th year of CBU’s global mobilization efforts. More than 300 students and staff and faculty members comprising 39 teams are scheduled to serve in 26 countries.
John King, director of mobilization, told the students the theme for 2020 ISP is “Discover ___” with the theme verse from Deuteronomy 4:29: “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and your soul” (NASB).
“Students receive an opportunity to see God ‘fill in the blank’ with a different description of their individual experience on ISP,” King said. “When we take students on ISP trips we don’t start something but join in on something that God is already doing.”’
Justin Ortal, a biomedical sciences junior, is serving on his first ISP trip.
“I am most excited about learning more about God’s creation and seeing how His glory is spread throughout all of the world, and especially the country I will be serving in,” Ortal said.
Rachel Solomon, a communications junior, said she looks to mature in her faith through her ISP service.
“I am excited for growth, to grow in my own confidence and also for spiritual growth through what I am doing at ISP,” Solomon said. “I also love serving and putting smiles on the faces of others.”
Kerri Horton, logistics coordinator for mobilization, said these experiences are meaningful for the students.
“There is nothing else that compares to this once in a lifetime opportunity. The team leaders do a good job raising others to be confident and to share the Gospel with others,” Horton said.
ISP students will serve on four types of teams, depending on previous ISP experience and their time commitment. Encounter teams are open to first-time participants who will serve two to three weeks. Engagement teams are deployed for three weeks. Immersion teams serve for eight weeks and are available to returning ISP students.
During the summer of 2019, CBU’s Mobilization efforts reached another historic milestone— 5,000-plus volunteers since the start of the flagship ISP program.