Students attend National Missionary Convention

October 6, 2004

Fifteen college students, four days, two vans and a twelve hour road trip, all to attend the National Missionary Convention in Peoria, Ill. From Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, the Peoria Civic Center was filled with 3,200 people, both young and old, seeking the mission field experience across the globe. Milligan students browsed through over 700 booths and representatives from missions organizations including Christian Missionary Fellowship International, Team Expansion and New Missions Systems It was a chance for students to gain inspiration, guidance and multitudes of information about mission organizations and Christian colleges.

Junior Josh Kaminsky teamed with sophomore Emily Hand in making the arrangements for a group of Milligan students interested in attending the convention. Students stayed at Richwood Christian Church at night and during day attended a number of workshops offered to churches, missionaries and college students. Workshops included everything from ‘Building Bridges to Buddhists’ to ‘The Idiot’s Guide to Language-Learning.’

Each day began and ended with a main session that included a speaker,  congregational singing, scripture, prayer and offering. Approximately twenty workshops were offered throughout the day. Milligan student Karissa Schrage, a former missionary kid (MK) in Kenya, spoke at Friday’s luncheon about growing up on the mission field.

Sophomore Bethany Watkins came forward to make a commitment to missions. “This weekend helped me to connect with two organizations about doing possible mission work with them within the upcoming year,” said Watkins. 

Organizations represented at the convention, such as CMF International, provide eight week summer internship opportunities for college students who have completed their sophomore year. Interns are sent to the field to shadow missionaries in residence. 

“I found out about CMF last year at the convention, and as a result I participated to an internship in England this past summer,” said senior Matt Buddenborg. 

Other Milligan students, such as Travis Weeks and Adam Bisesi, also participated with CMF last summer and were interns in Kenya.

Weeks said, “The conversations I was able to have with real missionaries at the NMC opened me up some new ideas of ways to pursue missions and what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

Kaminsky, a missions major, was able to catch up with old friends from neighboring Christian colleges represented at the convention.  Milligan, Lincoln Christian College (Neb.) and Hope International (Calif.) were just some of the many Christian colleges that attended the convention.  The NMC also attracted teens in search of opportunities after graduating high school.