As COVID-19 travel restrictions begin to loosen, Taylor is adjusting and restarting their international travel programs like the Lighthouse Programs.
J-term saw several of those trips travel internationally and this spring break four more are planned to leave according to the director of Taylor World Outreach (TWO), Kiplangat Cheruiyot Bii (Chip Bii).
One of the trips is headed for the Dominican Republic (D.R.) and the others are staying within the U.S. headed for Fort Myers and Daytona Beach, Florida, as well as Louisiana.
Although the trips are starting to come back, the numbers are lower than they have been in the past. A typical year may have around 100 attendees, but this year around 40 are registered to go.
However, the goal of the trips is the same. Every location has a different need, and but Taylor students will get opportunities to teach, learn and help others at all of them.
“The main thing that we do on these short term trips is cultivate a heart and a posture of humility and a posture of loving towards God, others and self,” Bii said.
Students in the D.R. will be placed where they can help with teaching volleyball, English and other areas of expertise.
In Fort Myers, students work at ECHO Global Farm to develop and teach better crops and farming techniques to impoverished communities around the world.
In Daytona Beach, the ministry will be focused on relationships with the beachgoers and reaching out to the crowd of college students, homeless people and local residents.
In Louisiana, students will partner with an organization providing disaster relief for hurricane victims.
2022 marks 51 years since Taylor sent out the first Lighthouse trip. When Bii started as director of TWO four years ago, he said there was a trend in Christian colleges to move away from doing short-term trips.
That said, Bii believes that the trips are beneficial. TWO has worked to make sure they can keep happening at Taylor, being fully funded for the past four years and incorporating technology to make trips as smooth as possible.
Bii said that students do appreciate and grow from the trips. Even four or 10 ten years after they graduate, students still say that the Lighthouse trips they participated in were impactful experiences.
Junior Kaelen Rodgers was on the Central Asia Lighthouse trip over J-Term and highly recommended it.
“It's an incredible learning opportunity,” Rodgers said. “It's an incredible opportunity to experience God in another context that's very different than the cornfields of Indiana. If there is something holding you back, ask those questions. And see if that's something actually worth not going or if it's just fear (holding you back).”
