Every year, Bethel’s Semester Abroad and Task Force programs offer students the opportunity to see the world in new ways through experiential learning around the globe. It’s part of Bethel’s mission to “prepare students for leadership in the church and the world.” This past May, three short-term trips, each to a different continent, allowed students to earn course credit while immersing themselves in a new culture. Students traveled to France, Israel and Costa Rica on learning and service-oriented trips that provided a rich cultural experience and a broadened worldview.

Director of Career Development Matthew Stackowicz and Associate Professor of Communication Elizabeth McLaughlin, Ph.D., led a group of students, one alumna and a professional photographer, on a trip to the town of St. Hippolyte-du-Fort, France. There, they partnered with YWAM Bridges of Life and Action Tourism to tell the story of the town and the ministry in a brand new way. Using photography, videography, writing, social media, communications and marketing, the Bethel group met with local business owners to interview them and create a marketing package each business could use.

As Bethel’s largest international trip to date, 48 people – including students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and friends of the college – traveled to Israel to learn about the Bible in the places Scripture happened. Each day of the 12-day journey involved bus rides, hikes and lessons at key Biblical locations, including the Dead Sea, Jordan River, Sea of Galilee, Mount of Beatitudes, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Mount of Olives and Gethsemane, just to name a few.

Associate Professor of Mission Kent Eby ’94, Ph.D., traveled to Tanzania, Africa, to minister alongside pastors of the Maasai Tribe this summer.