Cypress Native Ashley Whitaker Involved in Unique Summer Mission

BROWNWOOD , TX (08/31/2011)(readMedia)-- Summer break is typically a time of cookouts, road trips and lounging by the pool. Cypress native Ashley Whitaker, a sophomore at Howard Payne University, however, spent her summer vacation serving others while strengthening her relationship with Christ.

Ashley was one of six HPU students who served in a variety of mission fields, both domestic and international, coordinated through the Baptist General Convention of Texas' Go Now Missions and HPU's Baptist Student Ministry.

Students were interviewed at their local BSM and then went through a process called Discovery Weekend, in which they were interviewed in small groups by the Go Now Missions team. The weekend's purpose was focusing on discovering what God is doing in their hearts to shed light on where He was leading them to serve.

"They were encouraged to really discover their relationship with God," said Keith Platte, BSM director at HPU. "It is less about the field, and more about what God has been putting on their hearts. Each mission field is a unique opportunity for students to serve others."

Whitaker worked in Fort Worth with a large population of refugees from around the world.

"She partnered with local churches to help in the social, economic and most importantly spiritual transformation of these people," Platte said. "With so many new things to learn about a new country, these refugees need people who are honest and kind to help them in their transition to America. Ashley was one of those people as she showed the love of Christ to the many people who have been brought across the globe to our own doorstep."

Though they were working to serve others, Platte said that most students on mission trips say they gained more from the experience than they gave.

"The purpose of missions is really two-fold," he said. "First, the students serve a need on the mission field, whether it is a physical need or an evangelical need."

Secondly, he said, students learn that "missions" can happen every day, no matter where they are.

"The students cultivate a heart and passion for what can be done when they get back to school," he said.

Whitaker agrees that the lessons she learned are staying with her now that she is back at HPU.

"This summer really taught me a lot about how to do ministry in normal life," she said.

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Founded in 1889, Howard Payne University is a Christ-centered academic community dedicated to excellence by developing and equipping the whole person for intellectual inquiry, personal and professional integrity, and service to God and humanity.

Located in Brownwood, Texas, HPU offers a full array of undergraduate programs and a limited number of graduate programs in a traditional residential academic community. The university also offers selected undergraduate and graduate course work by electronic means and at extended learning centers responsive to the academic needs of the communities served. HPU maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio, which contributes to the university's reputation of being "a place where everybody is somebody."