Georgia Baptist students serve across states and nations on spring break mission trips By HENRY DURAND, The Christian Index Thursday, April 9, 2026 ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Nearly 500 Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministries students spent their spring break on mission this year, serving in eight international locations, seven sites across the United States, and seven places in Georgia. From remote villages in Guatemala to refugee communities in Clarkston, and from church plants in Montana to ministry partnerships on the Georgia coast, students used their week away from campus to share the gospel and support churches and ministries on the field. Georgia College & State University campus minister David Kirkland said 55 students from that school served on four different teams over spring break. In Ecuador, 15 students worked with the Happiness Foundation, an orphanage that serves children and students. Kirkland said the team worked through interpreters much of the time, but still had many meaningful gospel conversations with high school and college students. Ten students partnered with a new church plant in Montana that had been open only 11 weeks. They focused on behind-the-scenes ministry by serving in the community, cleaning the church, and going on prayer walks in surrounding towns. Students from GCSU and the University of West Georgia teamed up to serve the communities of Brunswick and Savannah. In Brunswick, they helped lead a Backyard Bible Club for children, took part in collegiate outreach at the College of Coastal Georgia, assisted The Living Vine ministry, and served local churches. The students in Savannah served at Immanuel Baptist Church, helping with manual labor and neighborhood canvassing. They also helped build beds for children in need and took part in street evangelism during the St. Patrick’s Day parade, where Kirkland reported that one person came to faith in Christ. Tara Carter, campus missionary at UWG, said her team formed deep bonds with the GCSU students as they served together.  “The students went in without knowing each other, but quickly became friends and encouragements to each other throughout the week,” Carter said. The students were divided into prayer groups, and by the end of the week, nearly every group had made plans to keep praying for one another and visit each other back on campus. “It was amazing to see them live out the truth that we are all united under the gospel of Jesus Christ,” she said. One of the most memorable moments came in Savannah at Old Savannah City Mission, where the team was unexpectedly asked to help lead a chapel service just before lunch. Carter said students quickly organized worship and a message, and Jonathan Patterson, a freshman at UWG, shared how Christ had changed his life despite growing up in the midst of addiction. “It was touching to see how his testimony didn't just impact the people he was sharing with, but also our whole team,” Carter said. “We were amazed by the providence of God and His sovereignty in allowing all of us to be there to experience that moment, and see the work that is being done at this ministry first hand.” Students from Kennesaw State, Kennesaw Marietta, and Dalton State spent spring break serving closer to home. Riley Payne, campus missionary at Kennesaw State, said a group of 12 students engaged with Mission ATL, working with Noonday Baptist Association to complete ministry projects at churches in metro Atlanta. The team stayed at Chattahoochee Baptist Church in Marietta, where they attended Sunday worship and led music before serving throughout the week in a variety of ministries. They packed food boxes at Storehouse Ministries and helped distribute them through Eastwood Baptist Church. On the final day, the team traveled to Clarkston, where they entered the homes of refugees from Myanmar, sharing testimonies and the gospel through translators. “The students left with a heart for their community and a drive to serve it more,” Payne said. One student, Caleb Oglesby, said that, “Being able to grow closer to my friends while getting to serve in a community so close to where I live was such a wonderful experience that drastically exceeded my expectations for the trip.” Students from Georgia State saw the Lord work in powerful ways during a mission trip to Huehuetenango, Guatemala, said campus minister Austin Reaves. The team traveled eight hours from Guatemala City into a mountainous region where, Reaves learned, no mission team had visited in nearly three years. Though the team originally expected to work alongside Fountain of Life Baptist Church and Pastor Efraín Juárez in the city, Reaves said they instead found themselves serving church plants in remote villages connected to that ministry. The students visited homes to deliver food bags and water filtration systems. Reaves said that meeting the short-term needs of the residents “gave us the opportunity to share about the long-term solution to their greatest problem, which is sin.” The young missionaries also taught children about Jesus in a local school through songs, games, and a clear gospel presentation, led a Vacation Bible School, and hosted a youth rally. “One recurring theme I kept hearing from the students was a growing reverence for God,” Reaves said. “Older Christians would drop to their knees in prayer, thanking God for sending a group of college students from America to their homes to provide food for the week, something we often take for granted, yet is truly a gift from the Lord.” He said students also realized how much they should be thankful for. “Many students acknowledged that they often look too far ahead into the future and fail to recognize and give thanks for what God is doing in their lives right now,” Reaves said. One of the biggest encouragements on the trip came through working alongside a translator named Addy. Reaves said Addy had grown up in Texas, came to Guatemala on a mission trip while in high school, and sensed the Lord calling her to stay. At 18, she moved to Guatemala, learned Spanish, and has now served there for three years. Reaves said it was both “encouraging and challenging for the Georgia State students to see someone their own age living what many would consider radical obedience to God.” --- PHOTOS --- File: 20260409-121655-280-1.jpg Caption: Students serve during a short-term Spring Break mission trip. (Photo/GBMB) File: 20260409-121657-596-2.jpg Caption: Students serve during a short-term Spring Break mission trip. (Photo/GBMB) File: 20260409-121700-31e-3.jpg Caption: Students serve during a short-term Spring Break mission trip. (Photo/GBMB)