PLNU’s three-week short term mission trip program, LoveWorks, is open to applicants. The locations for the summer trips were announced in a chapel service on Oct. 14. Locations include: Brazil, Chile, Namibia, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, India, Jamaica and Lesotho. In each place, there are opportunities to serve alongside various ministries.
“We only go where we are invited,” Norma Flores, LoveWorks assistant director, said. “We send out an email in mid to late summer to over 100 [ministries in] different countries to see if anyone needs a team of students from Point Loma.”
Flores is responsible for reaching out to hosts in those different countries, discovering the needs for their ministry and managing the budget for the trips. The cost to serve on a LoveWorks team ranges from $2,900 to $4,800 depending on the trip and includes transportation and food.
Stephanie Jevert, a fourth-year political science major, said she didn’t know students had to pay to go on a trip.
While it is up to participants to generate funds, LoveWorks helps them in raising money by guiding them in writing letters for donations, urging them to fundraise at their home churches and providing scholarships after the trip for those who still need financial help.
They also pay for the mail service and encourage students to send “thank you” letters to those that donate.
“We encourage students to pray and send support letters to as many people as possible for financial support,” Flores said.
Flores said she wants students to know that LoveWorks has an impact on the people they serve in the three weeks they are there. Students go on these missions “to be the wind in the sail” of the ministries in the host countries, meaning they are there to do whatever is needed or asked of them by the hosts, according to Flores.
LoveWorks launched their marketing week with testimonials from students at chapel on Oct. 14, encouraging students to apply for the program.
“Chapel service caught my attention,” Bella Harvey, a fourth-year elementary education major, said. “Just hearing everyone’s stories made me see how faithful God is in every situation.”
Harvey served on a LoveWorks trip to New Zealand in May of 2024 where her team focused on youth ministry and overnight camps for students from ages 11-18. One of the projects her team did was paint murals of affirmations about how Jesus Christ loved all people.
New Zealand has been named secular and has a 49% non-religious rate, according to their 2021 international religious freedom report.
“After the mission trip, there were three words to describe how I experienced Jesus,” Harvey said. “Jesus was intentional, present and active.”
One of the difficulties students face when considering this trip is missing home, especially since they don’t have their phones while abroad.
“I really wanted to talk to my family while being away from the comfort of my home,” McKenzie Maggiore, a fourth-year kinesiology major, said.
Maggiore served in Zambia and Malawi in May of 2024. She said that South African culture doesn’t consider time as much as the U.S. does; church services could last three or more hours, depending on when they finished worshiping. This taught her how valuable time is.
She said that not having her phone allowed her to be more present in these moments.
“This trip gave me an experience that took me out of my comfort zone but filled me with lots of joy,” Maggiore said.
It became a place where Maggiore saw how strong the body of Christ is together, she said.
Maggiore is considering going on another trip this year either to Jamaica, Ecuador or Brazil – ones that have a focus in medical ministry.
“If the Lord continues to open that door, then I will [go on another trip],” she said.
Jevert said students may hesitate to apply for the trip because they have never been out of the country and worry about safety and security.
“I have never left the country, and I am unsure of the training and resources that other countries have,” Jevert said.
Flores said that LoveWorks ensures that students and leaders get adequate training before going to their host countries so that they are prepared for the unexpected.
Students are placed on a team and begin training starting late January.
“We start training every Tuesday night [in the spring semester] and have a leader retreat in March,” Flores said. “Our group leaders are trained in CPR and first aid.”
The program is open to all students to sign up. For more information about LoveWorks and to apply, visit their website. Applications close Nov. 1.
“God can use anyone, anywhere at any time for anything,” Harvey said.
