From Belize to Jamaica, students are discovering how their skills can advance God’s kingdom through strategic global connections.

By Carl Stagner | Read Time: 5 minutes

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A partnership has redeveloped between Anderson University and Global Strategy, the international missions ministry of the Church of God in the United States and Canada. The history between the two is rich, of course, as the university has certainly long connected with the Movement stateside and around the world. In recent months, however, a restrengthening of existing bonds has proven an especially potent blessing for students and the broader Church of God family.

If you’ve ever been on a missions trip with Anderson University, perhaps as a student, professor, pastor, or a tagalong in various other roles, you’re likely familiar with Tri-S. Thank God for the far-reaching impact this ministry has had, not only on direct beneficiaries of a wide variety of service projects and initiatives, but also on the travelers themselves. Tapping into the vast network of Church of God leaders on the ground across the globe, the enhanced connection between AU and Global Strategy, a mutual win, is also proving a kingdom win

Some six mission trips in the past year are among the events planned in partnership. Among those embarking on such Spirit-orchestrated adventure, among others, were volleyball players, engineering students, the AU swim team, and collection of interested young women and men from the general student population. In each location, student talents were utilized in Christian witness: the volleyball team hosted volleyball camps in Belize with the Ayalas; the swim team served as lifeguards for children at the local school where Church of God missionary Deborah Hunnicut serves—for example. Students brought skills, hands to work, and hearts to love, while the Church of God facilitated the most strategic of connections.

Missionary Reflections

“It was a pleasure to have our first Tri-S group here in Roatan,” Hunnicut, missionary to Honduras, explains. “It was definitely a full-circle moment for me, as I remember having students stay with our family in Australia when I was in high school in the late 1970s. I also participated in Tri-S every summer I was a student at AU.”

Deborah Hunnicut continues, “I was able to welcome an enthusiastic, flexible, and extremely helpful group from the AU swim team earlier this summer. They spent their days tutoring students at our school, and we passed the evening together playing board games and watching basketball. Additionally, they were able to participate in a cultural night. It was a joy to host this team in my home, and I look forward to many more students coming through my doors.”

Jason and Abby Torgeson serve as regional connectors for Global Strategy to Latin America. They’ve already heard many encouraging reports from other missionaries who’ve recently hosted Tri-S teams, but they were particularly enthusiastic to share a firsthand account.

“It was really cool to welcome them back onto the property of the central church,” Abby explains, “where we still have several names of previous Tri-S participants written into concrete that was poured more than thirty years ago. The students who came to Costa Rica were part of a group of engineering students that were subdivided into three groups that examined three different types of needs on the ground: a ‘site design’ team that looked at drainage and parking issues at the central church, a ‘passive cooling’ team, which looked at creative solutions for reducing the heat and improving sound quality at our largest church building, and the ‘solar feasibility’ team, which designed a tool for evaluating the cost/benefit analysis of implementing solar in different locations and helped develop a solar power inverter for Jason to take to Cuba, a country plagued by power outages.”

“As the trip wound down,” she continues, “we were pleased to see how much they learned, both in terms of practical experience, and personal/spiritual growth. Several expressed interest in returning to Costa Rica or other overseas contexts, whether for Tri-S, or even for longer engagement. Jason was able to reconnect with a few students while he attended Camp Meeting in Anderson in June, and he said it was a joy to see them and to hear them continue to process all they have learned. We know that God is raising up a generation of leaders with practical skills and willing hearts, and we are so excited about all we did in them and will continue to do through them and other Tri-S participants.”

AU Staff Reflections

Ali Kardkatzke, director of first-year engagement at Anderson University, was one of the university staff who got to experience a Tri-S trip this year in partnership with Global Strategy. Her perspective is similarly encouraging.

“My group traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica,” she recounts, “to assist with the Jamaica Rebuild and Restore project to rebuild church communities struck by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, in collaboration with the Jamaican Church of God. We spent our time at the Hill Top Basic School and Pitfour Church of God removing debris left from the hurricane, painting inside and outside the facility, and getting to know the awesome students and dedicated staff at the school and church. The experience was absolutely amazing. We were met with incredible hospitality and generosity by the school and church staff.”

Beyond the cultural experiences, like the Jamaican food she enjoyed thoroughly, Ali delights in recognizing the benefits of a longer-lasting kind.

“For all of the AU students,” Ali explains, “getting to know and spend time with the kids at the school was a major highlight. To see God’s kingdom continue to thrive, serve the needs of the community, and educate the next generation in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster was a powerful reminder that the church is infinitely more than a building. Getting to serve alongside an amazing group of AU students was a huge blessing for me personally, and we all agree we want to go back.”

Stefanie Leiter, coordinator for Tri-S and Study Away director for AU, underscores the success of the strategic school-agency arrangement.

“Global Strategy has helped fulfill the mission behind Tri-S to serve the global church,” Stefanie concludes. “By pairing Tri-S through Global Strategy, students are impacted more directly through the relationships they create serving in these communities. Logistically, it has also helped streamline my work as coordinator to find strong options for students to encounter Christ abroad in a safe and meaningful way.”

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