How was World Reach Week, Cairn? Maybe you’re a freshman and seeing all those missions tables was a little overwhelming. Perhaps you’re a seasoned student and have talked with some representatives from the many visiting groups, but you always seem to forget the ones that made the most impression.

If you are a student who’s on fire for missions, though—you are not alone, and World Reach Week does not have to end with Friday the 15^th.

Morgan Steele, sophomore, is singlehandedly bringing back the Student Missionary Fellowship—a club created to “bridge the gap” students who are interested in missions and many ways to be a part of missions—even praying for the Global Church together.

Last Thursday (while chowing down MAC pierogies and resisting the urge to get more), I had the privilege of talking with her about her own story and the return of SMF.

When I ask her how she’s doing, her passion for the club is evident in her smile. “I think to myself, I want to quit my job, cut off all my friendships-” She laughs.

“That level of commitment for a club, though,” I say.

“It means it matters,” Morgan finishes.

“How long have you been interested in missions?”

“Since I was 12 actually. I was homeschooled, so in the morning we would go sit in the kitchen table and read biographies about missionaries, along with other books. That was like a huge part of like my homeschooling. My ‘astronaut’ was missionaries, like Amy Carmichael!”

“That’s awesome!”

I think of the way many of my friends and I would talk about being astronauts someday, because it felt like the ultimate dream. Of course, that’s all it was for us, a vapor of a dream. Morgan’s dream, though, is something we should all be a part of as Christians.

“Have you traveled on a missions trip?” I asked.

Morgan tells me of the time she lived in Australia for a year when she was 12, which “really catapulted the idea of cross-cultural missions.” The love of the people she met at youth group, in addition to being immersed in a new culture made missions real to her. She’s been to Central America, the Middle East, and Africa, experiencing more and more of God’s calling.

“I realized how much I romanticized, you know, being a missionary. I was able to reconcile the reality with my dream, but also still have it as a dream, you know?”

“Absolutely. God is so good,” I said.

“He’s so good.”

“So, what inspired you to start up SMF?”

“One of the main reasons that I came to Cairn was because of my interest in missions. I know that I want to be a full-time missionary, and I have always struggled finding like-minded people. So, coming to Cairn it was so exciting ’cause they are everywhere! Hearing about the Student Missionary Fellowship, I knew that was a place for like-minded people. But I don’t want the club to be exclusively people who want to be missionaries. It’s about people who want to be missions-minded. It is so exciting to talk with people and be passionate with them about the same thing! That was the main excitement for the club—having people who encourage each other and inspire other people.”

“So it’s meant to help students who might be interested but aren’t ready to commit to a specific organization?”

“Partly, yes. We have World Reach Week, which is amazing. However, much of it is faculty promoting to the students. I want SMF fill in the gap. Us taking ownership, planning our own things and being excited about missions on our own.  Part of it is for those people like me, who are like, ‘Okay, I want to go overseas.’ This is a great club to get connected– meet people and know other students who feel the same way. There are very specific struggles that come with wanting to live overseas. But, there’s also the side for students who want to pray for the global church and understand it better.”

Other elements of the club, Morgan tells me, include movie nights with missionary documentaries (“There are some I found that are so moving!”), country-themed nights where international students can share about their country and pray into the church there. Later on, she hopes to bring a group to participate in cross-cultural missions in Philadelphia.

And thus begins a new era for Cairn’s Student Missionary Fellowship!

Excited to learn more? Visit the ADR on Thursday, September 21^st at 4:30 for the SMF interest meeting!