B.C. recognizes TWU grad for missions passion
LANGLEY, BC - As an undergraduate at Trinity Western University (TWU), Daniel Fama went on five mission trips. It was his way, he says, of doing "real things in the real world."
"When you're in school," says Fama, "you're just studying and everything's theoretical. You can almost get a sense of apathy for issues that are going on in the world. I saw it as a chance be the hands and feet of Christ in the world right now."
It is a passion that has stayed with Fama, who graduated last year with a BA in international studies. But now he is seeking to instill that passion in other students in his new role as an intern in TWU's Global Projects office. His main responsibility is to help plan mission trips for student volunteers.
"It's a lot of interaction with students, trying to find what their visions are and trying to bring them to life," he says. "If we're not getting a lot of student-initiated interest, then we'll network with organizations working around the world and try and piece together a really good project that we think students would be interested in."
One of the goals of these trips is to train leaders for future mission trips. "For example, we're sending a team to northern British Columbia to serve on a First Nations reserve," he says. "Our partners are TWU alumni who went on mission trips. So you can see the long-term effects and long-term investment that were stimulated by these short-term trips."
Last month, the B.C. Council for International Cooperation named the 23-year-old Fama as one of eight residents of the province under the age of 30 who it recognizes as global citizens and models of civic engagement. All eight are profiled on the council's website.
But Fama is more interested in using the award as a way to pay back TWU for "the opportunities they've given me to serve, to volunteer and to work here. I want to give them as much publicity as possible."
Fama's first mission trip was to Tanzania, where he worked for a summer in a health clinic. "It changed the course of my life," he says. "I haven't looked back since."
Fama has returned twice to Tanzania. He has also served at a homeless shelter in Calgary and at a rescue mission in San Francisco. And, he is currently being interviewed by a major international aid agency for a field position in the Sudan.
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