Baptist Mid-Missions’ 11-month Arriba internship is offering an all-new opportunity for students investigating missions. With the appointment of James Morsey as Arriba’s new director, the program is moving from Peru to Chile.

A new director and a new location

In May 2022, James accepted the directorship position, replacing Jim Carlton who, along with his wife, Becky, shepherded two decades of Arriba students in Peru. For 25 years, James and his wife, Coletta, have been church-planting missionaries in greater Santiago, the capital of Chile. The Morseys have long had a passion for working with youth and young adults, and they are excited for the opportunity to further invest in students through hands-on missions.

In 1997, James and Coletta helped open Chile as a new BMM field. Working in team ministry and as solo missionaries, the Morseys have planted three churches in the Santiago area that cover the spectrum of demographics: an upper-class gated community, a rural town, and an urban community. Working with Chileans from their previous churches, the Morseys plan on starting a fourth church in Santiago when they return from their furlough in January 2023.

Arriba restarts in May 2023

Arriba is seeking students for the 2023–2024 academic year. From its new base in Chile, Arriba will offer the same outstanding features that characterized the program in Peru: Students will earn 30+ credits for classroom work and ministry practicum and gain a working knowledge of Spanish. They’ll also receive an immersive cultural experience by living with host families and serving in the churches planted by the Morseys, including the new church plant in progress. Believers in the established churches are already excited about their opportunity to shape students’ lives. James and Coletta also plan to offer explorations of Patagonia and other areas of Chile.

Working with young adults has been James and Coletta’s passion for decades. Before the Morseys joined BMM, James served as a part-time youth pastor. One of the best parts of that ministry was exposing students to God’s work around the world through mission trips. God used one of these trips to lead him and Coletta to Chile, where they often had opportunities to host college students. James and Coletta counted it a great privilege to shape their own children’s lives through exposure to a different culture and language and active church involvement.

Sharing a contagious love for missions

As seasoned missionaries, the Morseys recognize even more the value of investing in young people. “Missions hasn’t been without its cost,” James says, “but we wouldn’t change it for anything. We want to help students see how wonderful missions is. To give them an opportunity to learn another culture and language, even if it’s not God’s calling for them to do missions full-time, will enrich their lives and change their worldview. If we can have even one person out of each group who commits their life to missions—I can’t think of a better use of our time.”

Learn more about Arriba  https://www.bmm.org/serve/oppo...