World Partners Internship Leaves a Mark
Samuel Thomas and Ezekiel
Samuel and his new Nigerian Family
Bethel graduate Samuel Thomas recently completed a three-month internship in Northern Nigeria.
It left an indelible mark on him.
Even as a soccer player and mathematics major at Bethel University, Samuel wondered if Jesus had a global mission for him. But after meeting Bethel’s Missionaries-in-Residence, Jeremy and Mindie Tice, his wondering turned to action.
The Tices encouraged Samuel to invest three months living in Nigeria with one of their best friends, Ezekiel Ango. Ezekiel is a veteran World Partners affiliate whose family came to faith in Christ through World Partners missionaries a generation ago. Ezekiel now lives as a missionary who makes disciples among the Muslim Fulani people near him.
Samuel lived with Ezekiel for 90 days, shadowing his every move. Every day, they headed out to different communities and met people along the way. Many were strangers, but all were shown the love of Jesus.
Soon, Samuel did more than just watch. Ezekiel invited him to follow his example of bearing witness to Jesus. The moment Samuel's witness resulted in someone coming to faith in Christ left a deep mark on him.
Now, Samuel sees himself as an everyday disciple-maker. Not because Ezekiel gave him the content about disciple-making, but because Ezekiel embodied the content in context. The indelible mark Ezekiel left was summed up in a phrase he told Samuel repeatedly: “No matter the culture, people can’t resist the love of Jesus.”
Despite the hardships he encountered in Nigeria—malaria, a skin rash, security issues, and culture shock—he returns to Mishawaka with gratitude for all Jesus showed him through his new Nigerian family. Samuel plans to get married this summer (to another aspiring missionary) and start as a Bethel University Resident Director next fall. Over this next year, Samuel and his soon-to-be wife, Shalyn, are seeking the Lord for their next missionary move together.
In the meantime, you can find Samuel putting into practice what Ezekiel modeled—loving like Jesus and living like a missionary.