Fusion

Fusion “makes the world a classroom”

Posted on March 24, 2010

RUMBECK, Sudan—Walking proudly through the cattle camp in their purple “mini man-dresses,” the five American guys volunteering in southern Sudan try hard to fit in.

The dresses, which come midway to the knees, are a deep, royal purple and are the typical attire of the tall, thin Dinka herders who live in the camp. The American students wear their dresses proudly, greeting the cattle keepers and taking pictures of the cows. The Dinka children follow after them, pointing and staring at the visitors’ pale, white legs.

Volunteer Matthew Espeland says cattle camps are “the heart of the Dinka culture.” Cows are the livelihood of the Dinka, a people group of nearly 4 million, and the camps allow the cattle keepers to stay together for protection from thieves. Espeland and his friends have come to the camp to share stories of Jesus with the cattle keepers, who primarily practice African Traditional Religion.

Espeland is a part of the Fusion program based out of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and College in Kansas City, Mo. Fusion is a one-year program that offers students a way to receive college-transferable credit and missions experience. Espeland and 10 other students traveled to southern Sudan to partner with IMB missionaries Jake and Katie Holmes* in their work with the Dinka people in and around the city of Rumbeck, Sudan. Other Fusion students went to three other locations throughout the world.

Fusion students look to serve in some of the toughest places on earth, and southern Sudan is definitely tough. Extremely high temperatures, along with a lack of electricity and running water, make everyday life a challenge. Sporadic violence makes it hard to travel from place to place to share about Jesus.

Fusion students “are not called to comfort or success but to obedience,” says Scott Brawner, founder of Fusion. For four and a half months, the students gladly gave up the “comforts” of America to experience adventures and the unexpected in southern Sudan.

“It is interesting to see how God has connected all of us here,” says Brad Gammon, who along with Espeland lives with a family in a small village outside of Rumbeck. “It’s taken a lot for some of us to get here and now we are getting to share with people who are really thirsty to hear the Gospel.”

Fusion training is geared so only those with extreme commitment will stay the course. Many students drop out because of the strenuous workload and the rigorous training. These 11 made it.

At the camp, Gammon eagerly shares Bible stories with the cattle keepers, who have nicknamed him “Jesus” because of his curly, brown hair and bushy beard.

Kaley Cribbs grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, as a missionary kid. She took part in her parents’ ministries, but she was mainly on the mission field because her parents were.

Now, she says, “I want my ministry to be my own and my faith to be my own.” Sitting in a beauty salon in a Sudanese market, she tells stories about Jesus to the women as they sit and visit or teach the American visitors to braid hair. Every day she gets to know these women, their hearts and their lives. She has found her own way to share Jesus and make an impact for His kingdom.

Cribbs, Gammon and the other Fusion students receive 32 hours of college credit for one semester of classes on church planting, which includes language study, evangelism strategy and an internship at a local church. The students receive wilderness survival training by being left on their own for a weekend in the mountains and forests of Colorado. They also get advanced first aid and security training in order to be prepared for any situation. The next semester involves mission work in one of the school’s many partnerships with IMB missionaries around the world.

“Fusion really is an experience that makes the world your classroom and your life an accredited course,” Brawner says. “Fusion is a life-transforming process that blends personal and spiritual disciplines with challenging opportunities for ministry leadership and practice.”

The Fusion team has two months left of the four and a half they will spend working in southern Sudan. They visit cattle camps, lead Bible studies, train pastors, teach HIV/AIDS programs, and tell stories from the Bible to the Muslim traders who moved to Rumbeck from the north.

“[It] boils down to making and developing relationships with [the] Dinka … and being a model for living like Christ on this planet,” says Jake Holmes,* the team’s supervisor.

Allie Rhea, a missions major, has known from a young age that she wanted to be a missionary. “Fusion has good preparation to go to the field to tell others about Jesus,” she says. She has noticed her training and studies are helping her communicate the stories of Christ more effectively with her new friends.

“I enjoy seeing the excitement of people when you tell them Bible stories,” says Isaiah Robbins, who one day wants to be a Marine. He was headed into the military as soon as he graduated from high school, but he says God wanted him to try missions first. “I want to continue to show them God in a way they have never seen Him before through stories and illustrations, study and discipleship.”

“I can say honestly that there is no better training or preparation for real life than Fusion,” Brawner says. “The end result of Fusion is a young adult who is equipped and prepared to follow hard after Christ for a lifetime.”

Jeffery Aaron, a writer for IMB’s Global Communication Team, has traveled to 17 African countries sharing the stories of God’s work on the continent.

*name changed for security reasons