Jenny Terrell didn’t know that the Christian group she joined freshman year of college at the University of Kansas would become her life.
Today, after graduating from KU in December and becoming a full-time staff member on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Navigators ministry, it’s safe to say it has.
“I get up around eight, have breakfast and spend 45 minutes to an hour in (God’s) word, listening to God’s message for me that day,” Terrell said.
Then Terrell and six other Navigators missionaries head to campus. But a typical day in the life of a campus missionary is difficult to peg, she said.
“I never know what the day looks like when comes to campus,” Terrell said. “The joy is that I’m here to help students in their walk with God and answer their questions.”
Terrell and other members of the Navigators staff plan and lead Bible studies, meet with students to talk about their spiritual life and engage students in one-on-one spiritual mentoring, which is termed “discipleship.”
Chrissy Ritta, a senior agronomy major, meets with Terrell on a weekly basis. Ritta said the idea of discipleship is to imitate Jesus Christ and how he passed on his teachings and words to his apostles.
Ritta, who leads a Navigators Bible study, said she and Terrell meet for about an hour or two to discuss scripture, her spiritual life and how to live out their faith.
“We strive to know and love God and not just talk about God,” Ritta said. She said having a discipleship relationship helps her own faith.
“It gives me a deeper hunger for the word and someone who encourages me in my spiritual walk,” Ritta said.
Terrell said she and her fellow staff members also try to talk to students who aren’t involved in the Navigators. They try to engage students in a conversation about God.
“We try to present the Gospel in a non-threatening way,” Terrell said. “People usually don’t blow me off. Everyone at UNL is pretty friendly.”
Terrell and her coworkers then try to follow up with those who expressed interest in a Bible study. Terrell said this part of the ministry can be taxing.
“Sometimes you feel like all you do is initiate,” Terrell said. “It’d be nice if someone called me for a change.”
The seven Navigators staff members on campus all raise his or her own salary through private donations. Part of their training to become a missionary includes training on how to effectively fundraise.
“I call people and share with them what I do, go to their house and tell them how excited I am about how God is going to use me on campus,” Terrell said. “I tell them there is a need and I can’t do this without people helping me and supporting me through their donations and prayers.”
Terrell said fundraising her entire salary forces her to rely on God and the generosity of others.
“It’s a large sum of money to raise,” Terrell said, “but there are weeks when $4,000 will come in and it’s really amazing. It definitely helps me see God’s faithfulness and that this is where God wants me to be.”
Terrell said the skills she obtained while majoring in journalism have helped her fundraise.
“It’s a lot like the reporting I did,” she said. “I’m making all these phone calls. I think God used that to prepare me.”
Terrell said she was focused on other things throughout high school, but moving from the small town of Lehigh, Kan., to Kansas University in Lawrence, Kan., forced her to reconsider what she was pursuing. For awhile, she was very lonely. That loneliness left her wanting something more.
“I needed to believe my faith and actually live it,” Terrell said. “But every day was a battle, with parties this way and this way. But I was wondering, ‘Where do I go to find my worth?’”
Terrell said she decided to go to a few different Christian group activities to meet friends. But once she found the Navigators, she didn’t feel the need to try anything else.
“I loved what (the Navigators) were about. They wanted to go in-depth and cared about your walk with God and knowledge of [God's] word,” Terrell said. “And the people were very real. My Bible study leader cared about school, what I did for fun – not just about who I was at church.”
The idea of being on staff with the Navigators came to Terrell when she attended the Navigators summer training program in Jacksonville, Fla.