Courage You Don’t Find Alone

June 19, 2026

From freshman year at the University of Minnesota to a year in the mission field, Luke reflects on the people and experiences God used to prepare him to take this big step of faith.

Here at Foundry, we’re so excited to send off our brothers and sisters as part of our Foreign Missions 2026 Team! Foundry College Church is a part of Acts 2 Network, and as a network, we are preparing to send teams to several countries. Last month, we had the opportunity to hear from and pray over friends getting ready to go out, and we wanted to highlight one of their stories.

Luke, one of the mentors here at Foundry, will soon be packing up his life in Minnesota and moving to the mission field for a year. Below, he shares some of the experiences that led him to take this step of faith:

When I first got to the University of Minnesota, I think it is safe to say that I had a small view of what I wanted my life to look like. I wanted to make some friends, have fun, and play basketball and video games like any normal college freshmen. But one thing I know for certain now is that through my whole life, God had been leading me in a way that would unexpectedly bless my life. God orchestrated an encounter with a Foundry mentor in the dining hall, and God put it into my heart to check out this Christian group. There God blessed me by putting a loving community of people into my life, where I got to hear for the first time the robustness of evidence for the Christian faith, as well as its impact when lived out in a community of people living for Christ.

Then God led me to a group of friends, who I call my peers today. These are the guys who I grew with, started ministry houses with, played hours of board games with, tried to tackle ministries at new campuses with, and shared my burdens with. God blessed me with each of these guys, who all have a special place in my heart, who I will never forget. So not only did I have a reference group to calibrate my faith to, but now I had guys on the inside who would really support me in my endeavors to become more like Jesus.

God also led me by putting mentors into my life, who took the time and care to shepherd me through college. One of them had some conversations with me that must have been frustrating and unpleasant, yet he did them anyway out of a genuine desire to grow with me. I am so grateful that he cared enough to shape my character, and help me grow further outside of my default selfish mindset in order to love other people and bring glory to God.

Then God led me by providing me opportunities to do missions. I had already gone on one to the Dominican Republic in high school, but I got to go to the Philippines and Guatemala as well after college, and in those experiences God showed me in an even clearer way that it’s not money or security or pleasure that matter, but people, valuable souls that are all over the world ready to hear the word of God.

Guatemala mission trip with Foundry students and post-grads.

God has thrown blessing upon blessing into my life, and I didn’t really do anything to deserve it. I’ve gained far more than what I’ve given up for following Jesus. But now I have the chance to do something a little more risky - quit my job during a time when software jobs are hard to find and go for an entire year to do missions in a Muslim nation. And in a way I am excited that it’s like in 2 Samuel 24:24, where it says about David: But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.”…

I am glad to get to say yes to the Lord in a situation that could cost me something -namely savings and a hit to my career to do ministry in a country where we may not see obvious fruit for our labors. As I look forward to going the verse that sticks in my mind is Jeremiah 9:23-24:

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

So I look forward to going and boasting about this - that Christ shed his blood for me, and that “All the way my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside?”

Even though we’re sad to see our friends go, we are so excited to see how God will use them in the next year. Keep the team in your prayers!