Immersion Trips

The Spirit sends us out to live holistic lives, where Jesus and justice, belief and obedience, worship and social witness become an integral expression of the integrity of our faith. 

Your Hope College education can include an immersion experience during Spring Break or extended summer service. Ours is a mission to both proclaim with our mouths and to demonstrate with our lives that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Locations

Domestic Spring Break Trips 

Anchorage, Alaska(1st gen students and others on campus)

Experience an immersive trip to Anchorage, Alaska, focused on Alaska Native culture and community. Engage with Indigenous traditions and explore the socioeconomic challenges facing local communities, such as education and homelessness. Through hands-on projects and discussions, participants will build connections and foster understanding, promoting collaboration and support within this vibrant community. Monthly meetings are required leading up to the immersion trip.

New York City/Connecticut

Theme: Wealth and Poverty in the Kingdom of God

Jesus said that his message is “good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). But what does that mean for people who are materially wealthy? On this immersion trip, we will visit Fairfield County, a suburb of New York City that has the highest wealth gap in the country. Students will spend time in communities of extreme wealth and extreme poverty in Greenwich, Stamford and Bridgeport, Connecticut, and in New York City. They will serve at a rescue mission, co-labor with residents in an addiction recovery program, and worship with Wall Street executives and their families. Trip participants will discuss the Kingdom of God and witness Jesus’ good news to different types of poverty in the post-Christian culture of the Northeast United States. 

New Bern, North Carolina

Theme: Disaster Response & Rehabilitation 

World Renew is responding to disasters around the world. Hurricane Florence was a unique storm. It made landfall, swung south, and then circled back to the areas it had already hit. The town of New Bern, in eastern North Carolina, and several surrounding counties received more than 12 hours of sustained, hurricane-force winds during the storm. With over 4,000 homes in New Bern and more than 10,500 households registered for assistance with FEMA, the need for work teams to assist families who were uninsured or underinsured will go on for years. Students can demonstrate God’s love in a real and tangible way by serving with World Renew in the New Bern community working on home restoration projects.

“I realized the importance of having community in Christ and how having a good posture towards whatever you are doing is important when living out your faith and serving others.” 
—Olivia Onderdonk ’23

Nashville, Tennessee

Theme: Urban Ministry 

Center for Student Missions (CSM) will assist students to learn and gain an understanding of the issues in Nashville. Students will get a glimpse of the unique work that God is doing in Nashville. This trip is an up close view of the front line of urban ministry. Students will see what the community members face and walk alongside and support the efforts of people doing long term ministry.

Watch CSM Video

“The highlight of this trip was all the learning experiences I had. I got to see a whole new side of things, like what homelessness and non-profit organizations are like. I learned a lot about the problems the city faces, and it was amazing to learn how people are approaching this.”
—Aaron Vazquez ’26

Austin, Texas

Theme: Homelessness

Shifting the paradigm in understanding what it means to be “home.”

Mobile Loaves and Fishes Ministry offers students firsthand the experience and power of community. Students will stay at Community First! Village — a 27-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for the disabled, chronically homeless in central Texas. Additionally, Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Community Works program provides micro-enterprise opportunities that enable formerly homeless men and women to earn a dignified income, develop new skills and cultivate enduring relationships as they take part in a restorative journey home. Students will have the opportunity to have their hearts, minds and hands be engaged with learning the meaning of “home.”

“It made me think harder about how to serve ‘the least of these’ and how to show my love for God through showing love to others. I also had amazing discussions with my team members about how we all saw God through all of our experiences. It made us think about how we could bring all of this back to our community at Hope/Holland.”
—Sarah Borgman ’24

International Spring Break Trips

Bahamas

Theme: Prayer and service

We will be hosted by Trinity City of Praise (TCP) Church and Pastor Gail V. McKinney Johnson. TCP and Pastor Gail are radical in their heart for prayer and believe that God’s revelation that comes from prayer that is rooted in His word leads His people to spaces and places where they are called. During our week in Nassau, students will dive deep into different practices of prayer. We hope that students come back from this trip with a deepened heart for prayer, and new exposure to diverse prayer disciplines and practices that can be applied to their daily lives at Hope and beyond.

Bogotá, Colombia

Theme: Children and Poverty

This trip is partnering with Project Hope, a ministry that maintains strong relationships with local orphanages and ministries in Bogotá, Colombia. We’ll spend time at a local orphanage sharing the love of Jesus, work with kids at the Project Hope Community Centers, experience the beautiful city of Bogota, and spend meaningful time in one of Bogota’s poorest communities. We believe that not only will you be able to touch the lives of many in Colombia, but that you will also be different because of your experience. Our goal is that you return home as a stronger advocate for vulnerable children, and families in need.

Dominican Republic

THeme: Community and Church development

TIME Missions has been partnering with national pastors and churches to change lives and bring hope to local communities in the Dominican Republic. Students will have the opportunity to connect one-on-one with the community as they serve and help build a chapel for a local community. Students will also have the opportunity to see how God is working in the Dominican Republic through a medical outreach unit. This trip will provide a great opportunity for students to practice Spanish; however, eager English speakers are welcome.

“The people that work at TIME Ministries were so patient, loving and welcoming, and they treated us like we were the only group of people they had ever welcomed in — although we truly were one of many. They poured into us with wisdom and love, and they were also simply eager to get to know us and educate us on their culture. Leaving them was so difficult, and I hope it is not the last time I see them.”
—Anna VanHuis ’25

Mandeville, Jamaica

Theme: Empowering the Jamaica Deaf Adult Population

The centrally located Jamaica Deaf Village in Mandeville ministers with adult Deaf and their children. Students on this trip will have the opportunity to immerse in the Jamaican Deaf Village (JDV) and learn and serve in the JDV community.

"I loved learning about the deaf community and how there are many unreached people in the deaf community for God’s word. It really impacted me and compelled me to learn more and get involved."
—Jessie Schamanek ’24

“This trip taught me to see God’s working from a different perspective and that He is moving in different ways across cultures and circumstances.”
—Makena Mugambi ’22

Montego Bay, JamaicaAll Greeks

Theme: Education for the Deaf marginalized population

The Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) is a ministry that cares for the deaf of Jamaica. CCCD strives to nourish the next generation of Christian leaders by instilling students with a firm foundation of education, language skills, vocational mentoring, and encouragement in their faith journey. CCCD promotes participation in the Gospel through worship, outreach, and community. Students on this trip will have the opportunity to learn and use sign language as they interact and build relationships with CCCD students.

Watch Sheldon’s Story

“I have never gone on a mission trip or immersion trip before this, and I was able to see how God can be centered around so many conversations, whether speaking or using sign language. It pushed me to want to get to know God on a deeper level than I have previously known him.” 
—Lulu Mans ’24

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” —Micah 6:8

More Information

Some trips may have high demand, and we may follow up with you about trip placement after you sign up. Please pray about the choices you make; we are excited about what God is going to do!

• All students are expected to attend bi-monthly meetings with their team both before and after spring break
• You are ultimately responsible for the total cost of the trip; fundraising information will be available
• Costs do NOT include immunizations or passports

If your only reason for not registering is financial, you may apply for financial assistance to help with the cost.

Apply for an immersion trip scholarship 

Standards of Excellence

In keeping with the seven Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission, Hope College is committed to the following:

• God-centeredness
• Empowering partnerships
• Mutual design
• Comprehensive administration
• Qualified leadership
• Appropriate training
• Thorough follow through