Each summer, Azusa Pacific University’s Office of Service and Discipleship gives students the opportunity to grow in their faith through acts of service on Global Engagement (GE) trips. Alyssa Burdick ’27, a commercial music major with an emphasis in vocal performance, began learning more about her faith and how she finds God in her life when she started at APU, and her time on the Costa Rica GE trip showed her how He can work through connection and conversation.
Before Burdick decided to join the Costa Rica team, she was seeking God in her everyday life. By singing in the chapel band, Burdick took on a leadership role in the APU community and learned the power of worship, although she still felt unsure about her calling. “I wanted to find answers about my purpose, and everything drew me to music,” Burdick said. “I believed in God and knew I wanted a relationship with Him. I already had a connection to worship, but I wanted to make my faith deeper than that.”
Burdick had two encounters with peers who invited her to join GE trips, and when she
heard about the Costa Rica team’s mission to help families access clean water in their
homes, she felt called to sign up. “Something was telling me that if I didn’t say
yes, it would mean that I wasn’t serious about taking a further step in my faith because
God was giving me every reason to go,” she said. Burdick experienced a series of moments
at the end of the semester that helped her see God at work in her life, and she trusted
that He would also guide her in Costa Rica. During her last chapel band performance,
Burdick was overcome with love and gratitude for the way she could see God working
in her life.
Burdick felt like she finally had a testimony of her faith to share with the people she met in Costa Rica. There were two aspects of ministry on the trip. The team partnered with Filter of Hope, an organization that delivers water filtration kits to families without access to clean water. The team went house to house, showing families how to use the kits. However, a majority of the trip was spent doing relational ministry with those families. “We spent intentional time getting to know the families and their stories,” Burdick said. “There is a large faith component embedded in the culture of Costa Rica. We had interesting conversations with them about their faith and dove into challenging questions. It was renewing and grounding to share what I believe with them and to help some of them better understand their own beliefs.”
One of the houses the team visited belonged to two sisters and their children. One of the women shared how she was struggling with her belief but felt called back to her faith and home when she became pregnant with her second child. “She said that when we shared the Gospel with her that day, she realized God was inviting her back to His kingdom,” Burdick said. “By the end of our conversation, she was moved to tears and decided to dedicate her life to following God again.” For Burdick, this experience was impactful and showed her how faith is an ever-evolving personal journey. Another connection that helped Burdick understand her faith was with professor Diana Berns from William Jessup University (WJU) in Rocklin. APU’s team partnered with WJU on the trip, and the professor visited for three days. During these three days, Burdick and the professor had many conversations about faith and creation. “I came to APU new to my faith, and I had lots of questions that needed to be answered,” Burdick said. “She was able to answer the questions that continued to come up in my life at the time which grounded my faith and allowed me to give my all to the people I met on the trip.”
After reflecting on her time in Costa Rica, Burdick is beyond grateful for the opportunity to say yes to such a transformational experience. “I was nervous that I wouldn’t be adequately prepared to tell the story of Jesus if I didn’t know my own story with him,” she said. “At the end of the day, if God has a plan for you, He will guide you. If you feel called to be somewhere, God will equip you in all the ways you need.” With a new understanding and depth of faith from her time in Costa Rica, Burdick is excited to be on the Gospel Chapel band again in the fall. She is looking forward to working with her team, continuing to grow in her faith, and helping others understand what it means to be a child of God.