God has given each of us a way to serve and show His love to the world. It can be difficult to find a career that pairs our God-given talents and interests with ministry. For students interested in adventure and service, Union College’s International Rescue and Relief program, or IRR, tries to do just that. The program focuses on teaching rescue skills and community development practices around the world.

Every student spends their last semester in the field using their skills in the real world.

“We’re here in Palmer, Alaska, staying at the Adventist Church's campground. This is part of a semester of excursion and adventure in Alaska.”

“So IRR gives you a lot of cool skills, ranging anywhere from EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) skills to swift water rescue to building sustainable projects in developing countries.”

One of the skills they are training for in Alaska is Avalanche Search and Rescue. They’ve gone out to train every day this week, enduring snow and freezing temperatures.

Many of the IRR students see benefits well beyond the physical training.

“All the skills are unique and different, but have one unifying purpose: to relieve the suffering of humanity.”

“I view that as what Jesus did as well. He lived His life to better the lives and to save the lives of the people around him. IRR enables us to do the same on a lower scale and to live out our lives the way that Jesus lived out His.”

“So there’s a slogan that I’ve heard that I really like that says, Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. As the Adventist church with a mission to tell the world that Jesus is coming soon and to share His love with those people, they don’t care how much we know about it until they know how much we care about them.”

These students had an opportunity to practice this type of service when they were called to respond to a storm that had destroyed communities in the state of Iowa. Just days after the disaster, the team of students and staff were ready to go.

“I really aspire to be that type of missionary, that type of Jesus lover that is able to leave on the fly without any warning. I think that our program has really equipped me for that to the point where I’m confident wherever I go and whatever I do, I know that I can make an impact.”

While on Earth, Jesus was more than just a teacher, preacher, and healer. He was also a first responder. His ministry was to rescue and relieve the emotional, physical, and spiritual suffering of those around him. Union College’s International Rescue and Relief program has taught these students how to use their passion for adventure to tell others about Jesus.

“I think IRR is a great way to have what we call a career of adventure and a lifetime of service. Then we can serve the people around us and help them have a better life so that they can see that we care about them as Jesus cared about them. Then we can share our message with them and it means a lot more.”

There are many ways that God can use us to show His love to the world. The IRR program is just one example. You can visit AdventistMission.org to see how people around the world are combining their talents with ministry. How will you use your unique gifts and talents to show God’s love?

For our Iowa trip, I was warned on Saturday that this could be a thing, and then Sunday morning we were preparing and packing to leave. With that, I think it’s really cool to live like the disciples did. They worked with Jesus and were constantly ready to leave.

I really aspire to be that type of missionary, that type of Jesus lover that is able to go on the fly without any warning. I think the IRR program has really equipped me for that. I’m confident that wherever I go and whatever I do, I know that I can make an impact.