Union College, an Adventist institution in the United States, offers a unique degree that has the perfect mix of adventure, education, and service. It’s called International Rescue and Relief, or IRR. They focus on training domestic and international first responders such as paramedics, firefighters, international development workers, and others.

Each student spends their last semester overseas working in clinics and practicing first responder medical service and disaster response. This course has previously taken them to places like Malawi, Nicaragua, and other parts of the United States. Because the COVID-19 pandemic kept the program participants from leaving the country, they decided to spend their semester of field training in Alaska.

“So we are here in Alaska on the IRR capstone semester. We call it the expedition. We are here in Alaska for 12 weeks doing travel medicine, wilderness EMT, global health, EMS clinicals, and medical clinicals and rotations. We have glacier travel and crevasse rescue.”

The students go through intense courses that teach many rescue and medical techniques. Much of their training leads to professional certificates that are globally recognized. Alaska offered new challenges, such as the arctic weather.

“It’s been chilly. The weather has changed quite a bit. During our hike out for wilderness EMT, we did a 26-mile hike out to a cabin and practiced wilderness medicine. It was -10˚ out there when we were hiking and snowshoeing. Today, it’s a balmy 18-19˚ degrees (Fahrenheit) and we’re out here on this ski slope practicing avalanche search and rescue.”

The IRR program’s training is intense for a reason. The students need to be prepared to serve any individual, no matter how difficult the situation. But the IRR program is not only preparing students to treat people’s physical needs in dark times, but their spiritual needs as well, much in the way that Jesus did.

“So I’m a big believer that Jesus didn’t just preach at people. He actually built relationships and cared about people before he started telling them about the good news. Being there for people and showing them you care, building relationships. I think no better way to do that than through acts of service. And that’s what International Rescue and Relief is all about: being there for someone during their worst day.”

“We’re talking maybe an illness in the family or an injury, maybe a disaster, an emergency of any kind. That’s where our students, when they graduate, will be-ith people on their worst day. I think that it’s really important to have people that have the love of Christ in them, that they are ready and willing to minister to people in their darkest hours when they need it most and when they may be most receptive to it.”

“In the IRR program, we have a motto that says A career of adventure and a lifetime of service.”

A lifetime of service: That’s the commitment that Union College is trying to cultivate in their students.

“It’s in those moments when you’re working one on one with the locals, with people that are in stress and in need of assistance, that we’re actually able to not only put the technical skills to practice, but also work on those soft skills-Like being kind, being loving, and living that life that Jesus would be proud of. I think Jesus would even be in there with us serving those communities where we’re working.”

The International Rescue and Relief program is a great example of Christ’s method of ministry. It’s a program dedicated to helping people in the darkest hours of their lives and giving them a glimpse of the light of Jesus. It’s proof that mission is not limited to one form. From the pews of a church building to the top of a mountain. God is calling all of us to a unique adventure with Him. Where is God leading you?

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