In February 2014, a group of Navigator students from Kingston, Ottawa and Waterloo came together to do Mission Immersion, a four-month program designed to explore different ways in which service to others can become a daily practice.

This initiative, a collaborative effort led by Chris Barrett, Jeremy Horne and Dan McIver, was created to teach and show those who profess to follow Jesus that mission needs to be integrated into the fabric of their everyday life. The program aims to broaden people’s horizons, showing them they can be “on mission” in their local area just as much as if they were overseas.

In the video above, Jeremy and Nikki Horne, two of the program’s originators, explain how the “immersion process” works to bring participants to a greater understanding of mission. Both Jeremy and Nikki have been actively involved in the mission field, with Nikki serving in Ecuador for the past eight years and Jeremy doing local and international work from the Waterloo area. Ecuador was also the final step of the program, where the team put their learning into practice during their two-week stay along the Onzole River.

Below, you will also find testimonials from various members of the team recapping their four-month experience and what their plans are for incorporating mission into their lives and neighbourhoods.