Frequently Asked Questions

The Halbert Center offers a variety of experiences to students who would like to participate in the work God is doing through missions. These opportunities include Global Service Trips (GSTs), WorldWide Witness (WWW), Wildcat Academics on Mission (WAM), and Gap Year Training. Each of these opportunities are unique.

We partner with host ministries all over the world. Students have traveled to different parts of the U.S., Uganda, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, India, and many other countries. Where you go depends on what kind of trip you decide to participate.

Applications for WWW, WAM, and most GSTs become available during the fall semester before trips are scheduled to take place.

Most group trips take place over the summer, but a few groups travel during the spring and winter as well.

The length of each trip depends on the type of trip selected. Typically, GSTs and WAM Trips last around 2–3 weeks and WWW internships last around 8–12 weeks.

Each trip is unique and therefore requires a different funding. On average, GSTs cost around $2,100, while WWW Trips cost on average $3,600. WAM Trips are fully funded and do not require fundraising. The Halbert Center is devoted to helping each student raise sufficient funds and supports students in their efforts.

When participating in a WWW or GST experience, most students pay for their trip through fundraising. The Halbert Center equips students with resources they can use to contact potential donors and raise funds. Don’t let worry over a lack of funds be a reason not to pursue a trip—students have help throughout the fundraising process!

No! While some trips are organized by a program of study, we also have a variety of trips that are open to any major. If you are struggling to see how your major could be used for missions, take a look at this video on Integrating Missions & Majors.

Yes! In fact, many students have gone from Study Abroad trips straight into a missions experience.

Yes! Some Global Service Trips are domestic, so keep an eye out for opportunities. We also have a WorldWide Witness internship opportunity right here in Abilene or in other state or US-based locations. To learn more, visit the Halbert Center’s website.

Our staff offices are located on the upper level of the Bible building in BSB 283. We also have a shared collaborative space in the ACU Center for Experiential Learning (ACCEL) in the library that is staffed by a different team member each day of the week during the regular school year.

You can learn more about Dodd, Larry, Sarah, Joel, and Zane on the About Us page.

Some of our long-term goals include:

• Provide extended exposure to missions experience for informing future discernment and interest in long term missions.
• Assist young adults in developing ministry skills.
• Increase the vision for missions in our churches by equipping the next generations with first-hand experience in cross-cultural ministry.
• Give missionaries on the field energetic, short term help with specific tasks that have a long term focus.
• Encourage missions-minded students to network and develop partnerships for long term ministry.

The WWW program sends out “teams” in pairs so that two students can work together and support one another during their internship experience.

Determining a location for an internship is a process of prayer and dialogue. The coordinator spends time examining a student’s application material to assess “fit” with either a requested site or an established ministry partner. Through conversation, the students and coordinator seek to make placements that are beneficial for the mission site, the student, and the team members at that location. If obstacles arise to any of these aspects, then placements can be reevaluated to find a proper fit.

Each mission site supervisor specifies the number of interns they are willing to host and the dates of their arrival and departure. Once a site’s request has been filled, then applicants are directed toward additional opportunities. If issues with requested timing arise (family events, school responsibilities, etc), these obstacles can often be worked out in dialogue with the site partner. If a solution cannot be found, then other sites may be a better fit for the student’s schedule.

At times students want to work where WWW does not have an existing internship. The interest might be due to previous trips with a home or sponsoring church, relatives who are missionaries, or one’s personal interest.  Since mentoring is a critical factor in a WWW internship, the coordinators will review the newly petitioned location to see if there is a mentor present on the field that can serve the interns.  Also the coordinators will review the nature of the work and society at the location to make sure that both are compatible with student interns.  If indications are that the new location will provide a healthy spiritual environment for the intern, then the coordinators will pursue arranging an internship. If this does not work out, then the coordinators will work in dialogue with you to find a suitable option.

While infrequent, there may be unusual circumstances that come up during the 8–10 weeks that a student is traveling. Whether related to health, family emergency, or incompatibility with site partners, the Halbert Center supports both our students and mission partners and will take measures to help resolve any obstacles and provide a safe environment—including returning a student home early if necessary. Less than 1% of students have ever returned home from an internship prematurely.

Because our students are guests serving in a different cultures and representing the local partners, the WWW program holds a strict “no dating” policy. This policy applies to romantic relationships of any form between students/interns and on-site team members or locals.

This fee covers initial applicant assessments, insurance, and t-shirt expenses.

WWW coordinators will coach you through the process of getting your visa, passport, and tickets. All of these expenses are factored into your initial fundraising goal, which also includes insurance.

Over the last 17 years of WWW, over 97% of all approved applicants raised the funds necessary to participate in an internship. Most of these students had never raised funds either. Our God is gracious and we are committed to coaching and equipping you through the entire fundraising process.

We understand that not everybody is able to take 2+ months away from their stateside responsibilities. If you’d like to explore doing a WWW experience with a local cross-cultural ministry, please contact us to see what options we can explore together.

WWW recommends that students take off one day per week, which can be used for travel and relaxation. Hosts and locals are typically very proud of their country and also provide opportunities to experience the local culture and sites, often taking students on short trips to see local sites or activities. If a student would like to take a longer trip of several days or weeks, these are best planned before or after the internship officially begins and can be coordinated with the WWW team. For example, students on European internships have completed their internship and then hiked Europe for a week before returning. Former students in South America completed their internship prior to spending time visiting Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

We will provide careful instructions on the best way to collect funds as students prepare for their trip. In short, if a student uses the ACU letter we prepare as a program, their funds can be sent directly to ACU Gift Records using the form provided or submitted on the ACU website. The student must coordinate with the WWW staff and ACU Giving before sending funds via these methods so that the proper accounts can be set up in advance.