Two vans, two days, and a big trailer. That’s whatit takes for John Hanson to transport a group of more than 20 students on the thousand-mile drive from Indiana to Florida. Besides stoppingfor intermittent bathroom breaks and rest at an Atlanta church, the van charges on until it reaches ECHO Global Farm in Fort Myers. Here the student volunteers spend two weeks sweating through their sunscreen as they weed, mulch, and tackle any other farmwork ECHO employees present them with.
This summer’s southward trek marks Hanson’s 30 years of leading a short-term mission trip to ECHO.
Hanson realized his passion for serving while on a missions board over 30 years ago. He was sent to Nepal for three weeks to evaluate missionaries but came back with a desire to do missions himself. As an educator, he wanted to include students. That’s when a friend suggested ECHO.
“I had young people who needed a vision for the world, and ECHO is a great place to gain that,” Hanson said. “There’s contact with a lot of people at ECHO who have that vision for the world. They’re involved in work that focuses on the needs of others globally.”
The volunteers, known as the Indiana Work Team on campus, are primarily Indiana high school students of the Reformed Presbyterian denomination. When signing up for the trip, these students are well aware of what they’re getting into. The sheet states, "This is not a vacation, this a work trip,” with “work trip” in bolded letters.
“It’s advertised that it’s not going to be a vacation,” Hanson said. “It’s going to be work in the sun, and the food won’t be as good as mom makes.”
Despite those bolded words, the trip continues to attract volunteers year after year. Some attendees are children of former Indiana Work Team volunteers. Others are visiting ECHO for the first time. There are some attendees, like Elisha Enas, who are returning for a sixth year.
“I love working outside, making a difference, and helping people out. I love ministry like that,” Enas said as he took a break from prepping plots for planting. “It’s a nice experience for me, coming down to Florida.”
When the volunteers aren’t completing big projects together, they split off to work with interns. ECHO intern Eileen Doolan spent a day with Enas and other volunteers, Jesse Burton and Mariah Larson, in the Semi-Arid region of the farm. The group weeded and mulched a sweet potato plot, seeded and mulched a jack bean plot, cleared the land to plant new trees, and ate some farm fresh prickly pear together. This was all done before the day was finished, leaving time for more chores.
Now in her third year of volunteering, Larson looks forward to the trip every year.
“I love the place and I love the people. The interns and staff have such cool stories and are so missions-oriented. It’s great to hear their perspective,” Larson said. “You build really strong connections with people when you’re sweating together.”
As the group cleared out plots, Doolan provided instructions, encouragement, and nostalgic songs and movie soundtracks from her phone speaker.
“Having the volunteers here is a blast. It reminds me of when I was a high school camp counselor. You’re working with all these different personalities,” Doolan said. “It makes it so fun, and you just forget you’re working.”
In its 30 years, the Indiana Work Team has grown deep roots with ECHO. There are numerous legacies that are carried on every year – from Hanson’s retelling of his favorite ECHO trip memories to the annual ECHO versus Indiana Work Team soccer game. In fact, Hanson has earned an honorary spot on the wall of ECHO interns, as his collective volunteer time has surpassed a year.
“We want people to come to ECHO and gain a heart for the world,” Hanson said. “I hope the students have a lifelong interest in missions because of this trip.”
This hope has been realized time and time again. Hanson has kept in touch with many Indiana Work Trip participants who now serve in missions both domestically and globally, primarily in Africa.
“We can bring young people to do the work in the hot part of the year,” Hanson said. “ECHO provides us with a place to serve and grow spiritually. We benefit because we’ve learned about agriculture and we’ve learned about the world.”
Whether it’s a tradition or a first-time visit, ECHO is blessed by all those who choose to serve and join in the mission. For those wishing to bring about a transformed world that honors God, there are many ways to get involved at ECHO. Visit our website, echonet.org, and navigate to the volunteer page to learn more.
