On September 7, Justin Harsdorf spoke to the club about his experiences in foreign countries as a participant in World Race mission trips.
Justin grew up in River Falls on the family farm, getting his higher education at UW-RF in Dairy Science with a Business minor. Feeling a call to go around the world, he found World Race, which sends people on missions to 11 countries in 11 months.
Partnering with hosts in each country makes for connections to the community and culture. Justin emphasized that travelers bring their knowledge and experiences to the places they travel, making it possible to have a local impact.
Some highlights of his experience were:
- India gave Justin the feeling of being at the Minnesota State Fair all the time because of the sheer number of people;
- The small improvement of a basketball court in Jamaica gave people something to do, and provided hope in the process;
- Working with children, especially those with special needs, made language barriers less of an issue;
- Justin was able to use his skills and knowledge with cattle in India and especially in Ethiopia.
Inspired by the experience, Justin counts travel to 33 countries on four continents as his life experience in this mission.