At Nelson University, spiritual formation is prioritized in and out of the classroom. One campus opportunity is the Student Mission Association, which offers multiple mission trips each year. For Jamin Harper, a sophomore at Nelson, that opportunity took him to Vietnam.

Growing up in Costa Rica and Peru as a missionary kid, Harper had a front-row seat to life on the mission field. As he watched his parents serve, their example left a lasting impression on him and helped form his own calling to pursue missionary work.

“I got to see firsthand the lives being impacted by the good news of the gospel,” said Harper. “That just placed a burden in my heart. I want to be doing the same thing for the rest of my life.”

In his first year at Nelson University, Harper applied for a trip leader position on one of the SMA’s twelve trips. He was chosen to lead a trip to Vietnam. Over the next year, Harper was immersed in extensive leadership training.

“Every Thursday night, we would have a two-hour-long training,” said Harper. “We were being trained and equipped, and we were going out and evangelizing and learning culture. It was literally continuous discipleship and development over the course of the school year.”

During the summer of 2026, Harper and his team went to Vietnam to serve in a college student ministry. 

In Vietnam, the team took Vietnamese classes, met with students over meals, and invited them to young-adult gatherings. They focused on building long-standing relationships with Vietnamese students.

“We consistently were going and hanging out with students and just building relationships with them,” said Harper. “Our goal was to build relationships with students and then connect them to the church that was already there.”

For Harper, his purpose in the country became especially clear through an interaction with two Vietnamese students. A simple conversation opened up to an opportunity to share the love of Jesus, giving Harper what he described as his ‘why’ for missions.

“There was one conversation I had, and in the moment, I said, ‘Oh, this is my why,’ And ever since, it’s been my why. That was why I was in Vietnam,” said Harper.

Harper and his team were with two Vietnamese students when their conversation shifted from everyday topics to culture and eventually religion. One student identified as an atheist, while the other described himself as 50% Buddhist. When Harper heard this, he remembered where he had been on his faith journey.

“[I told him] I used to be 50% with this one guy named Jesus, and then I went and told my testimony of where I was in my relationship with Jesus and how he encountered me, met me, and transformed my life,” Harper said. 

As Harper shared how his own life had been transformed, he saw the students respond in a moment he described as a “turning point,” when the conversation was more than just his testimony.

“When I tell you, I saw a light turn on that wasn’t there before,” said Harper. “The Holy Spirit activated something inside of them that just wasn’t there before, and you could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit meeting us in that moment. You could see that they were being impacted by the words coming out of my mouth, and I was like, ‘Ok, Jesus, do it,’” 

Shortly after the conversation, those students were leaving Vietnam for an internship. Harper didn’t know what would come of the conversation—if anything. Later, Harper saw on social media that one of them had started attending church, reminding him that God can use one conversation to change a life.

“It’s not our job to win souls. It’s our job to impact people with the love of Jesus,” Harper emphasized.

Harper returned home from Vietnam with a new perspective and a renewed passion for the mission field, understanding that an ordinary conversation can have a lasting impact when approached with purpose and a willingness to share the love of Jesus. Harper took what he learned on the mission trip and applies it to his everyday life as an RA and a student on campus.

“That’s my everyday motto now,” said Harper. “Every single moment matters. Now I am so passionate and care so deeply because of what I’ve seen and what I’ve experienced about those who just simply don’t know.”

With renewed passion, Harper encourages other Nelson University students to go out and experience what missions have to offer. He hopes that other students will experience what it means to share the gospel overseas and be a part of God’s greater mission.

“Do it. There’s no better time in our lives to go on a mission trip than right now,” said Harper. 

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