The Global Urban Trek is the result of over 2 1/2 years of work, prayer and planning. During this time, Scott Bessenecker has been at the helm. As the Director of the Global Urban Trek, Scott shares with us some of his musings, hopes, and prayers.

Final Thoughts
July 23, 2001 was a critical moment for me. I stood before 80 young people who had just returned from some of the most desperate places on earth. Most of them are top-notch students from prestigious universities with incredible career opportunities before them. “I have had the privilege of knowing many students.” I told them. “There are so few that have hearts for the poor like you. There are hardly any waiting in line to serve Christ in the brothels and the slums and the garbage villages. Now I am asking you, will you go? Will you be the salt of God and the light of God and the leaven of God in the hard places?” I had waited more than two years for that moment. I had spent many hours lying awake at night praying for and planning this program. Would any of them respond? That, fortunately, was not up to me. It is God’s business to call and anoint for service. But I wanted to be faithful to my part. Several of my intercessor friends have been praying that God would send to the Global Urban Trek the very students whom he is equipping to serve the urban destitute. We believed that there were 15-30 whom God indeed was calling into urban ministry. We would need to wait a couple more days for the answer. Since we didn’t want students to respond out of emotionalism, they would be asked to stand in response to the call on July 25th.

The following night Viv Grigg spoke. Viv is “father” to a number of evangelical organizations dedicated to living among and serving the urban poor. His books were instrumental readings for the students on this project and he has been a great advisor to me in the planning of the Trek. Viv did not mince words. “I realize this is not a popular thing to say to a group of twenty-somethings.” He confessed, “But if you are going to plant churches among the urban poor you must think in terms of 15 years or more.” Viv painted a realistic picture of difficulty and hardship mixed with periodic victories. The students listened with rapt attention.

The final morning when 30 students stood in complete sobriety and recognition of this call to the urban poor, all I could do was weep. Viv and I went to each student, anointing their head with oil and praying over them one by one. I sincerely believe that the impact of these students will be out of all proportion to their numbers.

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