Thalassa – Celebrating 10 Years!

The gospel ministry is a global ministry—instituted by our Lord when he commissioned his followers to “make disciples of all nations.” The mission statement of Martin Luther College recognizes this as well, stating that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we encourage students in “developing and demonstrating a heart for service in the church, community, and world.”

The Thalassa competition, established in 2007, is a tribute to our students’ hearts for global service.

In this competition MLC students and graduates who have served abroad submit photographs and written reflections that share the beauties, the joys, the challenges of their ministries. A panel of judges chooses the winner and awards $1000, half of which the student designates to a mission of their choice.

We’ve seen entries from North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Tiny villages in the Peruvian Andes. Teeming cities in Southeast Asia. A Siberian college town. A Brazilian fazenda. A Malawian orphanage.

Each reflection and photo is rich in particulars, yet each tells the same story—a story of human needs and the Savior who meets those needs.

We are humbled and honored to have had a hand in the shaping and training of these gospel heralds. And we are grateful to the Lord of the Church and to his Spirit for allowing Martin Luther College to be the threshold from which these students carry the gospel into the world.