A language barrier was Jordyn Aden's last concern at a youth leadership congress worship service in El Salvador. It didn't matter how the song was being sung, it mattered why.

"It was just neat because there's going to be so many different people in heaven, and we're not going to come from the same nation, but it's not going to matter because we're going to be praising the same God," Aden said.

Aden, four other Southeast Missouri State University students and The Lighthouse director Andrew Abbott traveled to El Salvador for nine days of mission work this summer. The Lighthouse, formerly Baptist Student Union, partnered with Fruitland Community Church to make up a total group of 20 people. Fruitland, along with other churches in Southeast Missouri, had an affiliation in El Salvador for more than 10 years before The Lighthouse joined the team.

"The Lighthouse was looking at creating an international partnership, so a place to do missions overseas, cross-culturally, that ties into our vision to connect with [the] local church," Abbott said.

Abbott added that Fruitland already supported The Lighthouse, so there wasn't any dispute about wanting to work toward a long-term relationship for missions on a global scale.

The trip cost a total of $1,200 per person, but according to Abbott, that amount was relatively low compared to most international mission work. That being said, coming up with $1,200 as a college student was no easy task, but Abbott said with faith and trust all who were a part of the team raised the money to make the trip.

"I heard it said the Bible says that God owns cattle on a thousand hills, and I believe that he can surely sell one to fund a trip for people to go," Abbott said.

The group held two free medical clinics at two different sites in El Salvador to start off their work. Abbott said people from around the area lined up outside one to two hours prior to the clinic opening. Patients were examined by a doctor, a dentist and also received a prescription. Before going back to their day-to-day lives, each patient received what Abbott referred to as "spiritual counseling." Southeast students and others apart of the team witnessed and prayed with every single person that came through.

"So we were able to really, I think, embody the gospel, just how Jesus did, and meet people's physical needs but using that as a bridge to meet their spiritual needs," Abbott said.

He said 500 people were treated at the clinics over a course of two days.

The group also split up and simultaneously went to six sites in one day around El Triunfo to help budding churches in the region. They dragged chairs and speakers out to parks and set up small, evangelistic services. Students led music while Abbott closed with a sermon.

Abbott said a majority of the trip was focused on the youth leadership congress. The churches partnered with in El Salvador communicated an interest in providing leadership development for their youth. The Lighthouse team headed the three-day conference mentoring to a range of ages from 16 to mid-twenties.

"We led all the teaching in that, all the small groups, and just tried to leave them with some very tangible leadership skills that they can use in their quest to make disciples there in El Salvador," Abbott said.

This was Abbott's third time in El Salvador on a mission, but he explained each trip sparks a new outlook about one's home lifestyle.

"When I came back this time, my big thing was instead of saying how blessed I am, what are some things that I could give up here at home to simplify my life?" Abbott said. "Because you'll find when you're in [El Salvador], materially, they don't have half of what we have. But a lot of them are happier -- they laugh, they giggle, there's kids playing in the streets, a lot of things that you don't see here. So I think that letting students see that material things aren't really where a person should find their value is important for us."

A blazing hot summer day without air conditioning is uncomfortable, trying to split a slow router between six people could be understandably maddening, yet the people of El Salvador identify as feeling blessed.

"Seeing the joy in those people, they don't have hardly anything, but they're still so joyful and so generous, and just taking those lessons from them," Aden said. "We don't have to have so much, but we still need to be loving and joyful and generous."

Abbott said he's currently working on forming a five-year partnership with The Lighthouse and El Salvador to host an annual youth leadership congress.

"I just think it's important, instead of dropping into a place and doing a week or two mission trip and then pulling out, we get to really see what God does in the long-term there," Abbott said.

Aden had been to El Salvador once before, and this time she brought back even more of a drive to reach out. To Abbott, there's no better place to do that than a college campus.

"SEMO's 12,000 students with 54 countries represented," Abbott said. "I believe this campus is the greatest mission opportunity, or any college campus is the greatest mission opportunity in the whole world."

Both Abbott and Aden stressed that witnessing to those at home is just as important of a mission field. Too busy is merely an excuse.

"You don't have to go all the way to Central America to tell people about Jesus," Aden said.