While many students spend their summers relaxing, five Gen Z nursing students from Christian universities (Baylor, Belmont Abbey, TCU) chose a different path: bringing hope and healing to a hurting generation. Through the Mercy Ships summer internship—a global Christian nonprofit operating floating hospitals to provide free surgeries and medical care in underserved regions—these students experienced a mission that would transform the lives of those they served and their own faith and mental well-being.
Purpose Found in Service
Tom Strandwitz has always felt that service is his purpose. Growing up in a mission-focused church, he spent his high school summers participating in Appalachian service projects and partnering with eastern Kentucky communities to build houses. Sports medicine and a fascination with anatomy initially shaped his interests, but when COVID-19 struck, he saw nurses risking everything to care for the sick. He realized nursing was where he could make the most tangible difference. A public health class later helped him see that serving the most vulnerable, not just those in an ER, could have the widest impact.
“Before this trip, I often felt directionless,” Tom reflects. “I’d get stuck in my own head, questioning if I was good enough or making the right choices. Serving others shifted my focus away from myself. Loving others teaches me how to love myself. The people who need the most help come first, and then we can move on to the broader issues our healthcare system faces.”
Faith, Recovery, and a Heart for Others
Caroline Gutierrez’s journey to Mercy Ships was also deeply personal. A rising senior nursing student, Caroline’s path has been marked by perseverance through ADHD, recovery from early substance use, and the formation of a deepening Catholic faith. Early struggles with anxiety and panic attacks led her to seek ways to cope, ultimately finding sobriety and purpose in service. Nursing became a calling, a way to love and serve God’s children in their most vulnerable moments.
“Applying for this internship felt natural. Even though I normally feel anxiety in new situations, the peace I experienced with this decision didn't make sense," Caroline shares. “God simply said yes to my heart. Seeing the volunteers on Mercy Ships, giving freely out of love for God and others, reinforced that the world isn’t always as broken as I thought. Their lives are living proof of God’s goodness.”
During the two weeks off the coast of Africa, Caroline was struck by the simplicity and resilience of the communities they served. Houses made of leaves and wood, people living with so little yet radiating joy—these experiences brought profound awareness.
“Everyone needs to do something like this at least once, ” she reflects. “It doesn't have to be across the world, but it makes you grateful for the healthcare and resources we often take for granted. It shows how little it takes to truly give to others.”
Stepping into God’s Call
Tom and Caroline’s stories highlight that serving with Mercy Ships not only changes those helped but also transforms the server’s faith and outlook. Stepping into this calling strengthened their sense of purpose and well-being. Service is never one-way; it reshapes our relationship with God and those around us. As Tom notes, "people should follow their heart in what God is saying and He will lead them to where they're supposed to be." Whether you're called to mission work, to minister in your community, or to be a light in the workplace, every act of service matters. God doesn’t need perfect people; He needs humble hearts willing to step out and serve.
A Prayer of Gratitude and Purpose
Lord,
We lift up these students impacted by Mercy Ships’ work. Bless both those who served and those who were served. Open our hearts to where You would have us go. Teach us to love others as You love us, and use our struggles to reach and encourage those around us. May we, too, step into service with willingness, humility, and faith.
Amen.
Photo Credit: Mercy Ship/ used with permission
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