Hoping to spotlight this Andrews University student and the incredible story he has to tell, I sat down with Nick Bishop (junior, psychology) to discuss the recent mission project he has been promoting/working on.
Tell me a little bit about yourself. What motivates you? Do you have a final cause that you hope to strive for? What do you wish to accomplish after all is said and done?
First off, I love my friends and family. I love fishing, working out, playing soccer, basketball, and working on cars. However, I am obsessed with missions or any type of humanitarian work. My biggest motivation in life is to reach my goal of becoming a missionary doctor. The final cause I hope to strive for is making access to high-quality health care a reality in developing countries. I hope to continue doing my best to find and assist the needs of the communities until God moves me somewhere else. I plan to devote my life to working as a humanitarian, and I plan on attending medical school to become a doctor. I hope to get the training I need and head directly to the mission field, using medicine as a way to provide access to quality health care all across the world—especially in at-risk and hard-to-reach communities like that in Honduras.
What caused you to want to become a missionary?
As a high school senior, I struggled to find my calling. Every few months, I was drawn to a different career path—all sounded appealing: firefighting, social work, law enforcement, and even the military. At last, I settled on becoming a mechanic and worked at a local garage for two years. That all changed when I took a mission trip to Lima, Peru, during one spring break. I had the chance to translate for a surgeon and witness his profound impact on patients' lives. The experience sparked a new passion in me: to become a missionary doctor and make a difference in the world.
Tell me about the work you want to do in Honduras.
I volunteered in a children’s home in Honduras called “Hogar de Niños.” I fundraised to ensure each child had a Bible and the girls had crocs; I came with crayons, coloring books, cooking supplies, and games. Spending three months volunteering in Honduras at a children’s home made me fall in love with the place. The summer I spent there taught me the appreciation of family, gratitude for the moment, and the abundance of the universe. There I realized that the children had never been to the beach, and reached out to fundraise for a trip to take the 50 kids of the children's home. Through the support of my family, friends, and Andrews community, that trip was made possible.
In my recent return to Honduras during Christmas break of this year, I had the idea to step up the fundraising a little bit and attempt to complete several projects. Near the children's home is a very poor neighborhood called “Buenos Aires” where many homes are one storm away from being swept up, with many homes not having access to running water. I learned about conducting a needs assessment, and I went around asking what the neighborhood's needs were. Through prayer and careful thought, I was able to come up with a couple of projects that took top priority: a kitchen, a house, a clean water system, and a roof for a house that doesn’t have one. When I came back to Andrews with the support of my friends and my mom, we made a GoFundMe page to finance these projects. Then my nine friends and I will head down to Honduras in March during spring break, and we will work to complete those projects, God willing. While I am down there I plan to keep finding and attacking the needs in that neighborhood. In terms of Honduras projects, I hope to continue doing my best to find and assess the communities' needs until God moves me somewhere else.
There are hundreds of missionary projects throughout the world. My question is, why Honduras?
The Hogar de Niños is a place that I have fallen in love with; it is a place that I call my second home and I consider the people there my family. I used to think missions were about going to as many countries as possible, but once I went to Honduras, I realized missions are about connection and relationships. To me, missions are about making relationships, and in Honduras, at the children’s home, I considered them to be my best friends and family. I want to take care of my friends and family, so that is why I chose Honduras, until God calls me elsewhere.
What are some of the ways the students reading here can get involved and help with your mission project?
Students can get involved by donating and sharing my mission; a donor said they would match whatever was fundraised, so if any of you feel like God is pressing on you to donate after hearing my story, please visit my GoFundMe.
Lastly, trips to Honduras will keep happening ‘till God calls me elsewhere, so reach out to me if you want to donate money to the projects or send items to the kids.
I would like to add that people have told me I shouldn’t be distracted so I can finish college and become a doctor. I’m often told, “Wait until you have something to offer (implying medical care).” However, I can’t wait. I can’t wait to become a doctor to start the work God has called me to do. Therefore, don’t let anyone tell you that you have to wait; start now.
If you would like to contact Nick Bishop and hear more about his future plans, please contact him at: nicklaus@andrews.edu
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.