From the Mission Field to the Classroom: Jeremiah's Story
Jeremiah is a huge fan of reptiles. He once had a pet crocodile when he was living in Cambodia! Among other things, Jeremiah likes to fly his drone and read missionary stories.
Before coming to OA he was a missionary kid in Cambodia for 7 years. The stay in Cambodia was just supposed to be a three-month family missionary trip to help hand out literature there. But when Covid hit, his family had to stay.
The idea to go on a mission trip started when he lived in Oregon. His family was watching a Jesus for Asia video that promoted a need for literature in Thailand. His Aunt also served as a missionary in India and consequently, when they visited her at a faith camp in Idaho, the preacher spoke about the need in Thailand again. Jeremiah’s father was convinced of the need to go serve. But, when they explored their options, they found that Cambodia was a better fit.
At ten years old, Jeremiah and his family boarded a plane and flew to Cambodia. After 3 months, covid hit and they had to extend their stay. Initially they lived in an apartment but they wanted a house in the countryside. God worked it out and they found a house. Even though it was run-down and abandoned, with no running water, they fixed it up and made a home. Throughout their stay, they continued the mission work. During that time, Jeremiah heard of OA through a student on her student missionary trip.
Jeremiah’s time in Cambodia was one of excitement and fright at the same time. He recognizes that his family’s mission work there brought no immediate results, but sees it as a time of planting seeds of faith. He trusts that, even if they did not see the fruits of their labor on earth, they will one day see them in heaven. This reveals his willingness to serve faithfully and reflects his main goal—to honor God and leave earth a better place.
When Jeremiah came to OA it offered a different set of challenges than Cambodia. He describes his first few weeks as a hard because of culture shock, homesickness, and adjusting to the schedule. Despite this, he appreciates the spiritual atmosphere that OA provides and is excited to see where God will lead him next so he can continue to make a positive impact in the world!
Jeremiah is one of our students whose tuition is covered by the Worthy Student program. He represents the needs and character of our other students on the program. You can be certain that your donation to the Worthy Student program will be put to good use. It goes a long way toward the goal of helping our students become workers for the harvest. To donate go to
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