Madison Zeldenhurst | Guatemala
For senior Madison Zeldenrust, a mission trip to Guatemala didn’t just mark her first trip outside the United States. It changed her life.
“I came full of nerves — I didn’t speak much Spanish and didn’t feel equipped to teach communications,” she says. “But God showed me that age or experience doesn’t matter. He uses whoever comes to Him willingly, and He did more than I could ask or imagine.”
Led by Brian Utter ’81, Shine.FM station manager, and Dr. Heather McLaughlin, chair of the Department of Communication, the Olivet Nazarene University team stayed at a Nazarene seminary in Guatemala City. After exploring the city, they prepared for a communications camp attended by people from across Central America — Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras — who learned social media, public speaking, podcasting, photography and storytelling to strengthen their home churches. 
Other trip members included senior Ava Tueck, sophomore David Gonzalez and sophomore Camden Koester; Shine.FM development officer Abbey Bennet ’23; and graduate assistant Maori Brown ’24.
The trip concluded in Cobán, where the group visited a remote children’s ministry in a village without running water or electricity. Madison recalls teaching a young boy to say “blue” in English. It was a moment that showed how technology bridges language gaps and God’s love crosses every barrier.
Worshipping in three languages around a campfire and witnessing joy amid hardship reminded Madison of Zechariah 14:9: “The Lord will be king over the whole earth. … There will be one Lord, and His name the only name.”
“Trips like this push you out of your comfort zone and deepen your reliance on Christ — physically, spiritually and relationally,” she says. “It changed my life and my Olivet experience for the better.”
From Olivet The Magazine, The Parent Guide – Autumn 2025. Read the full issue here.
