Bishop Carroll Class of 2021 Salutatorian Molly Krumenacker is currently completing her last semester at Grove City College, majoring in Biology/Health, and heading to LECOM at Seton Hill in July for the next steps in her academic journey. During her time at Grove City, Molly has taken a different journey, traveling twice to Guatemala on mission trips.
Molly became interested in the idea of mission trips early in her life when watching a TV documentary about missionary doctors fixing cleft pallets in a 3rd world African country. One of the reasons that she chose Grove City for college was their opportunities for medical mission trips. At the end of her sophomore year, she was part of an 8 day mission to the rural Guatemalan town of Canilla in the Quiche department (state). It was a 6 hour bus ride to Canilla from Guatemala City. She said she was able to shadow doctors and PAs in the clinic and they even traveled further out to a town an hour away to do more. She said, “I learned a lot about medicine, the culture, the people, and how Christians should go about ministering to other people. I left this trip anxious for the next opportunity to go back.”
This semester, Molly applied and was accepted to the ICO (Inner City Outreach) trip back to Guatemala to a town called San Andres Sajcabaja. This trip was not medical-based. They stayed at on orphanage and spent time on work projects such as clearing land for a garden, painting, and helping to take off a roof. They went to a local school and washed and braided the girls’ hair, since that is something they are not able to do often. They would also play games with the students and help the staff however they could.
Molly believes that mission work is definitely a calling from God. She commented, “Ever since I first went, I can’t stop thinking about going back. God has definitely put a call to service on my heart. I am hoping to carry this out by doing medical trips when I am a doctor and give back to God the skills and education he has given me. The trips have made me more comfortable with the idea of going to places farther away to serve, if that is what God wants me to do.”
She says that these experiences have helped her be grateful for the simple things we have in the United States, such as brushing teeth with water. Molly said the entire experience has been humbling for her and made her more conscious of the things she worries and complains about. She said, “I am also more aware of the rest of the world and the people that live outside of the US. God created the world and everyone in it, and He loves all of his people the same.
She wanted to impart some advice to our current students to make an effort to learn another language. She commented, “I had a bad attitude when I took Spanish at BC (sorry Father Dave!). I used to say, ‘I’m never going to use this. I don’t plan to travel to a Spanish-speaking country.’ God definitely has a sense of humor! I remember only being able to say the basics before the first trip. It made it difficult not being able to communicate. I made an effort before the next trip to learn more in order to hold basic conversations with people, which was wonderful. Also, make sure to have the right attitude. Short-term missions can sometimes do more harm than good if the attitudes are wrong. It’s important to stay humble and remember, “I’m not here to change the world or anyone’s life. I’m here to help those who are already doing important work, love those I encounter, and plant a few seeds of faith where I can.” She encourages everyone to find a missionary cause to support, whether through travel work, collections at home, sending donations, or praying.
Molly is grateful for her time at BC, and said that the service requirement that she had to fulfill here made her eager to serve. “The first time I went, I was disappointed that I was not able to tangibly help anyone since I had no medical training yet. Going to the orphanage and being able to practically serve and love was very rewarding.”
In addition to her studies at Grove City, Molly is involved in jazz, concert, and sax quintet band ensembles, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, several IM sports, and is the manager for the men’s basketball team.
Great work, Molly! You are a shining example of a BC graduate making an impact on the world around you!