Jenny, right, taught English in Thailand during her GAP year

SIM-UK's Global Awareness Program (GAP) is designed for students from the UK or Ireland who are deferring their entry to university for a year and want to learn more about world mission.

The program includes an 8-week training and orientation course held at the SIM Residential Operations Center at Wetheringsett Manor. This is followed by a 6-month assignment in Africa, Asia or South America.

SIM-UK has had the privilege of hosting groups of GAP students since October 2000. Students are asked to raise funds from their churches and other supporters to cover their food and living expenses during their stay at the manor, as well as the costs of their overseas placement. In addition, they contribute to the work at the Wetheringsett Manor, through involvement in a variety of tasks in each department.

Because there are still outstanding costs in running this worthwhile program, a special project has been initiated. This project seeks to help to fund the subsidy of £1000 per student, making involvement of GAP possible for 12 students a year.

One GAP student wrote about her experience in Ethiopia:

Never seen a hippo? A mongoose? Or a vulture? Never chased a monkey off your mango tree? Never been mistaken for a doctor, showered in the rain or fed raw meat? Well neither had I until I’d been to Ethiopia.

My 6 months there was a fantastic experience. Not only did I get the chance to do some incredible things, I also got the chance to get to know my awesome God. A common prayer was: ‘Dear Lord, Help, Amen.” Like my first day teaching English in the Ethiopian school, or being shown around the AIDS hospital and orphanage and being told what I’d be doing there. At these times and hundreds more I cried out “Help!’ and each time God heard me. I’ve been a Christian for about 8 years now, but this experience, more than any other, has helped me to see what a loving faithful God I have.

Visit the SIM UK website and learn more about becoming a participant in the GAP.