Tripster Testimony: Seth Borchard
Go — one word, two letters, infinite possibilities. Seth Borchard felt the full impact that word can have on a person’s life when he was a student at Dordt College, and he answered God’s call to go.
Dordt College offers its students numerous service opportunities, among them AMOR (A Mission OutReach). Every Christmas break, over 40 Dordt students forgo their respite from classes to serve others in developing countries. In 2015, Borchard joined his classmates for an AMOR trip when the group traveled to our little corner of Tanzania. Though he had heard about STEMM before, nothing compared to being in the village himself.
“It was an incredible experience,” said Borchard, “I remember Dr. Steve sharing his crazy testimony around the campfire. I was also profoundly impacted by Warren and Sue Westvig — they were a clear, tangible example of radical living.” He was also blessed to meet a young couple from Germany who ran a children’s home for Maasai girls rescued from tribal trafficking, and he was eager to learn more about their ministry.
He quickly discovered that the sights, sounds, customs, and culture of the country around him were as awe-inspiring as the people he met. “It is authentically African and is something that everybody needs to experience. I had a friend describe life in Africa as living life in color. I think this is an accurate portrayal of our experience of the Tanzanian life.”
Borchard has always known that medical missions would be his purpose, but he said the encounters he had shaped the way he viewed missions and life in general. “These people were living life with purpose on purpose. The contentment and fulfillment that I could see in their spirit was so evident.” Those two weeks spent in Tanzania were, as he puts it, “the most formational periods of time in my life.” Above all, Borchard gained a valuable perspective — he learned that the only way you can wholeheartedly pursue God’s will is to fully surrender to Him and constantly seek Him, a lesson he carries with him to this day.
His time in Tanzania was so influential that he decided to return and continue to make an impact. Six years have passed since his first trip to the STEMM village, and now, he is happily married to his wife, Anna, and both are serving as the in-country directors for STEMM. “While it is crazy to say,” said Seth, “it is something that I definitely could have seen happening ever since my first trip in 2015. We believe wholeheartedly in the mission of STEMM. Our time in Tanzania has been chaotic and challenging but also so rewarding. To share our life with the 51 kids at STEMM makes every day worth it.”
Others might raise an eyebrow at their dropping everything and moving to Tanzania, but to them, “an obedient life to our King Jesus starts to feel more and more normal with each ‘yes.’”
If you asked him whether you should take a trip his answer would be yes with gusto. To potential tripsters he says, “Keep your heart open to the Lord before, during, and after the trip, and watch how he uses you and changes you.”