November 15, 2000 Dear Presidents, Pastors, and/or Administrators: When Mr. Ben Eckman presented his mission burden and ministry vision to me, I was thrilled to support him and write this endorsement on his behalf. At Northland, we have discovered that we as an administration must stay involved in bringing missions before the students. We try to accomplish this through Mission Conference, chapel, mission speakers, and organized mission trips for students. We have noticed that much of the missionary permeation of the campus comes by students taking ownership of spreading the missionary heartbeat themselves. We, administratively, could not have accomplished in the missions area, what has only been accomplished by peers challenging peers. Currently, we have a student mission group called Open Eyes. A group of our ministry men here at Northland were instrumental in starting Open Eyes. The administration has been so delighted with the thrust of Open Eyes in encouraging one another for Great Commission living. In the summer of 2000, we saw such a multiplication of mission trips taken by students, directly or indirectly through the influence of Open Eyes. As the President, I was not fearful of any kind of hidden agenda some students had, but I was excited and backed them up in these mission endeavors. Student Global Impact is a similar format. It is students accepting the challenge for the cause of missions. I want to encourage you as a leader to consider having Student Global Impact minister to student mission groups that are part of your ministry. If you do not have a student missions emphasis, perhaps the Lord can use Ben to initiate one with you. SGI can also come alongside current student mission groups to help them maximize their effectiveness and network them with other student mission groups. From Ben's days of growing up on the mission field, and his character as an individual, it is easy to understand how God has directed him to be involved with SGI. I believe this emphasis can lead to a movement of surrendered college students for the cause of glorifying God among the nations. It is the fervent desire of SGI to see college students pick up a passion for world evangelism. Whether your ministry has a student mission group in existence or not, I encourage you to consider the impact such a group can have in your church or on your campus. I'm excited that SGI can help with the creation or optimization of a student mission group. We are so thankful for this concept. Let us get the news out, and trust God to draw surrendered students to the fields of the world. I hope you will avail yourself of this new ministry. In Christ, Les Ollila President