England native junior Pete Hunt was first introduced to Harding by a campaign group from the Adventures in Missions program led by Dr. Morris Ellis. Since then, Hunt had longed to surround himself with Christian people who could develop his faith. In 1996, when Hunt was 11, Ellis and his group worked with Churches of Christ in England and left a lasting impression. On another campaign trip several years later, Ellis returned and found Hunt actively working with the visiting Harding group. "They were good Christian people, and I needed them in my life," Hunt said. "Seeing Christ shine through the Harding students I met in the UK, I knew Harding wasn't like any other American university I'd seen in movies. I knew it was different. I didn't know anything else about Harding ... except the people." For several years after his first encounter, Harding students continued to campaign in England, and they reconfirmed Hunt's desire to attend a school he had never seen and knew nothing about. In 2005, Hunt attended AIM and had the chance to visit Harding. After training in Lubbock, Texas, Hunt traveled to Searcy for the World Missions Workshop. Hunt fell in love with the school. After spending time in Gosford, Australia, and Tulsa, Okla., and graduating from the AIM program, Hunt began applying for schools to attend. Harding was the first to reply. In 2011, after three years of raising support funding and at the age of 26, Hunt left his managerial position in Reading, England, moved to Searcy, Ark., and joined the Center for Advanced Ministry Training program in the College of Bible and Religion. "Peter is one of those poster children: he came, he saw, he conquered," Gary Gregg, associate director of CAMT, said. "Now he is going to go out there to serve, and he will conquer by serving." Since he was in America, Hunt had to adjust to social practices and language differences as well as deal with being far from his home and family. "I miss my family, but I have learned to make family here," Hunt said. "I'm thankful for how close CAMT is, and I've built relationships that will last a lifetime and then some." Hunt met his wife, graduate reading student Lisa, while at Harding, and they planned to eventually move back to England to work with the Churches of Christ there after Hunt gained ministry experience in America. "I am excited that Peter wants to go back to England," Gregg said. "That is what we want from our students. Our job is to train our students for whatever pathway God puts them on. I'd take 100 more like Peter. He is a true English gentleman. His gentility is a Christ-like characteristic." Though he knew little about this place so far from home, he took a leap of faith nad became one of the many Harding international students. "My dream had always been to come to Harding," Hunt said. " And I am living my dream." Grant Schol "God lead me through a 15-year journey from first meeting Harding students to arriving as a student myself." Junior Pete Hunt
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