Behind each Harding University study abroad program was a group ofleaders who made overseas semesters the life-changing experiences they were for hundreds of students. In the fall of 2015, Harding alumnus Silas Heffleybegan his new position as the director's assistant at Harding University in Greece. Heffley, an Arkansas native who attended HUG as a student in the spring of 2013, saw the position as a springboard for sharing his faith. "I applied for this job because I wanted to help future (HUG students) have as meaningful of a semester as I did," Heffley said. "Choosing to study abroad in Greece was the best decision I made in college. The experience as a whole completely changed the way I view the world around me. More importantly it changed the way I read the Bible and it brought a new clarity to some spiritual questions I was struggling with at the time. I cannot fathom a more meaningful endeavor right out ofcollege than to help more young people through the same journey." Former HUG Director's Assistant Stephen Chandler described the position as "a job that is somewhere between a camp counselor and a youth minister in a foreign country." Chandler spent four and a half years at HUG, working from January 2011 to July 2015. He recalled the time he spent with the HUG program and the opportunity he had to pass down wisdom to Heffley as he embarked on his new journey. "During our talks, I told Silas that even into my last year at HUG, I would sometimes lie in bed at night and start laughing to myself because I would think, 'I can't believe I get to live in Greece and show this beautiful country, its culture and history to students. Is this real?"' Chandler said. For three months, students at HUG traveled across the Greek Islands and Europe. For the director's assistant, each semester consisted of showing students sites and sounds they had never seen before. According to Chandler, ancient ruins and temples became a regular sight to see for students and teachers, making every trip a new oppo1tunity to learn and explore. "One of the things I'll miss the most is being around ancient a1tifacts regularly," Chandler said. "While working at HUG, it was no big deal to eat a Ill'(; :H) gyro by a 3,000-year-old temple or run in an ancient stadium. Aside from the big ones that we take the students to, like the Parthenon, I would try to go to as many other small ones as I could, especially if it was in a famous Greek myth." Clay Beason, head director at HUG, understood moving to a foreign country. Heffley said the Beasons played a vital role in his transition to a new home away from home. Moving residences and changing jobs were two things Beason, his wife, Loren, and their daughter understood well. "While the changes were challenging at times, of course, the benefits of this new time and place for our family outweigh passing up this opportunity," Clay said. "When we count our blessings, we know that this move was valuable for us, and we are continually thankful for the confidence shown by the leadership at Harding in us as we adjust to our new lives at HUG." Though the transition to a new home across the ocean required creating a completely new normal, Heffley looked forward to the excitement of molding young minds and the unexpected experiences to come.
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