39 HUG TRIP 2020 CUT SHORT GOODBYE HUGS Harding University in Greece return home early in spring 2020. Harding University International Programs allowed students to travel the world during a semester of their choice. However, Harding University in Greece (HUG) was among the many trips cut short in spring 2020. The majority of time at HUG was spent in Porto Rafti, Greece, just outside of Athens. HUG students learned about Greek and biblical history, bringing the stories to life. Junior Jacqueline Whitaker said she chose to attend HUG because of her desire to visit the places in scripture. “I just didn’t really think about them being real,” Whitaker said. “It was really good for me to go there to see them, and know they’re real and get to bring that insight and depth into reading scripture and my faith.” HUG directors Megan and Daniel Adams explained that although the trip was cut short, they were blessed to experience most of what they planned. “We felt very fortunate that we got the trips that people really wanted to do,” Megan Adams said. “Although it was hard, they realize how lucky they were to have gotten as much of the semester in as they did.” Junior Eden Henderson said she learned valuable wisdom through the experience of leaving Greece and staying home for the remainder of her summer. “I learned a lot this summer about loving other people and what that looks like,” Henderson said. “Not just in my own little bubble, loving others when it’s uncomfortable, or when it’s different from what I’m used to. In that uncomfort, that’s where I grow.” Since May 2019, the Adamses served as the directors of HUG. They said the opportunity to live in Greece was appealing; however, their intentions for the international HUG trip were for the advancement of students’ minds and hearts to the world. “Students that do go overseas, they do begin to see and know these people, realizing they’re not that much different,” Daniel Adams said. “That is a common thread that God has put all through the world, and when we begin to see that, when we come back, it changes who we are here.” The Adamses hoped to return to Greece toward the end of 2020 in order to prepare for future students. “We are hopeful and optimistic that in January we will have students,” Daniel Adams said. “We will find out in the middle of October if hope is well-founded. I think at the very latest, next summer we should be good.” story by Sadie Thornton HUG
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