Pepperdine Athletics Completes Mission Trip to Panama
6/17/2026 10:00:00 AM | Cross Country, General, Men's Volleyball, Men's Water Polo, Women's Beach Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Featured
MALIBU, Calif. — For a fourth consecutive summer, Pepperdine Athletics traveled to Panama with a group of student-athletes for a mission trip.
Six student-athletes representing women’s soccer, beach volleyball, men’s volleyball, cross country and water polo traveled over 4,000 miles to Panama City, Panama, in order to aid local missionary outreach. Student athletes interacted, played, and shared personal testimonies about the love of Jesus with local school-age children and helped a local church with construction and maintenance.
The trip was led by Assistant AD for Academics/Student Development/Chaplain Jordan Holm and featured soccer's Chloe Brown, beach volleyball's Ella Irwin, men's volleyball's Dylan Gallagher, cross country's Hannah Miller and water polo's Cade Anderton & Owen Tift.
“It has been such an amazing experience to be able to travel to Panama for the last four years," said Holm. "Each year has common threads of service, personal growth and fellowship. This year, we were able to serve a local sports ministry for under-privileged youth, help a local church host a kids camp, and help this local church with projects and maintenance for their building."
“Our theme verse for this trip was 1 John 3:1, ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ I truly believed that our group was able to give and receive the love of Christ that made us experience the love Jesus has for us as his unique children. One of my highlights was being able to baptize two of our student-athletes! Praise God!”Jordan Holm
“God is so faithful,” Holm added. “We are immensely grateful for the donations that have made this trip possible. Our prayer that we are seeing answered day by day, year by year, is that these trips become part of the Pepperdine student-athletes experience, and make Pepperdine student-athletes known as those that share the experience of Christ to newfound brothers and sisters all over the world.”
Below are the reflections from the student-athletes about their to Panama:
CADE ANDERTON — WATER POLO
“First of all I’m extremely happy I decided to go on this trip. I understood that God has everybody exactly where he wants them and nobody is too far behind in their journey, but this trip truly made me believe it.
For the first time I have fully embraced my faith and have a strong desire to actively get closer to God. I have built lifelong friendships, and I am truly thankful for everyone that was a part of it. Each person I met along the way changed my life in some way for the better.”
CHLOE BROWN - SOCCER
“Panama was a one of a kind trip and I’m so glad I was able to experience it.
This trip strengthened my relationship with God and it’s what made me decide to get baptized. It was such a special moment for me to be baptized in the Los Chagres river with Jordan and I really think it was God’s timing because it was exactly what I needed. I would do this trip a hundred times again.”
DYLAN GALLAGHER - MEN'S VOLLEYBALL
“I grew so much in my faith and realized it’s not about perfection, it’s not even about being good. It’s just about being obedient to Christ and loving others because of His love for us. I knew that but I didn’t really feel it again until this trip. The group helped me in more ways than I ever thought because of the way everyone was so genuine with each other.
The memories I made with the group as well as the time we spent connecting with others and serving Panamá made this the most special experience ever. It was so powerful because of the way I grew in my relationship with God naturally without much trying and that is a testament to the people I was around and their fruits that pulled me closer to Him. This was exactly what I needed in my faith and God blessed me in the biggest way possible.”
ELLA IRWIN - BEACH VOLLEYBALL
“The Panama trip exceeded all my expectations. Every day there was something that made me think about my life and be grateful for what I have. Some highlights were playing soccer in the pouring rain and the kids just absolutely destroying us because they were so good, doing backflips off the cliffs and then surfing right after, spending the night with the tribe, fishbowl, and going around in a circle telling each other what we see in them.
I just think that whole experience was unforgettable. But I loved this trip, it showed me how to love better, how to keep a sense of humor, and how to love like God does.”
HANNAH MILLER - CROSS COUNTRY
“One of my favorite parts was getting the opportunity to attend a church service Sunday where we were blessed with a live English translation of the message.The passion and reverence the Panamanians hold for Jesus is something I’ll continue to hold close to when my faith feels thin. Throughout the week It was amazing to see how love, friendship, and connections were made with our Panamanian friends despite the barrier of language.
I’m also so grateful to have gotten to know Matt and Angie, our American guides and friends who welcomed us with so much love and demonstrated what it means to be servants of God. A close second highlight of the trip would be spending time with the other athletes, all of whom I didn’t know before but now can call good friends. I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience and all the wonderful people that I got to meet along the way.”
OWEN TIFT — WATER POLO
“The best highlight I had was being able to get baptized in the Los Chagres river and giving my life up to Jesus. That was definitely a big breakthrough for me.”
I also thought going to church in a different country was such a cool experience and the whole vibe of the room was like nothing I have seen before. Overall, this trip was something I will never forget”
ABOUT PEPPERDINE ATHLETICS
Pepperdine University boasts one of the most successful athletic programs in the country for a school of its size. The Waves have claimed 10 NCAA Division I team championships and 26 team or individual national championships in their history. Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership.
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