It would be safe to say that Aaron Gallagher doesn’t have a body made for commercial flying. At 6’4, which includes the standard long legs and arms, hopping aboard a flight isn’t always the most pleasant experience.
Of course, when you have an upcoming flight that covers five connections, three continents and more than 24 hours in the air, one might be under the impression that the 2003 Bridgeport High School graduate is dreading his August trip. Nothing, it seems, could be further from the truth.
On August 8, Gallagher will step onto a plane in Raleigh, NC, on the first leg of a rather long journey. His first stop is in Detroit. From the Motor City, he’s heading overseas to Amsterdam and then from Amsterdam he’ll be heading to Africa and the country he’ll be spending two weeks in – Kenya. The Amsterdam flight will take him to Nairobi, but that’s not the end of the journey. At that point, the large planes end and an even more uncomfortable flight on a very small plane will take him from the nation’s capital to the village of Kisumu.
“It’s going to be a very long haul over there, but it will be worth it,” said Gallagher. “It should be a great two weeks.”
Understand Gallagher’s two weeks don’t include a trip to Mount Kenya. There’s no lodging along the coast of the Indian Ocean or a camping trip into the Aberdare Forest or roughing it in the Chalbi Desert. Instead, Gallagher’s plans are much simpler and nobler. Gallagher hopes to spread the gospel during a two-week mission trip.
“I’m blessed with more than I deserve,” Gallagher said. “I have everything here in the United States that I need and I feel that I have a calling, a need to do this; and I want to do this.”
Having that calling or need doesn’t mean anyone can hope onto a plane, travel half way across the world and spread the word of Jesus. There are legal requirements that have to be met to take Gallagher on what is actually going to be his second international mission trip, as well as ones spiritually and happenstance that had to all fall into place.
Gallagher actually got his taste of Mission work earlier by going to Honduras. The trip to the Central American country was the first Mission work that didn’t involve him knocking on doors in and around his North Carolina town with members of the Raleigh Church of Christ of which he is a member.
“My church had a group that usually does one to two trips a year there and I got to be part of a group in March of 2012,” Gallagher said. “I really didn’t know what to expect because I jumped headlong into it. I’ll be honest and tell you that I was a nervous wreck. When you get there you see guys standing with shotguns guarding gas stations and you realize how much we take safety for granted and that the respect for life isn’t the same. Seeing those things, man, I can tell you I’ve never prayed more or read my Bible more.”
The church Gallagher attends actually supports nine different Honduran villages in a place known as the Amacuapa Valley. The church took plywood and made dozens of beds as well as holding programs for children.
“My introduction to mission work was, as I found out, in one of the most dangerous places to go. It actually turned out to be a good trip even though you would occasionally drive past guys in trucks with automatic weapons,” Gallagher said. “You were told those were cartel members, but they never bothered you because they appreciated the fact you bringing stuff to the people.”
Apparently, the sites and potential danger often inherent in third world countries didn’t deter Gallagher. Instead, seeing how he and others could help through mission work only served to enhance a desire to assist. And the chance to go to Kenya, ironically, had seeds planted when Gallagher was a youth.
As a child, Gallagher was a regular at a West Virginia Christian Youth Camp in Pennsboro. The director of the camp was a minister from Fairmont named Mike Reese. Reese, said Gallagher, became a mentor at a very early age.
“He’s done mission work all over the world. I’ve always wanted to go with him,” said Gallagher.
The chance developed when Gallagher returned to the very camp he once attended. When he went back, Gallagher was no long a student. Instead, he was a counselor and Reese was able to see more than just a physically mature individual back in his presence, but one who had grown spiritually. As a result, Gallagher will now get the chance to go with Reese on mission work in Africa.
“The first week, we’ll be doing a lot of Bible studies, but the second week is going to be a lot of fun because we’ll be running a Christian youth camp. There are expected to be up to 250 Kenyans from ages 8 to 18 taking part,” said Gallagher. “I’m very much looking forward to that because I truly enjoy working with children.”
Along with Reese wanting to take Gallagher, the Bridgeport native has been busy handling other preparation duties. His passport is in order and on Tuesday of this past week, he received fresh vaccines for Polio, Meningitis and Yellow Fever. Last year, he had vaccines for Hepatitis, Typhoid Fever and Tetanus.
“You just do a travel consultation with your doctor and they check with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and see what you need for vaccines,” said Gallagher. “You actually get an international certificate of vaccination that you can show at customs.”
Gallagher would have preferred to do mission work earlier in his life. But the 2007 West Virginia Wesleyan Graduate – with a degree in biology and chemistry – had a full plate.
“I’ve always wanted to do Christian work, but I was always so busy with college and sports and then with work,” said Gallagher, who works now as a sales rep for the company Gerstel. “In the last few years I’ve grown and the older I get the more I see. I can tell you that the trip to Honduras opened my eyes to so many things. I saw people living their lives in two-room shacks and they were just happy. It’s hard to describe, but it impacts you in a way you can’t explain or expect.”
The impact may be had to explain, the result of the impact is not. What he’s witnessed in Honduras has him heading back onto a plane, folding his large body into a compartment that will certainly lead to more than a few hours of flight discomfort. Despite that, he doesn’t mind at all.
“I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to do as a Christian. The Bible says to spread the gospel in all corners of the world,” said Gallagher. “I want to do that because it’s what I need to do. I can tell you it doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything special, but it does feel like I’m doing something right.”
Gallagher also said anyone interested in considering mission work is welcome to contact him for thoughts on how to become involved. You can reach him via personal message on Facebook or contact him by phone at 304-677-2034.
Editor's Note: Photos show Aaron Gallagher having fun with the local children during his 2012 mission trip to Honduras.
(Read Julie Perine's June 2012 story about Gallagher HERE.)
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