Will Harry Breaks Barriers in West Africa

Will Harry (right) joins fellow interns Zeke Wachtman (center) and Grace Hamilton (left) in West Africa for their respective TWR internships this summer. 

“I was looking for a way to spend my summer strategically, and TWR has let me do that in a way that also applies to my interests,” says Will Harry.

This summer, Will traveled across an ocean and now serves several time zones away from his home in Colorado. Using his studies in computer engineering and computer science, Will works alongside technicians in West Africa to make God’s name known. When the summer is over, he will return to Montana State University as a rising junior.

In West Africa, Will and two other interns face many cultural differences. People don’t rush from place to place but focus on building relationships in the present moment. The three interns take breaks at lunchtime to avoid the heat, and language struggles make communication with the locals difficult. Zeke Wachtman, one of the other interns in West Africa, says, “Will has been really patient while trying to work through the language barrier.”

What projects have you been working on?

I've been working on a security project for all the technicians here, a research project with electromagnetic interference in radio waves and a clock powered by an Arduino, a little programmable circuit board. I've really enjoyed the Arduino project because of the teamwork that was involved, and the ability to see exactly what my work is doing is cool.

What led you to joining TWR?

I heard about TWR through a friend on The Traveling Team, a group of itinerant evangelists, who suggested it to me for a summer mission. I applied for TWR because it combined two different things that I'm interested in: engineering and missions.

What is one of your biggest challenges this summer?

I think communication will be a big challenge because of the language barrier that the team and I have. Another challenge is being away from home and missing time with everyone I know in my hometown.

How did you get interested in missions?

I started looking at the Great Commission, and while trying to find my place in it, I decided to do a summer training program, where I learned all about God’s heart for the world and different religions. From there I’ve been trying to get involved where he has called me. I've been to Costa Rica, Haiti and Colombia on mission trips. Most of those trips were when I was younger, and I participated in evangelism, vacation Bible school, physical work and helping the local church.

How is this internship preparing you for your future?

I think it’s a real look at being an engineering missionary, which is something I am interested in doing in the future. It’s also a look at being in a Christian workplace and living in a different culture

What has God been teaching you this summer?

As I pray for my friends overseas and people overseas pray for me, God has been teaching me about the importance and power of prayer. It’s also been teaching me the importance of prayer as a connection to God, especially in an uncomfortable environment.

Fun fact: Will is essentially “nose blind,” meaning he can’t really smell anything!

Images: (top, banner) Will Harry (right) joins fellow interns Zeke Wachtman (center) and Grace Hamilton (left) in West Africa for their respective TWR internships this summer; (middle, right) despite language and cultural barriers, Will (right) has been able to build friendships with locals and TWR staff alike during his time in West Africa.