“I’m still blown away by a partnership that’s gone on for 30 years. That’s a long time. That’s incredible. All glory be to God that this has continued for 30 years; that is a huge testament to God’s grace and what He’s doing.”
– Caleb Wollf, 2025
From the moment Caleb Wollf started mentoring student service-learning teams at Trinity Western University, the small northern B.C. community of Fort Babine became a place he carried in his heart. He was a TWU student from 2016-2020, but now as Assistant Director of Local and Global Outreach, he’s guided many of students through one of the University’s longest-standing cross-cultural partnerships: one that prioritizes presence over projects, listening over leading, and reconciliation over results.
It started in 1993 as a partnership with TWU and UIM International. By 1995, students Mike and Geralyn Cunningham started leading TWU’s outreach teams to Fort Babine. The experience marked them so deeply that they chose to move there to continue the relationships with the community they had built. They started their own ministry, Streetcorners, which grew into a local fixture and a quiet but powerful bridge between the University and the remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents of Fort Babine.
Almost every year since, students have returned to continue these ongoing relationships with families and serve on local projects. And every year still, the community looks forward to welcoming them.
Building trust, not just homes
The purpose of the trip isn’t to evangelize loudly or build infrastructure. It’s to live alongside people. Students are invited into the homes of Elders and sit in kitchens where time is measured by stories, not clocks. Students get to learn from these Elders and families the importance of relationships and people, over projects and timelines.
“The schedule is to be totally present with these people,” Wollf says. There’s no to-do list; just daily invitations to love and listen."
Students begin with a three-day orientation at a nearby camp, where Mike Cunningham trains them not only in practical skills but also to carry a posture of humility, gentleness and cultural awareness. “How do we be lights for Jesus and come in with a posture of openness to learn and listen?” Wollf challenges them.
Then they head in.
The students return changed
Still, the impact is mutual. “The teams end up getting blessed so much more in return,” Wollf says. Students often come back with a new view of God, faith and friendship. Some return again and again. A few have made Fort Babine their long-term home with a heart to serve the community.
The trip also opens students’ eyes to the realities of trauma, spiritual warfare and cultural complexity. Their training includes everything from Indigenous history to leadership skills and conflict resolution, mental health support, and even how to share one’s story with care and respect. The University Siya:m, Patricia Victor, meets with the team to help prepare them, and grow hearts centred on Jesus in compassion, openness, cultural curiosity, and humility.
Wollf reminds students that there are many ways to share the gospel. “A large percentage of Gen Zs are actually totally okay with you sharing your faith story,” he explains. “When you're sharing your testimony, they’re totally open.” Moreover, students are profoundly impacted, getting to listen and hear the stories that the Elders share with them.
Growing a legacy of reconciliation
This May, another team of TWU students returned to Fort Babine. They are joining in games with kids, making food for neighbours, and sharing tears with Elders whose stories of faith and resilience deeply move them. They are just there for one month. However, that could change everything.
Behind it all, Wollf has been praying.
“Prayer is the biggest thing,” he says. “Praying over the students, praying over the community, that God would continue working there.”
The other needs, such as fundraising support and seeking mentorship from those with lived experience, are important too. But at the centre of it all is the quiet, consistent faithfulness of a God who has sustained a relational bridge between TWU and Fort Babine for over 30 years.
Still walking humbly
Wollf, who has mentored Fort Babine teams for years, looks forward to serving in Fort Babine himself in the next two years. His hope is to visit soon, not as a leader, but as a learner.
Because after all these years, he’s still learning too.
Story by Netanya Castillo.
About TWU's Global Engagement Office
The Global Engagement Office (GEO) houses co-curricular programming that highlights international connections present on our campuses as well as connections to short-term experiential service-learning opportunities around the world. Learn more at TWU's Global Engagement Office.
About TWU Alumni
We invite our alumni community to continue to participate in the life of the University. Our desire is to nurture an engaged and flourishing global community of alumni by cultivating meaningful relationships and creating engaging alumni experiences. Learn more at TWU Alumni.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has campuses in Canada in Langley, Richmond, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn. For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca.