Student Melissa Arguijo is a missionary at heart.
For as long as she can remember and as long as her Catholic faith has led the way, Arguijo has felt called to serve others.
This summer, she was able to live out that calling for 41 consecutive days as an intern missionary with Vagabond Missions in Wichita.
What is Vagabond Missions?
Based on the organization established in New York in 2006, Vagabond Missions is a Catholic nonprofit that provides youth ministry to inner city and urban areas. Arguijo was first introduced to Vagabond Missions as a Bishop Carroll Catholic High School student. In 2021, she participated in Prayer and Action through her parish, a program that allows students to complete faith-filled community service projects for those in need.
“I was placed in a group with three missionaries and some teens and saw how the Lord worked through all of them to help those teens out,” Arguijo said.
She attended Vagabond Missions’ Underground youth group, an after-school program that offers teens a place to unwind, connect with friends and build a sense of community. Arguijo was amazed that Vagabond Missions provided transportation, food and a setting for great conversations — all wrapped up in a faith-friendly space.
“I was a little suspicious because it sounded too good to be true,” she said. “A free youth center where they have fun games and talk about God? That can’t be real.”
Recognizing the call
After getting to know the missionaries, all Arguijo could think about was doing mission work after high school. But she also knew she wanted to go to college, which meant being a full-time missionary wasn’t an immediate option for her.
“I knew I had to pray about my vocation,” she said.
Arguijo applied to Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, and Newman University — both Catholic colleges with strong nursing programs — and prayed about “where exactly the Lord wanted me to go,” she said.
A few weeks later Newman University offered her the ASC Service Award, which she took as a sign.
“I was really excited and thankful the Lord was able to provide for me,” Arguijo said. “I am a first-generation student, and I am super thankful and blessed to have a great support system to help me get through college.”
While she was grateful and excited to attend Newman, she also experienced a tinge of sadness at being unable to serve as a full-time missionary. This made her summer internship with Vagabond Missions all the more meaningful.
“They knew how much I wanted to be a missionary but couldn’t become one, so they were able to offer this internship for me,” Arguijo said. “I was thankful.”
A summer of service
During her internship, Arguijo resided in one of the two missionary houses owned by Vagabond Missions. Through her internship, she helped teens engage in holy hours, worship, silence, morning prayer, adoration, Mass and even “neighborhood knocking.”
“This is when we would walk around the neighborhoods and talk to parents about Underground being a free youth center for teens,” Arguijo explained. “We’d also ask for any prayer intentions and head to the next house.”
She and the other Vagabond missionaries kept the Underground sites clean for upcoming events, and each kept in contact with two to three teens throughout the weeks. Arguijo especially enjoyed getting to know the teens through icebreaker activities, park nights, weekly service projects and off-campus excursions.
“One week we played tennis at Wichita State University, watched some matches and took a campus tour. Another week, we took the teens to a waterfall in Cowley County and we spent most of our day there.”
Vagabond Missions also took teens to a camp called The Pines in Big Sandy, Texas, for a full week.
Arguijo said the jam-packed summer allowed her to “see how the Lord works with every single teen,” she said.
“I became their safe space where they could talk about their relationship with God, what’s holding them back and how they wanted to make a change for good,” she said.
Little time, big impact
The summer experience flew by fast, but is one Arguijo won’t soon forget. Plus, many of the life skills she learned directly apply to her future as a nurse.
“I was taught patience and how to become a trustworthy person,” she said. “As a nurse, you are able to do your job correctly as long as the patient is able to trust you. It taught me communication skills, which will allow me to be the best nurse that I can be. It also taught me how to be humble. I think as a nurse it is really important to be humble because it will allow me to want to be the best nurse that I can be but acknowledge that there will always be room for improvement.”
Arguijo describes mission work as “a blessing.” She encourages anyone with an interest to enthusiastically respond to the call.
“Vagabond Missions is currently looking for full-time missionaries, volunteers and core members, so please let me know if you’re interested,” she said. “Remember, ‘Dios no elige a los preparados, Dios prepara a los elegidos.’ ‘God does not choose the prepared, God prepares the chosen.’”
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