Your Gladiator Moment: ORU’s Andrew Smithwick on the Power of Missions
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Cinema and Television
“Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity.”
This quote, from the movie Gladiator, is a favorite quote of Andrew Smithwick, a film major and track athlete at ORU. It reflects his thinking that through boldness and action, we can change lives forever, that the things we do now will have an impact for eternity.
But what exactly can a college student do now that “echoes in eternity”? To this question, Andrew has an answer.
“I’ve been going on missions,” Andrew said, “since I was 7 years old. My parents run a ministry called Global Ventures, and I’ve been to over 15 different countries and taken more than 30 international trips. I’m just a regular, run-of-the-mill, redheaded kid from Oklahoma who travels the world spreading the Good News of the Gospel and changing people’s lives forever.”
Despite what he says, there’s nothing “run-of-the-mill” in Andrew’s life as a servant leader. From Nicaragua to Thailand to Peru, Andrew has traveled all over the world serving others, loving others, and sharing God’s Word. This is the kind of impact that “echoes in eternity,” and it reflects the ORU Vision, which is to:
Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, and My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth.
Every year, ORU Missions and Outreach sends student teams all over the world, from Argentina to Kenya to Vietnam and more, providing communities with servant leaders who help in schools, construction, ministries, and medicine. For many, it’s an opportunity to step outside their comfort zone. But it’s not just that. As Andrew notes, it’s also an opportunity to practice boldness.
"Fear can silence our voices, but missions provide an opportunity to co-labor with Jesus and spread the Good News. We can’t let fear ensnare us."
“Fear can silence our voices,” Andrew said, “but missions provide an opportunity to co-labor with Jesus and spread the Good News. We can’t let fear ensnare us. The Bible says we need to speak God’s Word with boldness. If you’re hesitant to do mission work, the thing to ask for is boldness.”
When Maximus, Gladiator’s main character, said, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” he was urging others to act with boldness. As Andrew notes, “what we do in life” shouldn’t be something we simply wait for. At ORU, students step out of their comfort zone now and boldly give back to a world in need. Those who choose to do this, Andrew says, will be changed forever, not just as leaders but as believers too.
“A lot of us suffer from being self-absorbed Americans,” Andrew said, “but we can be self-absorbed Christians too. If you take a mission trip, it’ll help you become more globally minded. But you’re also putting yourself in a position to be a part of a miracle or to see a miracle. Once you see it, and taste it, and experience it, there's nothing else like it. On a mission trip, you’ll see the evidence that Jesus is real and that He cares for all of us."
UNIVERSITY BRIEF
ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 16 years of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 165 nations in the last 5 years to be whole leaders for the whole world.
The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #8 university in the nation for student experience and one of America's Best Colleges (2025). This new category rates the best colleges in the U.S. to have a great experience while attending. This ranking is powered by one of the largest-ever independent surveys of verified college students and recent graduates in the United States. Niche has recognized ORU as one of the top 25 most diverse colleges in America, the # 1 best Christian college in Oklahoma, and the # 1 in Oklahoma for diversity. Princeton Review ranked ORU as the best regional college, and College Raptor ranked ORU as a Hidden Gem in the Southwest. Heritage.org classified ORU as a great option for families prioritizing freedom, opportunity, and civil society.
ORU has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as:
- #1 in Undergraduate Teaching
- #2 in Most International Students
- #3 in Best Value
- #6 in Best College for Veterans
- #7 in Best Regional Colleges in the West
For more information, visit www.oru.edu.
