spreading the gospel of Christianity is her mission in life.

And Miss Rusheika Bassett this week told The Royal Gazette she hopes to work as a missionary in Korea someday.

The 20-year-old Bermudian, with some 40 other high school and college students from Canada and the US, was so determined to go on the month-long venture that she went out and found sponsors to help her.

And after a week of preparation in New York and three days of relaxation in Hawaii, she was off to the mission field of the Philippines for two weeks and Seoul, Korea for six days.

The group, known as Youth Reachout which is a youth wing of Word of Life ministry, spread the gospel to many through drama and song.

Although the group mainly visited schools in Manila and Seoul, they also held street meeting where they handed out Bible tracts and did skits. "The people were very open in both places,'' Miss Bassett said. "And quite a few of them were won over.

"We worked with people who are missionaries in those countries and they will take care of any follow ups.'' Miss Bassett said although the level of poverty in the Philippines did not come as a shock to her, using ground-level toilets and having to speak to people through an interpreter in Seoul was a challenge.

But she said it was an experience she would not trade for the world.

In addition to establishing some long-term friendships, the youth ministry student at Word of Life Institute in Schroon Lake, New York said: "I just wanted to experience the missionary field to see if that's where Lord wants me to spend the rest of my life.

"I wouldn't mind going back to Korea. It's a lot like the States. The people there are eager to learn and eager to share what they learn. They are very outgoing.'' As a missionary Miss Bassett said she realises that she would have to give up "a lot of comforts''.

But she said that would not bother her because "as a Christian I feel that now that I've found the truth, other people should as well. A lot of times people in these countries don't have the opportunity to hear the gospel.'' MISSION POSSIBLE -- Rusheika Bassett, 20, wants to spread the "Good News'' in the Far East.