Mission trips can provide you with life experience, cultural engagement and education, and a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Mission trips can also give you life long friends, and new connections with people from different cultures, age groups, and backgrounds. However, it can be difficult to choose where you want to go, what mission you want to embark on, what company you wish to go through, and if you even wish to do a mission trip in the first place. While the ultimate choice comes from you, here are some thoughts on mission trips that can help make up your mind.
Don’t assume all mission trips have a religious agenda.
Firstly, it is important to understand that while many mission trips are sponsored and carried out by churches, they don’t all have a religious agenda. In fact, it is more common that they don’t have a religious agenda, and are going to support a local group through food aid, building, education, etc.
Mission trips can give you the chance to travel and see the world.
Travel can be expensive, and mission trips can provide you with the ability to see places you might not normally be able to afford. Some companies and organizations provide dozens of locations for you to travel to, from South America to India.
There are countless types of jobs you can do on a mission trip.
Mission trips often have many components, and you can find the job or assignment that fits your skill set best. These types of jobs include: childcare, education, healthcare, construction, conservation, community development, and so on. While it might be tempting to stay in your comfort zone, mission trips provide the perfect opportunity to gain skills in a supportive environment, and try something new.
Ask yourself a few questions.
What are you looking to get out of the trip?
What is your motivation for going on this mission?
What kind of work do you wish to do on the trip?
Where will you be going?
Does the agency have proper safety procedures?
Where will you be staying on the trip?
Understand that you’ll be tired, but it will be worth it.
Mission trips abroad will test you. You’ll have to change your sleeping patterns, possibly sleep in places that don’t align with your normal levels of comfort, eat new foods, try new languages, and often times do physical work. While this may be exhausting, most people come away from a mission trip with a new sense of purpose and feel accomplished in themselves. A mission trip can be the perfect opportunity to get to know yourself a little better, while doing good for others.