What Matters Most… Preparing for God to Change Lives

Most people go on a mission trip (domestic, international, or a day of service in your hometown) because there is need.  There is something we can help with.  People need a meal, a better home, a story about Jesus, a helping hand.  We can meet or help with that need.  We make sure everything is ready for us to serve.  And so we go.  And we should...

However, there is a fact about youth mission trips that is often overlooked or neglected: God uses these experiences to dramatically change people's lives. To not prepare or plan for this is simply not wise.

We put so much energy into planning the trip (food, lodging, service, local partner, fun stuff on the way there/home, recruiting adult leaders, permission slips, supplies, travel details, etc.), but we don't plan for strategic opportunities our teenagers can use to process what they are experiencing. It's not just the new, strange cultural situations or the fact that they are a long way from home to think about.  But plan for times to give them a chance to listen for God's voice, to think about what God might be saying to them during this experience, to challenge them to think about how this is going to change them back home, as a person, forever...

For many of the youth in your group, a mission trip is a once in a lifetime experience-one that God can use the change the courses of their lives.  It would be sad to spend more time making sure the hotel reservations are set than spending time with God preparing for this amazing time.