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We're Going on a Missions Trip

The Adventure Begins

I remember the scene well: I was sitting at a gas station alongside Interstate 70 in middle-of-nowhere Kansas on a humid late-May afternoon with my cousin Andrew, along with his parents and my own mother. We all exchanged hugs. I think my aunt and my mom shed a tear or two. Because Andrew and I, along with two friends from Kansas State, were starting out on an epic road trip to Alaska. We were going to drive through the great American West, across the spine of the Canadian Rockies, all the way to Juneau.¹

This trip wasn't some youthful-angst-induced vision quest. We had another purpose: to spend two and a half months on a "summer project" with Campus Crusade for Christ.

And man, was I freaked out.

I was excited, but I was nervous — to say the least. I had all sorts of questions swimming around in my head. Some were matters of practicality: What will my roommates be like? Where will I work? What if we get stranded on the way to Alaska in some crazy late-May northern Canadian blizzard?! And some were more spiritual: What lessons does God have in store for me? And what about this whole evangelism thing?

But I made it through. In fact, that summer in Juneau is probably the defining time of my life.

If you've signed up for a missions trip this summer, this article is for you — whether you're super stoked or a little apprehensive (or a lot). Now, I'm no expert on the whole missions trip thing; I've only done it once. But I had a deadline and you're going on a missions trip. Ergo, this article. Consider it a fellow non-expert's advice on having the summer of a lifetime.

Points to Ponder

Unless you've been on one of these missions trips before, you're probably entering terra incognita. For you, it's a whole new world. So here are some thoughts on a few things most summer missions experiences have in common: raising support, taking advantage of new relationship, spreading the gospel message and the need to keep things in perspective.

• Asking people for money is only easy sometimes. For some reason, most of us don't like asking other people for money — unless, of course, it's our parents and we really want a new iPod. But when it comes to paying for missions trips, most of us, even if we're a little too self-absorbed otherwise, don't like the idea of asking for help.
  
  To be honest, I'm one of those weird people who sort of likes asking others for money when it's for a good cause. And there's no better cause than sending me on a missions trip, right? Well, probably there is. But the point is, most people love opportunities to give, especially when it's to an actual person — which you happen to be. Think of it this way: If you weren't in school, if you had some extra cash, and a friend asked you to support them on their missions trip, wouldn't you want to help? That feeling you get when you think about supporting your friend is the same way your friends and family feel about supporting you. And remember — it's better to give than to receive. You're giving your friends and family an opportunity to give. Win, win.



Maybe God will use your conversation with a random stranger to put them on a path toward becoming a disciple.
• Evangelism will be scary (unless you're weird, which is OK). Is evangelism part of your missions trip? If it is, chances are you're a little bit squeamish about the idea of sharing your faith with random strangers. That's OK. The Great Commission — what it is and what it isn't — has been on my mind a lot recently. And I've come to believe it's not just about making converts. It's about making disciples, which takes a lot more effort than the whole convert-making thing. I do think the most effective form of disciple-making is the kind where you're involved in someone's life on a day-to-day basis. But who knows? Maybe God will use your conversation with a random stranger to put them on a path toward becoming a disciple. Perhaps you'll be the sower, biblically speaking, and someone else, sometime in the future, will get to "reap the harvest." Like I said, who knows? Well, God does, and when you feel the Spirit's prompting, take advantage of the opportunity to "give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).



• Friends for life. When I arrived in Juneau, I was nervous to find out who my roommates were. After I met them, I was still nervous. Two of us were pretty quiet, and one of us wore one of those Australian dingo-baby hats. As strange as things seemed to me at first, I ended up getting along with each of them really well. In fact, one of them is one of my very best friends, and I still enjoy a close relationship with the other. In short, God totally blessed me with those two guys. There's just something about working alongside people for an extended period of time that creates a bond that transcends seemingly insurmountable differences … like someone's hat preferences. If at first you don't think things are going to work out between you and a roommate, press on. You'll probably be surprised that with some prayer, some co-laboring for the gospel and a campfire or two thrown in for good measure, someone's idiosyncrasies can actually become endearing. If, after all the campfires and praying, things still seem hard, just remember what Jesus said: Life is about learning to love your neighbor as yourself.



Expectations are everything — the sooner you orient yours toward Christ and what He plans to do in and through you this summer, the better.
• Why are you going? Or: It's not about you. Are you thinking of your missions trip more as an all-expenses-paid vacation, or as an opportunity to serve God? If you're honest, it's probably a little bit of both. I'm not saying you should feel guilty for wanting to enjoy yourself over the summer. Goodness knows I had a phenomenal time when I went "on project" with Campus Crusade. But things will go wrong and you will be tempted to feel discouraged. It's then that already having determined to serve God — and not your own desires — will make all the difference. Expectations are everything — the sooner you orient yours toward Christ and what He plans to do in and through you this summer, the better.

So You're Sayin' There's a Chance

Excited yet? Good. I hoped you would be.

Or, are you wishing you'd signed up to go on a missions trip this summer? By now the deadlines for submitting an application for this sort of thing have probably already come and gone. But it never hurts to try. Lot's of ministries are looking even now to fill an open spot or two with smart, fun, godly college students like you.

Here are some places to start looking:

• Campus Crusade for Christ
• Navigators
• Youth with a Mission (YWAM)
• Chi Alpha
• Intervarsity
• Brio Missions

Or, if you're a dude wanting a two-week missions experience this summer, consider coming with me to Juneau for Alaska Transformation 2008. It's a condensed version of Campus Crusade's Juneau Men's Project. I had such an awesome time on that summer project that I'm going back this June to be a staff member with Alaska Transformation (or A.T., for short). We have just a few spots left. For more information go to www.alaskatransformation.com.

Embrace the Uncertainty

Perhaps I'm engaging in a little bit of projection here, but if your preparing-for-a-missions-trip experience is anything like mine, you probably still have a few jitters, even after reading all my fantastic — not to mention handy — tips.

C O F F E E  S H O P

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Where are you going this summer?

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So I have one more piece of advice for you: Embrace the uncertainty. Not knowing what's going to happen this summer can be, well, uncomfortable. At times your summer will be exhilarating; at times it'll be heartbreaking. But it's in that kind of spiritual environment that your faith in God and His promises is stretched and, ultimately, strengthened.

As you head out this summer, remember Jesus' words from Matthew 20:28: "… [T]he Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Keep following His lead.