Three
years ago I had reached a point of staleness in my relationship to Christ. The
mundane was driving me insane, and the Lord gave me a longing to do something
new to reach others for him. It just so happened our church was going on a mission
trip for the first time, and I knew with confidence that God was calling me to
go. Even though the trip would cost significantly less than the other mission
trips, we didn’t know where the money would come from. And we had a newborn son
on top of that! We could only rely on God’s faithfulness to provide the
finances, spiritual preparation, and an open schedule for loving grandparents
to care for our son.
And
God did provide! Soon we were off on our spiritual adventure, daring to step
outside our comfort zone to share the gospel. We faced travel sickness, a
stolen bag (with all my clothes and toiletries for the week), and sleepless
nights. We experienced sore muscles, a lack of electricity, and torrential
rains that inhibited our work. We camped on a Costa Rican mountain for four
nights. But God gave us the strength to heal from sickness, recover from sore
muscles, and work through the rain. He gave us the fortitude to deal with a
loss of possessions and a lack of electricity. The Spirit was more alive in my
heart than he had ever been, so I wondered: How
many of my “blessings” have distracted me from following Christ? The
answer: All of them! My comfort, fortune (when compared to the rest of the
world), and relative ease of fulfilling selfish desires had neutered my faith.
And a mission trip was a good realignment of my spiritual motives because I was
slapped in the face with my constant need for Christ to sustain me.
I’m
not saying a person should go on a mission trip for personal benefits. Rather,
I’m saying God will do amazing, wonderful things in your own spiritual journey
of becoming more like Christ when you make sacrifices for the sake of the
gospel. It will change your life.
And
I won’t lie to you – it was hard. Really hard. The idea of camping in the Costa
Rican wilderness for four nights did not sound the least appealing, but God had
different plans. He wanted to show me a world that still needed him, and a
people who needed his witnesses to pour love into their lives. He wanted to
show me that his plans are so far beyond me, my family, my community, and my
country. “Therefore go and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).” I had to spend
a week in a foreign place to gain a better perspective of my mission.
God
won’t call everyone to go to a foreign country on a mission trip, but he does
call us to fulfill our unique part in his plan. Some believers are called to
only minister in their local communities, while others minister exclusively in
foreign nations. However, many believers (like me) are called to minister in
both ways. If you feel the Lord leading you to go on a mission trip, here are
some tips based from my experiences.
1.
Pray, pray, pray! There is nothing you can do to
better prepare than pray. And don’t forget that your spiritual preparedness is
much more important than your physical preparedness. Prayer gives you validation
of your calling and the confidence to step forward in faith. You simply cannot
neglect prayer!
2.
Get your mind in the game. Mental
preparation is second to spiritual preparation. Ever heard the phrase, “Your
body can’t go where your mind hasn’t been”? Imagine what it will be like to be
less comfortable. Take your mind to places of discomfort and let the Lord lead
you ahead of time to the appropriate, biblical responses (a great way to battle
frustrations is by memorizing scripture). I’ve seen it happen: letting
humanness spill out when faced with challenges will negatively affect how
others view your relationship to Christ, even when you’re only around other
believers.
3.
Consider recruiting a trip buddy. Having other
believers on the trip with me (especially my husband) was a huge encouragement
when things were tough. Ask around your closest family and friends to see if
anyone else feels called to go on a mission trip and then hold each other
accountable for going. Just like Paul found comfort in having traveling
companions, you too will find extra strength in a friend or family member’s
presence.
4.
Keep valuable goods on you at all times. I had made up
my mind early on that the only way someone would get my passport and money was
if they kidnapped me. And, boy was I glad the Lord gave me that conviction
because those items were just about the only possessions the thieves didn’t get
when they stole my bag! Keep hard to replace items close and don’t take
irreplaceable items (e.g. wedding rings).
5.
Don’t bring your “American attitude” with you. Foreigners
typically view Americans as pushy, entitled, and loud, so being genuinely
grateful and sacrificial will go a long way when reaching others for the
gospel. Your trip can’t, and won’t, be about personal preferences. Also, do
your research and learn about the culture you will be visiting so you can
better understand and engage with others as you minister.
6.
Evaluate your health. It’s definitely
more important to be spiritually and mentally healthy, but you can’t overlook
physical health. If you have a condition requiring heaps of medications or you’re
carrying around a lot of extra pounds (like my first trip because I hadn’t lost
all my pregnancy weight), then you need to seriously prepare for the extra
toll, and hassle, that health challenges will bring. You also need to consider
whether or not your condition(s) could hinder the trip’s mission in any way.
Seek the Lord’s guidance.
7.
Choose your location and trip wisely. Don’t just sign
up for the first mission trip you find by searching Google – ask other mission
trippers where they have gone and ask for their advice. I was lucky a trip
opened up through my church with our supported independent missionaries, so we
had good contact before the trip. If your church isn’t participating in any
mission trips, then consider reaching out to other churches to see if they
allow non-members to attend their trips. You could even contact a Christian
travel agent to find out if they have experience coordinating mission trips. If
you’re confident of God’s calling then don’t stop searching until he opens up
the right door of opportunity.
8.
Purchase traveler’s insurance. This is a must
when traveling to a foreign country. In the case of a hospital visit, traveler’s
insurance offers some financial protection. Other countries have their own way
of dealing with hospital fees, which could include upfront payment before
services are rendered. So, if you need emergency surgery, but don’t have the
necessary resources, your very life could be endangered. It’s a good
peace-of-mind to have traveler’s insurance!
Going on a mission trip always has an
element of anxiety attached, but when I remember the gain – reaching others for
the sake of Christ – the Lord starts to whittle away at anxiety and carves out
the purest form of grace that I can then extend to others. It’s a beautiful
experience and an addicting joy to know the Lord uses a sinful person like me
to fulfill his purposes.
