So Many Choices!
January 05 2012
Have you looked over the 2012 list of mission sites? There are more than 15 different teams being requested for the summer of 2012. Which one(s) would you pick? I would really be interested in your feedback.
Certainly from a Mission Director’s perspective I can unreservedly recommend any of the sites to you, but I can also offer a few suggestions for folks.
First, if you have never participated on a short-term mission trip and God has blessed you with a relatively open summer, my recommendation would be for you to commit yourself to one of our longer mission trips (ex. Airdrie, Scotland; Melbourne, Australia; Carnlough, N. Ireland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). In my experience the longer the initial trip, the more likely it is that more of the lessons God will be teaching you will become well established in your thinking and practice. I have also seen the longer trips yield more lasting relationships with the host congregations and that ultimately lends itself to drawing you back to the site in subsequent years so that you can continue to build and develop those relationships and so you can witness the ways that Christ is building His church.
Second, if you do not have the benefit of an open summer to give up 3-6 weeks of it, then we do have some shorter trips available. For those that cannot give up the extended period in the summer, then it becomes even more important that time be spent in the Spring doing even more preparation for the trip to ensure you learn as much as possible and arrive onsite well prepared to make the most of the short trip. Our short-trips are really well suited for adults and professionals that may be limited in the amount of vacation time they can use up for a mission trip.
Third, if you have participated in short-term missions in the past but in a domestic capacity and would now like to explore another corner of Christ’s kingdom, any of our international mission trips would be open to you. If you lack foreign language skills, I would likely recommend that you look at those trips that we offer that do not require a foreign language skill. This will better ensure that you can make the most of the trip and that you will be a productive part of the team.
Those are just a few suggestions related to selecting a mission and I would be happy to visit with you more about any of the particular trips. Just email Matt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call (724)384-8327. The sooner you apply and are accepted the sooner we can begin training and fundraising for the mission. Hope to hear from you soon!
