Lifetree Adventures Blog
I am a short term Christian missions guy. I live and breathe it
everyday here at Lifetree. I immerse myself in the latest
information on missions trips and fancy myself as someone who knows
the short term Christian missions cutting edge info. We all know
that short term Christian missions trips are exploding in
popularity. Nobody is quite sure why, but my personal opinion is
that we're all feeling the pinch of this economy and have an even
greater sense of empathy for those who have even less than we do.
Although the numbers are difficult to narrow down, most experts
agree that at least one and a half million people go on short term
Christian missions trips every year. That's a lot of loving people
who want to do good things for others. But unfortunately, sometimes
those loving people get frustrated by missions altogether if their
trip was not planned meticulously for them. In extreme cases, that
fire that burns within them to serve others is extinguished
entirely when their trip falls apart and they get stuck in a
dangerous airport somewhere or their belongings get stolen or they
fall seriously ill because of poorly prepared food. I don't want
that to happen to you.
Having been in the short term Christian missions business for
the past 15 years now, I've seen a lot of trip planning companies
come and go. I've also seen a lot of missionaries come and go, some
the worse for the wear. I've watched as well-intentioned missions
leaders get overwhelmed and forget to follow-up on the smallest,
but most important details. I've watched happy, excited lay-people
leave the country ready to make a difference for someone in need
and then come back home in need themselves. I've seen the most
common mistakes trip planners make year after year and I want to
save you from making those yourself. If you're planning an upcoming
short term Christian missions trip yourself, here are my favorite
reminders for you…
Tip One: Shop Daily and for Several Months in
Advance for the Best Possible Airfares You Can Find
Purchasing airfare is one of your biggest expenses. Make sure to
link up with the very best bargain airfare websites and shop them
religiously, so to speak. I've seen many pastors or trip leaders
wait and wait to purchase, hoping the rates would go down and
instead they shoot up dramatically in just one day. That said,
don't buy too early or you could end up paying 50% more than the
seat next to you.
Caution: If you're not careful, airfares to the same location
can vary by as much as $500 per ticket. If you miss that perfect
buying window, your costs could go up by as much as $7500 if you're
taking 15 people with you.
Tip Two: Have a Realistic Plan For What You Can
Accomplish While There
I've watched sadly as others' trips have become mired in
minutia. Leaders recruit well. Leaders get their people 2000 miles
to their location. The missionaries are ready to respond and then…
they have no supplies to build the home they'd planned. Or another
sad scenario reveals itself - everybody is excited to build a
building and then they find to their disappointment that it took
twice as long as estimated. People must return home - the project
only half finished - with a sense of great discouragement and
failure foremost in their minds.
My best advice? Do your homework. Choose the right project that
will fit your group's size and time constraints. Account for the
language barriers and make sure you have someone on the ground that
can speak both languages and act as a translator. Make sure you
know how to get the funds there ahead of time so your contact
person can have the supplies ready when you hit the ground. (As an
aside, make sure you know how to wire the money - they don't
usually take credit cards.)
Caution: If you haven't done your homework, your trip could fall
apart when it comes to the service project piece. Book that
translator weeks in advance. Wire your money, order your supplies,
have the right tools and safety equipment on hand and don't forget
that all important first aid kit for on the job injuries.
Tip Three: Prepare for Service Project
Constraints
We've all heard it before - expect the unexpected. Never is that
more true than on a short term Christian missions trip. And as the
trip leader, it falls on your shoulders to have a back-up plan for
unexpected challenges. What would you do if half of your team fell
ill for several days with food poisoning? Who would get the service
project done? You need a plan for that. What if a large storm blows
in and the work site is flooded for days? What if you don't know
the in's and out's of the zoning code and get shut down by local
authorities? All of these things have happened before.
Caution: Poor planning can cause you to fail. The best thing you
can do is research, research, research. Understand the local
weather so you're prepared. Try to arrange for resources to help,
should some of your participants fall ill. Educate yourself about
the local zoning and health codes so you know what to do and what
not to do. When you put in the time, your trip results will show
it!
Tip Four: Know Your In-Country Transportation
Systems
All too often, trip leaders don't know enough about the
transportation challenges they'll face upon arrival. We all do it.
We think, "We'll just grab a shuttle for everybody when we get off
the plane." Little did we know the airport is not much of an
airport at all and there are only two tiny, dilapidated taxis
available for the entire region. Now, trip-goers are forced to wait
in hot, sweaty, dirty conditions while expensive taxis shuttle them
three by three to the lodging location 75 miles away. Not only is
it an extreme inconvenience and delay for you and your team, but it
ends up costing an arm and a leg.
Caution: You could be over-budget by as much as 40% if your
transportation is not planned in advance. Some shuttle and taxi
drivers look for situations like these and prey on those who appear
to have money and no advance plans. Use extreme caution and make
sure they use the most direct routes to your lodging and worksites.
Get their prices in advance. Remember, transportation in the
country you're serving is key to serving at all.
Tip Five: Food Can Make or Break You
Although we all know the importance of food, frequently short term mission trip
leaders get distracted with the most urgent items like fundraising,
marketing, airfare and lodging. They find themselves looking to the
local people to help with food once the team arrives on the ground.
I've seen it happen time and again. Your team needs you to look
after its nutritional needs in order to serve well. Get to know the
local cuisine and determine if it is suitable for your teams'
palate. Learn about customs revolving around mealtimes to avoid
offending a member of another culture. Be sure you've planned for
balanced and proper nutrition at each meal so your team can remain
strong and serve efficiently.
Caution: Food and water borne diseases affect many mission trip
volunteers, if little or no planning was done for each meal. Be
sure to monitor hygiene and health and safety issues closely during
the preparation and storage of your team's food so you can avoid
any serious health issues.
Well, friends, I've gotta' sign off for now. More to come on
short term Christian missions trips later…
This entry was written by
Robin Clark,
posted on
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
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