How to Plan for the Best Mission Trip Ever!

This June I just got back from one of the best mission trip experiences ever! Actually, this mission trip was the best experience I have had in my four years of being a youth minister. It was just AWESOME! The reason this trip entailed such awesomeness is because I did the best job ever preparing and planning students well in advanced so they could experience the trip's glory to the fullest! It's all about preparing the way! (If you have not read into my sarcasm by now this is the part where I clue you in... I am being sarcastic.) 

It all started early fall when we started having conversations with parents about giving students an international mission opportunity. I wanted this for students too, but this sounded expensive, difficult, and like it would involve a ton of planning. The stress of passports and hauling teen's through airports sounded like too much work to me. However, I wanted to make students and parents happy. I also knew this particular group was ready for something deeper.

So I went to the almighty source of wisdom and knowledge to see what we should do. And GOOGLE said "Puerto Rico" after typing in key words of what I was looking for. Then God said... GOOGLE might be on to something! I happened to find an organization called Adventures in Mission which sounded promising because all you have to do is get the students there and they take care of the rest. Hmmm I liked the sound of that. 

After I announced we were going to Puerto Rico there were mixed emotions. Several people told me there wouldn't be enough time to fund-raise or prepare the student's spiritually. Others reminded me in case I forgot that I would have a baby to think about and what would I do with the baby? A few parents told me Puerto Rico was too dangerous and they wouldn't allow their kid to go. I plowed through this discouragement because I was convinced God was calling us to go to Puerto Rico.

As I started planning and trying to get people committed there were so many fails! Students kept signing up and dropping out. I had changed the list several times. I kept calling the apologetically calling the organization and the travel agency.  I didn't ask for enough of a deposit ahead of time which is a lesson now learned. I felt like we were losing money and losing enthusiasm. I screwed up the number of adults that were allowed to go and had to disappoint people. There seemed to be endless paperwork with the organization and the travel agency.

After having a baby, and being incredibly sick, hospitalized, experiencing the loss of my father; the last thing I cared about anymore was planning this trip to Puerto Rico. Spring was here and I was just getting back on my feet again. Students were still trying to drop out and I was so angry already with everyone and this dumb trip. It hadn't even started yet. Everyone was right...what the heck was I thinking trying to plan a trip to Puerto Rico? Maybe I should just throw in the towel. That's when my husband reminded me that I felt called by God to go and that's why we are going. "Stop listening to those other voices." He said. "It's only God's voice who matters." That's ironic because "Listening to God" was the theme when we were in Puerto Rico set up by the organization and that has been the theme of our youth group over the past year. That is the main reason I signed up to go! I started hearing more voices about how students were not spiritually prepared enough to go. I started thinking last minute how I could fix this... and that's when God said, "It's not up to you. Don't you think I am preparing them and have been preparing them their whole lives?" Whatever that means! I decided to just sit down and let God do what God does.

So how should you plan for the best mission trip ever? Honestly, I have no idea. Because all I did was had a few informational planning meetings with a few spiritual things thrown in. I don't really believe in making students jump through a bunch of hoops in order to go on a trip. There may be some requirements but I think leaders shouldn't worry so much about excessive planning ahead of time. Perhaps, this is me just being lazy. But I see myself as a facilitator to help students grow in their faith. It doesn't matter what I plan, because at the end of the day if God doesn't show up than I am totally helpless.

So the trip was an epic fail right because I didn't do enough? Nope. Actually it was one of the most epic wins of all time because God showed up. This had NOTHING to do with what I did or didn't do.

Students and leaders experienced God like never before. I had several students and leaders tell me it was the best trip of their life. When I asked them why they told me because it was one of the first times they have truly experienced God's presence. God showed up loud and big! It was so obvious that God is real,  He loves us, and  desires to use us to bless others. We saw God and felt God in so many different ways. People were more vulnerable than ever before. It got weird. Really weird. I saw more passion, more glory, and more joy in this one week than I have in very long time. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I saw my students do complete 180's! The students who tried to get out of the trip or who were not thrilled about it had the biggest turn around of all! God did miracles. It was just so freaking awesome. So much more happened that I don't even have words for!