WHEN DOES THE MISSION
TRIP BEGIN? (or “When do you have to
start acting like a Christian?”)
Cathy Phelps
permission granted for distribution
The bags are packed, the shots are
current, and the airline tickets are in
hand.
You are ready to go. After a
semi-sleepless night you are up at the
crack of dawn for your trip to the
airport. You make it through check-in
and the long line at security. You take
off your shoes and you demonstrate that
your cell phone really is a cell phone,
not a weapon of destruction. Finally you
are at your boarding gate.
As the time nears for boarding,
nothing happens. Eventually an
announcement is made saying that because
of a storm, mechanical problem, crew
problem (pick one), your flight will be
delayed thirty minutes. These things
happen, and you understand. Thirty
minutes comes and goes. So does 40, then
50 and then 60 minutes. Then, your
flight is cancelled. Now, you do not
understand. Your group has to be on this
flight – you just have to be. The
missionary is meeting you. There is no
way of getting a hold of him and your
Bible school starts tomorrow. Tempers
begin to flare.
Like it or not, there are some travel
realities with which you may have to
deal. As a group leader, be sure your
group’s needs are taken care of while
you stay cool, calm and collected
knowing that it is the Lord who is in
control of this trip and your entire
life. And as the spokesperson and a role
model for the rest of those traveling,
how you handle adversity is very
important. It is a fact that a large
percentage of airline flights are
delayed. This happens for all sorts of
reasons, such as bad weather and
mechanical problems. Knowing this, you
as a group leader can prepare yourself
and your group for a positive experience
by being proactive rather than reactive.
While You Wait
While you should not become paranoid,
some pre-planning is most helpful. Even
if everything goes on schedule, there
will be hours of “free” time before the
flight. Put it to good use to prepare
and set the tone for the entire time.
Most, if not all, of your team will be
experiencing everything from moderate
pre-trip anxiety to full-blown panic.
There is nothing like fear to make one
fully dependent on the Lord. That is
often when spiritual growth takes place.
With the new security regulations,
you will need to get to the airport at
least 2-3 hours before an international
flight and at least 1-2 hours before a
domestic flight. Knowing this, plan to
have a final team meeting in a quiet
spot near or at your departure gate.
Assign one person to check periodically
the status of your flight so you can
devote your time to the group.
• Give every member of your group a
notebook to be used as a daily journal.
The beginning entry is to be made while
the group is waiting to board the
airplane. Offer some suggestions such
as: “ How am I feeling right now? Why am
I going? What do I want God to teach
me?”
• Read a Bible passage from one of
Paul’s missionary journey, perhaps
including a shipwreck or an
over-the-wall-in-a-basket story so that
whatever happens flight-wise will be
kept in perspective.
• Have some get-acquainted exercises
ready (it is very possible for people to
be in the same church and not know other
group members). Divide into groups of 2
or 4 and let them “get to know each
other.”
• Have a time of quiet with prayer.
(Include in your prayers the flight
crew, ground crew, baggage handlers,
family members not traveling, etc.)
Being goal-oriented people, we want
to get there to build that retaining
wall, run that Vacation Bible School,
fix those teeth and hand out those
Bibles. We can miss serendipitous
opportunities to be a blessing and
perhaps even the REAL reason for your
trip from God’s perspective.
• In your orientation meetings,
please stress to group members that from
the time you walk out the door of your
house to when you walk back through the
door on your return, you are on this
mission trip.
• In each journal, have a section
titled: “Unexpected Times ofMinistry and
Service.” When you are looking for
something, you often find
it. Conversely, if you are not looking,
life can pass you by.
There will be all sorts of people you
will encounter on your exciting
adventure of Faith. Each will have been
made in the image of God. Many of them
will be craving a kind word, a smile,
and a quiet, short prayer of blessing.
Some examples are:
• Taxi driver
• Overbearing person behind you in line
• Airline check in person
• Person who sells you coffee
• Loud-talking cell phone user sitting
next to you at the gate
• Flight attendants
• Fellow flyers, especially your seat
mate and the woman with screaming child
Whatever happens, PLEASE do not yell
at the airline gate agent; i.e., make
sure he or she and everyone in a
fifty-foot radius hears how you are
going on a short term mission trip to
spread the love of Christ, so they had
better get their @^$^^*)*&%* plane there
on time. (YES, this has actually
happened!)
Returning Home
The weakest part of most mission
trips is what happens back at the home
airport or in the church parking lot.
Everyone arrives very tired; so after
quick group member hugs, everyone gets
into cars and scatters.
Processing -- getting each other to
verbalize what has happened -- provides
closure and reinforcement. Detailed
evaluation of this trip and coming up
with suggestions and modifications for
the next trip are invaluable. The
several hours waiting in the airport for
your return flight provide the
opportunity to do this.
Build on the moment. Outline the
to-be-written letter that needs to go to
all those who supported you with money
and/or prayers. Such letters should be
sent as soon after the trip as possible.
Making a presentation to your church or
organization can also help group members
focus on what really happened.
About the author: As a travel agent,
Cathy Phelps has been working with
short-term mission trips for over
fifteen years. She lives in State
College PA. |
