Teens often participate in a missions trip during their high school years or just after graduation as part of a service to their church or a faith-based school. Overseas mission trips are available to children as young as 12 years old with an accompanying parent. Most missions programs are open to individuals, couples, families or youth and church groups. Every individual who participates in an overseas mission trip gains a valuable learning experience to better understand how others live, and to gain new understanding in their own personal values and beliefs.
When selecting a Christian mission trip, the first decision is whether it will be a short-term or long-term trip. Students and individuals taking time from work for a missions trip will prefer a short-term assignment, rather than being stationed at a location for a year or more. God's Chosen Ones Ministry (GCOM) has week-long trips scheduled for December 2010 in Haiti. Missionaries participate in ministry and humanitarian outreaches, including assisting with hurricane relief efforts when needed. ShortTermMissions suggests that when considering a short or long-term missions trip, thought should be given to how a particular assignment fits into a broader long-term plan for ministering in the area and personal ministry goals.
Medical missions programs need doctors, nurses and pre-med and medical students to assist with general medical care and life-saving and life-changing surgeries. Other individuals are encouraged to participate in the mission to provide support to the medical staff and participate in other ministry duties. MissionFinder lists a number of Christian organizations needing volunteers in Africa, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Mongolia and a number of other overseas locations. Search the site for a specific location or for a specific medical specialty such as dentistry or Ob-Gyn.
Every individual participating in an overseas mission is responsible for the costs of their mission trip. Typically the mission organization has a set cost that covers food, lodging, local travel for ministry duties and ministry materials. For example, the GCOM one-week ministry trip to Haiti costs $950 as of 2010. This does not include travel to and from Haiti or other personal expenses. GCOM notes that the total cost is expected to range from $1,500 to $1,600. Fund-raising is a big part of an overseas mission trip. The cost can be covered by donations from family and friends, or the church may have a missions fund for partial funding. Southern Nazarene University provides a number of fund-raising ideas that include bake sales and garage sales.
