Have You Taken Your Child on a Mission Trip?
I’m curious. Who has ever taken your child on an outreach (local or overseas)? How did it go?
I recall my first mission trip. It was Haiti in 1995. It was transformational. It changed my life forever. So much so I would eventually become a full-time missionary.
Flash forward 22 years.
My 14-year old daughter and I just finished a 1-week mission trip. Here’s a plug: It’s one of the dozens of Jesus Film Mission Trips offered to the public each year. This family-friendly trip is available for kids 14 and older if accompanied by a parent.
My daughter was very excited and I was thrilled to be a part of this experience with her. This particular trip to London focused on a certain group of religious people from the Middle East who vacation in England each year.
More than 200,000 of these individuals flood into the country to sightsee. So we had the opportunity to meet this friendly people group, form relationships and share our passion for making Jesus the center of our lives.
What I love about Jesus Film Mission Trips is the care they offer us as trip participants and the training you get for this outreach.
My daughter and I received training on the religious beliefs of these unreached people. And learned how to find common ground in what we know and believe is actually true about God. Finding common ground, rather than arguing over truth and heresy, obviously builds trust and friendship rather than building walls that separate and alienate us–making it easier to share our faith.
As part of our in-country training, my daughter and I learned some basic conversational Arabic! How cool is that? This helped create bridges and build relationships to more effectively share the gospel. Part of our role included the distribution of the “JESUS” film and copies of the New Testament.
My daughter led one person to Christ and had spiritual conversations with dozens more. I was so proud of her. I think one of the most memorable things you can do for and with your child as Christians is to do an outreach together. Whether it’s feeding the homeless with your church on a Saturday morning or flying across the world to share your faith, try it.
I know one reader (a relative of mine) has taken their kids on mission trips and I’d love to hear from that relative in the comments below. But what about the rest of you?
What results have you got (positive or negative) from including your kids in a local or overseas outreach? Tell us your story.
