Youth Missions Insider | How The Power of Missions Can Make A Difference That Lasts Forever

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Students love mission trips!

As part of our mission experiences, we get feedback directly from the students that attend. We ask them what they thought of the experience, the projects, the lodging, the worship programming, and the staff. We love to get the feedback and use it to improve what we do.

We always ask a couple questions the get to the heart of why all of us do mission trips – seeing students lives changes. This year we got the following responses.

94% said they grew closer to God

99% said they want to participate in a future Mission Trip

How cool is that? The vast majority of the youth from about 1,300 churches grew closer to Jesus. God used the experience to change lives! I believe that is why so many want to do it again. They know that they experienced something special. They experienced God working in their lives.

I can’t think of another thing in my ministry that had as much of a positive impact as these statistics indicate. It’s why I love what I do. I believe it’s why so many of us take our students on a mission trip every single year.

Add Comment August 9, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts GUEST POST: Infrequently asked (but CRITICAL) questions

International mission trips are a big deal. They are incredibly challenging and stretching. I’ve often heard them described as next-level experiences. In all our years of experience, here are some infrequently asked (but CRITICAL) questions about international short term mission trips.

1) Who do I hope will be changed most by this trip-the students in my group or the people we’re going to serve?
2) How will our group’s service overseas truly help the people we’re going to serve?
3) Does our partner agency have experience hosting American short term missions student groups?
4) Whose insurance will cover what? (i.e. travel, health, liability, auto)
5) How can I ensure that Jesus will be the focus of this experience for me, my partner agency, and my students?
6) Who will take care of me or a member of my group in the event of a crisis and are they truly prepared for the unexpected?
7) How will I prepare my students for and de-brief after the cross cultural short-term mission trip?

If you are preparing for an international mission trip for your group, please don’t leave out these questions as you get you and your group ready for the adventure.

Dave Thornton is the Director of Lifetree Adventures (Group Mission Trips international mission trip ministry) and marvels at what God can do in the life of a student in one short week spent serving on an international short term mission team.

Add Comment August 3, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Win a $5,000 Back-To-School Kick-Off Event!

You read that title right. You could win a $5,000 Back-To-School Kick-Off Event for your youth ministry from Simply Youth Ministry. It’s an all-expense-paid and preplanned youth event. It includes: 1-year access to the NEW “Events” TOOL, food for 100 students, $500 of SYM resources, Band, and Speaker.

All you need to do is contact Jake Rasmussen (jrasmussen@simplyyouthministry.com) for YOUR FREE “Events” TOOL account or visit this link: http://simplyyouthministrytools.com/UltimateEvent/

How cool would that be to start your ministry year off with an amazing Back-To-School Kick-Off Event? And it would be free from our ministry friends at Simply Youth Ministry.

Add Comment August 2, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Nearly 90% Want More Mission Opportunities!

We survey over about 20,000 teenagers every summer through our mission trips. We partner with Group Magazine to ask questions we believe youth leaders around the country want the answers to. We try to get an insight into the state of youth ministry through this every year and we’ve been doing it for well over 10 years.

Last summer there was a very interesting question that I recently came across again.

We asked “What would you like “more of” in youth group?” We gave them a list of choices. Things like Bible study, games, retreats, camps, etc. The surprising thing for me was…

Nearly 90% of teenagers said they wanted more opportunities to serve other – specifically they wanted more mission trips.

This generation of teenagers wants to serve. They want to make a difference. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. As we wind down the summer and begin to crank up fall ministry. What are your plans to involve your group in more mission and service?

Add Comment August 1, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Simply the best resources for youth ministry

Our friends and partners at Simply Youth Ministry have launched a new website! It’s simply packed with great stuff for you to use in your youth ministry. Be sure to check out the new site.

simplyyouthministry.com

As thanks for touring the new website and giving them any feedback you have. They are offering FREE shipping on any order or $99. Just enter the promo code: BOOM

Add Comment July 27, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts The “Hidden” Secret to Mission Trip Success

Visiting projects this week in St. Louis and I stumbled onto something that I believe can help you and your mission trip planning. It’s a “hidden” secret. It takes a little work and time to make it happen but it will be worth it. I promise.

Ready?

Here it is…

The secret is… Other People.

There ya go.

OK… Here’s what I mean.

As I arrived at a project the other day. A pretty standard youth mission project. A group of students and adults helping at a nursing home. Interacting with the residents. Doing activities. A little landscaping. Eating and serving meals. These projects are good for relationship building, conversations, making a real difference in people lives.

They can also be hard. People can be hard to engage in relationship. Teenagers and elderly folks don’t have a lot in common (on the surface).

Here’s what I witnessed – an absolutely amazing Activity Director. She was wonderful. Fully involved in her job. Fully engaged with he residents. Constantly laughing and smiling. And immediately pulling this team from the mission trip into the fun. I arrived after the team had only been there about and hour and a half. Each person on the team already had a nickname. Each person already had a job. There was laughter and smiles everywhere.

That’s when it dawned on me. We need other people to make our mission trip a “success.” We can plan, organize, schedule, and all the other stuff but it’s the other people that make a difference.

The Activity Director here in St. Louis is a perfect example of that.

Add Comment July 25, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts What does a neon green t-shirt have to do with a Mission Trip?

I’m priviledged to be out visiting a couple of our mission trip locations this week. I get to observe youth group doing what we all love – experiencing the life-changing “magic” of a mission trip.

The first day of a mission can be the hardest. New place. New people. New… everything. But it’s also one of the most fun days of a mission trip. Because… New place. New people. New everything.

I was at the “first day” of one of our mission trips yesterday. A youth group of about 25 (which was over 1/3 of the entire trip) was there all in dayglo or neon green t-shirts. They were high energy and fun and excited and unified and… well… they included everyone in on it. They didn’t separate themselves. They didn’t just focus on their “stuff.” They cheered just as wild and crazy when another youth group was introduced as when they were. It was infectious.

Their energy made a difference. It made that first day a good day. A good day for everyone.

Remember that the next “First Day” of your next mission trip. You may not actually have neon t-shirts but wear them anyway… So to speak.

Add Comment July 24, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts What to Unpack After Your Mission Trip

Stephanie Caro is a great friend of our ministry. She serves as “MC” at our Workcamps (leading all devotions and worship programs) and she’s been doing it for… well… a couple years. She is also willing to do virtually anything we ask her to help our ministry – organizing a Week of Hope, speaking on our behalf at youth conferences, and talking to any youth worker who will listen about our ministry. Steph (she says I’m the only one who calls her that) is also a fellow blogger in our Simply Youth Ministry Blog Network. She blogs at Small Church Youth Ministry.

I thought this post by her was especially appropriate for this time of the summer. Many of you have already returned from your mission trip and most of you will have returned in the next few weeks. Good thoughts from a good friend…

What to Unpack After Your Mission Trip

Add Comment July 20, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts GUEST POST – Did y’all pay to come and work on my house?

“Did y’all pay to come and work on my house?” Dave asked incredulously. “Yes Dave, we did” one of the youth answered him. “But why in the world would you do that?!” he exclaimed.

Jason turned to Dave and explained “Well, Dave, it’s like this. We know that Jesus loves us and gave up all that He had to come to earth and live for us. We also know that Jesus died on a cross to give us a new life and faith in Him. We are able to love other people because Jesus first loved us.”

This explanation led to a week long conversation about the church, Jesus and faith. Dave was my first resident with Group Mission Trips and he was full of life and love. He had suffered an injury years ago and lived in a home that truly needed a fresh coat of paint. The paint that he chose was dark green for the house and burnt orange for the shutters. That house looked good when we left, but it was very obviously not in the same motif of the surrounding houses for at least five towns.

Dave shared with us that he absolutely loved us, and loved the color of the paint. He said that his neighbors would now be using his house as a reference point when giving directions as it was the only non-white or grey house in the town.

That week we were able to give Dave’s house a new coat of paint, develop a friendship with him, witness to him about the love of Jesus for all of humanity and pray over him for healing. Dave in turn welcomed us to his home and cared for us during the week. The impact that he made on our lives and we on his was evidenced by his request to us on Friday as we were packing up our tools to head back to the school.

“I need you to do something for me. I’d like you to paint your names on my house somewhere.” Dave said to us.

We all looked at each other. Really?

“Where, Dave?” I asked.

“I think on my back porch. This way when I sit out here, I can look at your names and remember y’all by name.”

Who can turn down a request like that? We all dug out a paint brush and some green paint and decorated the inside of his porch with our names and Bible verses to encourage and build him up long after we had gone. Funny, I think it’s still doing the same for us as well.

Tara Wolf has been in youth ministry for the past 12 years and lives in Williamsburg, VA with her amazing husband and Hungarian hunting dogs. Her first youth mission experience was in 2006 and she continues to encourage the youth and adults in her congregation to connect with God and His people through mission trips.

Add Comment July 19, 2012

Jeff ThompsonMore Posts Shining Bright In Vegas

For the rest of the week we’re going to be highlighting some of our best friends who work in missions around the country. These are great people who love missions and helping students get the experience of a lifetime.

Today I want to tell you about Wes. Wes serves as the Local Coordinator of our Las Vegas Week of Hope. Wes and his wife consider this their ministry. Wes has another job and a “regular” life that keeps him plenty busy. But… organizing a summer of service for youth groups from around the country is his calling and ministry.

We often laugh and say we wish we could “clone” Wes. I wish I was more like Wes in many ways. He has chosen to live in a place with great needs and do what he can to help meet those needs. Thanks for all you do Wes!

Be sure to check out Wes’s blog and follow the story of ministry in and to Las Vegas, NV. God bless Wes!