What is a mission trip? A mission trip is a way for Christians to travel around the world or country,  share the gospel, and help people in need in different communities. A mission location can be in the same state as you or all the way across the world. Mission trips can be hard work, but they are an amazing experience that helps you build relationships with people and Christ. I will be highlighting some of the mission trips that I have gone on and how we served.

Mission trips aren’t just about serving in different communities, there is so much more to it. Every mission trip, we drive in vans to the place we are serving. Some drives may be 2 and a half hours and some might be 21 hours. Both are an amazing way to connect with the other youth. From pitstops to karaoke in the vans its a great way to connect with the people you will be spending all week with.  When going on a mission trip, churches open their doors to give you a place to stay for the week. sleeping in the churches is an experience like no other. Usually, the sleeping room is split into two, boys and girls. Sometimes these rooms can be super tiny and sometimes they can be very spacious. When the rooms are tiny, you spend the week sleeping shoulder to shoulder with with the people in your room. This is another amazing way to bond from staying up and creating memories together. Typically you are creating bonds with more than just people from your group. there is often other churches also on the mission trip and staying in the same church. This gives so many opportunities to create brand new friendships with people you just met.

What is YouthWorks? YouthWorks is a organization that offers all different types of trips that youth can take and build their relationship with God and learn about the importance of helping others. these trips can be for a week or even year round. Placements can be all across the U.S. This year, Puerto Rico is even an option.

What does a day at YouthWorks look like? A day at YouthWorks isn’t necessarily all about serving in the community. Plenty of the day is spent doing lots of other fun things. The involvement of the youth is very important. Every day there is different “Crews” that have different jobs such as making breakfast or building clean up. There is also times like “Devotion time” where you get to start your day with God. When getting home from serving, there is also group time worship. The leaders give a message and the youth get to sing, dance and connect with God. At the end of the night, the youth break into small groups with their church and talk about how you saw God working or highs and lows of the day.

On the last night of being at YouthWorks there is something called the foot washing night. This night can be super moving and a time to really show how much we care for others. The adult leaders will wash the feet of the youth and then pray over them. The foot washing is a time to just sit with your group and just feel the presence of God. Hugs and prayers are a staple in this night. There is never a dry eye on foot washing night.

Typically, the traveling to and from is done in 2-3 days depending on how far away the destination is. During the night, we will crash at different churches who provide us with great hospitality. On the way to the mission trip, we take a day or two off from driving and do some group bonding. whether it’s sight seeing or going to an amusement park, its a great way to spend time with the group.

Going home can be sad, but it’s important to still create memories. The drive home still has fun pitstops. Even if you are staying in the middle of nowhere, there are ways to find something fun. One thing my group found while staying in a small town in South Dakota was a baking challenge. The groups were broken into two and the challenge was to make the best cake and the adult leaders were the judges. This night was full of laughs while staying inside the church.

Being able to not only bond with friends you already have on the trip but to make new friends is truly remarkable, especially ones that already share the same interests and love for God.  The other youth you meet  from different churches is an awesome way to grow bonds with people who are outside your school or church.

As you go home from a mission trip, it’s important to go home tell your family and friends about how God worked through you, how much your faith has grown, what you realized while helping the people in need and so much more. It is also important to keep your faith strong even when the trip is over with.

Staple Songs on the Mission Trips