Preparing for Missions
Although WeCare Missions is handling the main logistical planning for your mission trip, you and your volunteers do have important preparations to make in at least three areas.
First, you will need to prepare spiritually. Prayer is a significant tool for this. Pray for God to lead from start to finish, from planning all the way through telling your stories after you return. Pray for God to prepare the young people to serve with positive attitudes. Pray for safety. Pray for changed lives. Pray for heaven to crash into Earth.
Second, be sure to prepare logistically for the trip. These are helpful questions to ask yourself (especially for groups traveling outside the NAD):
- What will the weather be like (World Weather)?
- How will we deal with money for personal purchases (About, About 2)*? Take cash, credit cards, debit cards, or travelers’ checks?
- Will an electrical adapter be necessary (Kropla, Kropla 2, Wikipedia)?
- What health issues might we face (CDC)?
- What travel advisements should we be aware of (US State Dept)?
- Where should we get our travel insurance? (Many of our clients use Adventist Risk Management.)
- Do we need to contact the NAD? (Groups traveling abroad must get approval from the NAD Secretariat.)
- Do we need to get passports (USDS, USPS, Canada)?
Third, if you will be serving in an unfamiliar region, we encourage you to prepare culturally. By increasing your cultural awareness, you will significantly improve your ability to communicate Jesus’ love to those you are trying to reach. This preparation involves both mental and emotional development. Books such as Passport to Mission (SDA; online or PDF), Mack and Leeann's Guide to Short-Term Missions (Christian), Cross-cultural Servanthood (Christian) and Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands (secular) have useful guidance for engaging people in foreign cultures. You can get started by reading about your host country in the CIA World Factbook, the US State Department website or CultureGrams (fee).
*WeCare handles all funds for trip-related expenses. You only need to plan for your own personal purchases.
