As believers, we’re called to share the good news of the gospel with the world. That could mean your family members, co-workers, boss, or a stranger overseas.
- “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”—Acts 1:8
Acts 1:8 calls believers to travel and go to “the end of the earth” to share the gospel. One way we can do that is through short-term mission trips!
Testimonies from the Mission Field
The Bible gives several examples of disciples who left their home churches and traveled to cities and countries to tell people about Jesus. Paul, Silas, Barnabas, Peter, and others traveled to other places and shared the gospel, made disciples, and planted churches during their mission trips.
We talked with three Abundant Life church members who went on short-term mission trips with our church this year. They shared stories from their experiences on the mission field and why every believer should go on at least one short-term mission trip.
Use Your Gifts and Talents
Meg: “Honestly, I never thought too much about going on a mission trip. I know I have always wanted to, but wasn't actively thinking about taking a trip this year. Steve Brown found out that I could speak Spanish and knew I loved kids, which was the main focal point of the trip to El Salvador, so he began to ask me to come to El Salvador with him and the team! At first, I wasn't sure, but with his persistence to keep asking me to come, and with a lot of prayer, it was evident that this was a trip that the Lord was leading me to go on. I am grateful for Steve's heart and his persistence because it was truly the Lord working through him to bring me along on this trip.”
Experience Living for Jesus in a Different Culture
Katie: “I went on a mission trip because I wanted to experience what loving Jesus and living for Him is like in a different cultural environment, and mingle with believers from other countries and backgrounds.”
Practice Sharing the Gospel
Tommye: “I heard that the trip was going to be focused on sharing the gospel. I had recently started working at Abundant Life and found that a lot of my job was to work with believers. I came from a job where I got to have a lot of gospel conversations, so I had to realize that I needed to make every effort outside of my job to have gospel conversations. I was excited for an opportunity to be in a place where I got to share the gospel freely and often.”
Be Encouraged by Other Believers
Meg: “Our trip was to San Miguel, El Salvador. We got to work with Iglesia Bautista Buenas Nuevas while we were there, and let me say that those people are incredible. They were so welcoming, kind, and excited to get to partner with us for that week. They live their lives on a constant mission, and they were quick to invite us into that when we got there.
I got the chance to meet and grow close to a few of the young adults and a family from this church who worked with us this week. To hear their stories and hearts for the Lord was so encouraging, and it was cool seeing how invested they are in seeing lives changed by Jesus. I still chat with one of the families I met there and I am looking forward to visiting them again in the future. I am thankful for the family of Christ and how connected we can be through technology even though we are miles away from each other.
Hear Powerful Testimonies
Katie: “I went to Istanbul, Turkey, and primarily spent time with an underground church of refugees from another Middle Eastern country. Many of the people of the church were persecuted as followers of Jesus in their home country. The people love Jesus and have experienced giving up much of their lives as they knew it to follow Him.
A highlight of the trip was hearing the testimonies of the refugees who experienced persecution in their home country. I've read books and watched movies of such stories, but to meet them in person and realize that they are people just like me, with such great faith that has been tested, and with ongoing needs to continue trusting Jesus just like me! Wow. It was hard to take it all in.”
Meg, Katie, and Tommye all shared how their experiences on the trip continue to impact them at home.
Be Transformed by Love, Compassion, and Grace
Meg: “Coming back home, I have been encouraged and challenged to be the compassion of Christ to everyone I am surrounded by, as He is for us. I think more and more each day my eyes are seeing that we never truly know what someone is walking with or carrying. I want to be someone who can meet anyone I come across and be the connection point of that person meeting with Jesus. I want to meet them with love, compassion, and grace. I want to be who Jesus is and has been to me and I desire others to experience that as well.”
Live With Integrity
Katie: “I came home wanting to live with the integrity of someone whose life has been changed by Jesus…I want to love Him and follow Him and be strengthened in my faith so that whether I become a missionary in another country, or I experience persecution for being a follower of Jesus, or I experience the temptation of complacency here in the States – that He lives through me to accomplish good that will last into eternity.”
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”—John 15:16
Be Prepared for More Gospel Conversations
Tommye: I was encouraged to continue to share the gospel in all the places I go and all the things I do. A few nights after I got home, I ended up sharing the gospel with the pizza guy. I have been keeping my head up to be ready for any opportunity that the Lord puts in front of me.
Why Should a Believer Go on a Mission Trip?
The mission trips these girls went on were life-changing for them. They gave 3 powerful reasons why you should go on a mission trip and carry out the call to travel to “the ends of the earth” to share the gospel.
Our World Needs Jesus
Meg: “Man, everyone should have at least one chance to go on a trip. Going on a trip like this allows for new revelations of who God is, to see Him and experience Him in a way that you've never seen before or in a fresh way. People should go on a trip to be stretched out of their comfort zone. Most importantly, people should go on a trip because our world desperately needs Jesus, and we've been called up by Him to share, so why not go?”
Jesus Wants to Use You
Katie: “If you love Jesus, and you want to meet other people who love Him, who are your brothers and sisters in Christ, who you'll someday get to spend eternity with—then go visit a church in another country!! And if you want to experience a trip where your only goal is to be available for Jesus to speak life through you – then go visit another country with a heart to be on mission, and then come home and do the same every day!”
You Serve a Big God
Tommye: “A mission trip gets you out of your comfort zone, but also puts you in a place of dependence on the Lord. I don't want to be a person who trains my whole life but never actually gets in the game. A mission trip can get you in the game and give you a greater perspective of how big the God we serve is.”
Takeaway
Do you have the heart to reach the unreached and serve the underserved in your city and around the world? The Live Sent Ministry is how we are answering the call to be sent to the nations in our own cities and globally. Join us on a mission trip in 2025! Visit our missions page to see a complete list of trips and sign up.
God wants to use you. Will you say yes to Him?