Missions 101

why go on a mission trip?

why go on a mission trip?

A mission trip will turn your world upside down in the best way. Discover your unique role in bringing God's kingdom to the needy. Let Jesus fill the need in your own heart as he uses you to make a difference in the lives, communities, and hearts of those who need it most.

At Adventures we ask, listen, and obey; asking God for guidance, listening for his response, and obeying him to the best of our ability.

You can take a small step. Take a few days or a few weeks of your life to be Jesus to someone in desperate need of hope.

God can use you to make a difference.

about
adventures

Welcome to missions. You are about to embark on a journey bigger than you are as you join a legacy of adventurers, freedom fighters, and kingdom-bringers.

At Adventures in Missions, we mobilize people to missions as a means of discipleship, and we’ve been at it for over twenty years.

Jesus did not call us to say a prayer but to enter into a lifestyle. We know that a life with Jesus is a life full of hope, and we are committed to bringing that hope to the people who need it most.

about adventures

We balance boldness with love. We emphasize the church without walls.

We go to those needing ministry rather than expecting them to come to us. We emphasize ministry to the poor, oppressed, and hopeless.

We focus on the people that society shuns. Everywhere we go, we seek the darkest and most hopeless place first.

are you ready to go?

Adventures in Missions is an interdenominational missions organization that focuses on discipleship. We emphasize prayer and relationships in our work amongst the poor.
Since we were established in 1989, we have taken over 100,000 people into the mission field, some for as short as a week and others for as long as a year or longer.
We believe that by giving people the opportunity to care for orphans, bring hope to the hopeless, and pray for the sick, lives are transformed.
We seek to disciple as Jesus did; our vision is that God would use us to raise up a generation of radically committed disciples of Jesus Christ.

encounter
goals

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We Challenge expectations to allow God to work through us.

The mission field offers many unique experiences that will challenge our definitions of normal. We embrace the concept of 'doing something different' in order to let God have his way in our lives and ministries.

James 1:2-4
We Disciple and build relationships to see God transform lives.

We empower and equip for kingdom work, believing that communities and relationships will be transformed by the love of Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20
We Partner with intention and use innovative ways to meet needs.

We choose our ministry partners based on shared values, and work alongside them to creatively meet felt needs.

Philemon 1:6
We Proclaim God's love through our story and actions.

We are passionate about sharing Jesus' story with those we encounter. We help build the kingdom by explaining how God has transformed our own lives, and by confirming our words through our actions.
We Listen for the voice of God and respond.

We believe that God is living, active, and has something to say to us. Listening and responding to the voice of God are the goals that drive us.

John 10:27

your trip:
what to expect

introduction

We believe your mission experience will be something out of the ordinary. We have a deep, desperate love for the people of the world. Whether they are in our back yard or halfway around the world, we see the beauty of God’s creation in our diversity. We must leave comfort behind to see the world as it truly is, and to bring Jesus in.

By shaking up the status quo, by doing something different, we offer every youth a chance to spend real time with a real person with a real story. We are not afraid to get dirty or to reach out and touch the marginalized and forgotten.

Whether you are ministering in rural Appalachia or near the beaches of Florida, our hope is that your experience will push your teens, your leaders, and you out of your comfort zones and into relationships with people and ministries in ways you may least expect.

ministry

Adventures in Missions has been forming relationships with ministry partners around the world for over 23 years. You may be partnering with a ministry host that has been on board with us since then, or pioneering alongside us with a more recent ministry partner. Whatever the circumstance, Adventures staff has been communicating with your host on a consistent basis, and have recently been on the ground to survey the most current and pressing needs of the community you will be serving.

Depending on your location, your day-to-day life of ministry can look different. But it will always reflect ways to show the love of Christ. We believe in listening to the voice of God to hear how he would like us to serve and love his creations. This may look like:

showing consistent love to children who need to know they matter.
facilitating a vacation bible school.

playing sports and doing outreach with locals.

visiting door-to-door to pray and share the gospel.

going on a prayer walk.
cleaning facilities for churches, organizations, and locals in need.
serving and/or distributing food to the hungry.

working on relief from a natural disaster.

loving an orphan or widow.

The staff at Adventures works year-round to build and maintain healthy relationships with our partners on the field. Teams like yours are a huge blessing to the needs they have, and it is our goal to make sure you feel your time and efforts are maximized while serving.

local culture

Adventures staff or a local ministry host will provide a cultural briefing upon your arrival, including specific details pertaining to your location.

outing

We also have a desire for you to experience the local flavor of your location. A special outing has been planned relative to your location. This is a time for you to continue to bond and enjoy time with your students, and to experience the culture around you.

Elephant rides in Thailand
Visit the arch in St. Louis
Zipline in Nicaragua
Trip to the beach in Puerto Rico

fyi: all the details

where do we eat?

Your teens may lend a hand in the kitchen, or you could stay with a lodging partner who will handle all cooking and meal preparation.

Meeting your needs is a priority of Adventures, however we ask that you prepare yourself, leaders, and participants to have a 'mission mindset' when it comes to details like food and housing arrangements. All meals and accommodations will be sufficient, but not lavish.
where do we sleep?

You should have received information regarding the specifics of your housing location. You may have bunk beds, or you may be roughin' it on the floor for a few days. A light sleeping bag and sleeping mat are a good idea for comfort.

You may be on a project with only your team, or another group of missionaries. We ask that you not pack full-size, blow-up mattresses so everyone can enjoy enough space to relax and sleep.
- do we get to shower?
  
  Yes. Keeping the 'mission mindset', this could look like a variety of options. You will most likely stay at a facility with a small number of showers. It is a good idea to start preparing your students for 'five-minute showers'. Have fun with this. Get creative. Make it a game at youth group in preparation for going into the field. For example, select a student to demonstrate a quick shower process. With shower supplies provided (shampoo and conditioner bottle, soap, towel) set a timer for five minutes,. Have the student demonstrate to the group how long five minutes can actually be, MIMING, of course, the process of showering start to finish.
- do we get to shower?
  
  This can be fun and entertaining, while demonstrating that showering on a mission trip will probably look much different than at home. This may seem like a small component, but depending on how many other students will be joining you in ministry, showers can play into the logistics of the day.
  
  You may be staying at a church or building that involves showering offsite. Adventures has formed partnerships with local gyms, YMCAs, and hotels in the past to accommodate basic needs of participants. Situations like these make the 'five- minute shower' rule essential.
- what to wear
  
  Serving in missions means getting uncomfortable and giving up many things we often believe we're entitled to at home. One of those things is the way we dress. While Adventures does not have strict dress codes or uniforms, we do ask that you and your team respect the environment and culture you are serving in as well as the work you came to do.
- what not to wear
  
  Girls:
  
  Short shorts
  
  Flimsy flip-flops
  
  Excessive accessories
  
  Tank tops
- what to wear
  
  Girls:
  
  Knee-length skirt/shorts
  
  Loose-fitting t-shirts
  
  Comfortable shoes/Toms
- what not to wear
  
  Guys:
  
  Shirts with sides cut out
  
  Nice basketball shoes
  
  Blue/red bandanas
  
  Sweatpants
- what to wear
  
  Guys:
  
  Cargo-like shorts
  
  T-Shirts
  
  Chacos
what to bring:

A missions experience with Adventures Encounter will help your youth broaden their perspectives, learn about the realities of the world, meet needs as they exist, and get a better look at how God speaks to them.

We stand on a foundation that says, “God has something to say to me.” Our hope is that all participants have a relationship with God where they hear him speak directly to them. When they do this, youth begin to see the value of their presence and develop more clarity in how they can serve and build his kingdom.

We are committed to preparing a generation to catch a vision for their place in the kingdom of God and discover who God has designed them to be.

We want every youth to see the precious value of their unique story as they build relationships and serve others. We provide the environment for those stories to be told and new stories to be lived.

We look forward to seeing this process through as you and your youth journey through an experience on the mission field with us.

Missions 101

why go on a mission trip?

why go on a mission trip?

about
adventures