6/16/98: Hung out with Nancy E. this morning as she was going through the orientation process with 3 new TEAM summer project members (college students from US and Europe)…
6/16/23: We had been through the orientation session weeks before, so, it was fun to participate as helpers as Nancy conducted training of summer volunteers. Going on a summer mission trip was a valuable experience for me when I was in college, and also for our two sons when they were in high-school. You learn a lot about the world and about yourself, and there is a great joy in being able to contribute your skills and efforts to worth work around the world. Summer mission trips can also be counter-productive, sometimes even causing harm rather than helping. A worth-while book on how to serve the world as Christians without harming the people or cultures you visit is When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The book focuses primarily on working to alleviate poverty in a healthy and non-patronistic way. But the principles of dignifying and respecting those whom we serve apply to any ministry context including short-term mission projects for high-school and college students.
The thing to remember is this: when you serve others, be respectful, listen well, serve with humility not an attitude of superiority or condescension. So, if you travel, consider traveling with purpose. If you are a Christian, consider traveling on a mission team and putting your skills and gifts to good use.
There are many fine organizations to explore serving opportunities, but here a few organizations worth considering if you want to participate in travel with purpose and a summer mission trip: