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CAMPBELL TRAVEL
137 South Pugh St.
State College PA 16801
Tel. 814-238-4444 Fax 814-238-3580
Toll Free 800-435-0510
The following was written for distribution to leaders of the groups of Cathy Phelps, Group Travel agent.
Advice to Short-Term Mission Trip Leaders:
WHEN DOES THE MISSION TRIP BEGIN? (or “When do you have to start acting like a Christian?”)
The bags are packed, the shots are current, and the airline tickets are in hand.
You are ready to go. After a semi-sleepless night you are up at the crack of dawn
for your trip to the airport. You make it through check-in and the long line at
security. You take off your shoes and you demonstrate that your cell phone really is a cell phone, not a weapon of destruction. Finally you are at your boarding gate.
As the time nears for boarding, nothing happens. Eventually an announcement is made saying that because of a storm, mechanical problem, crew problem (pick one), your flight will be delayed thirty minutes. These things happen, and you understand. Thirty minutes comes and goes. So does 40, then 50 and then 60 minutes. Then, your flight is cancelled. Now, you do not understand. Your group has to be on this flight – you just have to be. The missionary is meeting you. There is no way of getting a hold of him and your Bible school starts tomorrow. Tempers begin to flare.
Like it or not, there are some travel realities with which you may have to deal. As
a group leader, be sure your group’s needs are taken care of while you stay cool, calm and collected knowing that it is the Lord who is in control of this trip and your entire life. And as the spokesperson and a role model for the rest of those traveling, how you handle adversity is very important. It is a fact that a large percentage of airline flights are delayed. This happens for all sorts of reasons, such as bad weather and mechanical problems. Knowing this, you as a group leader can prepare yourself and your group for a positive experience by being proactive rather than reactive.
While You Wait
While you should not become paranoid, some pre-planning is most helpful. Even
if everything goes on schedule, there will be hours of “free” time before the flight.
Put it to good use to prepare and set the tone for the entire time. Most, if not all,
of your team will be experiencing everything from moderate pre-trip anxiety to full-blown panic. There is nothing like fear to make one fully dependent on the Lord. That is often when spiritual growth takes place.
With the new security regulations, you will need to get to the airport at least 2-3
hours before an international flight and at least 1-2 hours before a domestic flight.
Knowing this, plan to have a final team meeting in a quiet spot near or at your
departure gate. Assign one person to check periodically the status of your flight
so you can devote your time to the group.
· Give every member of your group a notebook to be used as a daily journal. The beginning entry is to be made while the group is waiting to board the airplane. Offer some suggestions such as: “ How am I feeling right now? Why am I going? What do I want God to teach me?”
· Read a Bible passage from one of Paul’s missionary journey, perhaps including a shipwreck or an over-the-wall-in-a-basket story so that whatever happens flight-wise will be kept in perspective.
· Have some get-acquainted exercises ready (it is very possible for people to be in the same church and not know other group members). Divide into groups of 2 or 4 and let them “get to know each other.”
· Have a time of quiet with prayer. (Include in your prayers the flight crew, ground crew, baggage handlers, family members not traveling, etc.)
Being goal-oriented people, we want to get there to build that retaining wall, run
that Vacation Bible School, fix those teeth and hand out those Bibles. We can
miss serendipitous opportunities to be a blessing and perhaps even the REAL
reason for your trip from God’s perspective.
· In your orientation meetings, please stress to group members that from the time you walk out the door of your house to when you walk back through the door on your return, you are on this mission trip.
· In each journal, have a section titled: “Unexpected Times of Ministry and Service.” When you are looking for something, you often find
it. Conversely, if you are not looking, life can pass you by.
There will be all sorts of people you will encounter on your exciting adventure of
Faith. Each will have been made in the image of God. Many of them will be craving a kind word, a smile, and a quiet, short prayer of blessing. Some examples are:
· Taxi driver
· Overbearing person behind you in line
· Airline check in person
· Person who sells you coffee
· Loud-talking cell phone user sitting next to you at the gate
· Flight attendants
· Fellow flyers, especially your seat mate and the woman with screaming child
Whatever happens, PLEASE do not yell at the airline gate agent; i.e., make sure
he or she and everyone in a fifty-foot radius hears how you are going on a short
term mission trip to spread the love of Christ, so they had better get their
@^$^^*)*&%* plane there on time. (YES, this has actually happened!)
Returning Home
The weakest part of most mission trips is what happens back at the home airport or in the church parking lot. Everyone arrives very tired; so after quick group member hugs, everyone gets into cars and scatters.
Processing -- getting each other to verbalize what has happened -- provides
closure and reinforcement. Detailed evaluation of this trip and coming up with suggestions and modifications for the next trip are invaluable. The several hours waiting in the airport for your return flight provide the opportunity to do this.
Build on the moment. Outline the to-be-written letter that needs to go to all those who supported you with money and/or prayers. Such letters should be sent as soon after the trip as possible. Making a presentation to your church or organization can also help group members focus on what really happened.
About the author: As a travel agent, Cathy Phelps has been working with short-term mission trips for over fifteen years. She lives in State College PA.
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