The Value of Mission Work for Youth

There are many benefits to doing mission work in the world which far outweigh the costs. We are fast approaching the home stretch for finalizing our plans for our Oklahoma Mission Trip. Here are just a few of the many ways you are enriching the lives of our youth when you support their efforts to represent our congregation in seeking to do God’s work in the world.

·Service mission trips encourage young people to be salt and light. They share their Christian faith with people through the demonstration of God’s love .

·Mission trips take teenagers out of their comfort zones where masks drop, and people become real. This puts them in a place where they rely more directly on God.

·The “poor” and “less fortunate” become real and human. Teens gain a greater sense of value for every life, and sensitivity to how God can use them to touch others.

·Teenagers’ hearts melt when they encounter people in need. By reaching out to serve, they experience a special blessing from God. Teenagers realize they’re not just serving others, but serving God .

·There are tons of opportunities to build relationships—with one another, Christian teens from other churches, the people they serve, and with us. Relationships with other Christians help our own relationship with God grow.

·Often “issues” in the lives of teen’s surface during a mission trip…when they are away from the distractions of home. Since youth leaders and adult leaders have more access and time to spend with kids, this is an ideal time to guide, nurture, and love our young people.

·Teens exercise life skills: responsibility and accountability to the team, good citizenship, compassion, tolerance, friendliness, acceptance, self-control, determination, endurance, and dependability.

·By experiencing different cultures, teens become better-rounded and gain a greater appreciation for people that are different from themselves.

·Service mission trips help to establish a lifestyle of service in teenagers that often carries into adulthood.

·Many times, teens experience a new hunger for God. Their attendance and involvement in church increases. And often, fringe kids increase their involvement in the youth group.

·Teenagers learn to appreciate that they are fortunate and blessed.

(For more on the benefits of youth missions visit Simply Youth Ministry.)

Blessings,
Tracy