Being Intentional After a Missions Trip to Continue the Discipleship Process

If you want your missions trip to be part of the discipleship program, you need to plan ahead.  ReachGlobal Crisis Response’s goal is to make disciples who make disciples.  Missions trips are part of this process.  Senior Pastor George Davis of Hershey Free Church points out, “It really starts with how you begin the journey and the process and really working to create an environment that says these trips are part of a disciplemaking journey.”

It is important to plan a debriefing with team members.  I know one church that started a weekly Bible study with team members after a trip for several months for team growth, continued relationships, and to help members think about how this experience will affect their lives.  I know youth leaders often do a great job following up with their youth.

Dave Hyatt, Pastor for Local and Global Outreach at Hershey Free Church, compared this to Lamaze classes when his wife was pregnant.  The instructor told them, “Hey, you guys have done a great job of preparing for birth, but just remember, you are going to leave the hospital probably two days after that with a human being that you are responsible for.”  Dave explained, “I was terrified at that point.  I was well prepared for that three hour birthing experience but not for the rest of my life.  So, I think as an introduction, team preparation has to be with the discipleship idea in mind, because this is part of a larger ongoing process.”

He added, “I think the ReachGlobal staff does a great job, Mark does an excellent job asking the question, ‘What’s next Thursday night three years from now going to look like that is different in your life because of your time here?’”  We need to challenge team members to continue growing.  We are not looking for a temporary change, but growth that blooms into a new lifestyle.  Dave stressed the value of having an ongoing relationship with a location or ministry where a relationship is fostered.  The team can hear about how missionaries or others they met are doing.  These are areas he considers critical to the success of discipleship from a trip.

After the trip, it would be ideal to connect team members with local ministries that fit passions or gifting they discovered.  Dave gave the example, “In a perfect world, when someone came back after serving on a medical team in Haiti, someone would say, ‘Wow man, you were super passionate about that!  Would you consider volunteering at Hope Within doing medical care or with our children’s ministries working with kids?’”

Pastor George emphasized, “I just want to underscore that one of the reasons we’re enjoying working with ReachGlobal is the fact that we resonate philosophically.  As churches understand what ReachGlobal is trying to do, if you really buy into that, philosophically, you just want to be a part.”

If discipleship is a goal for your church, consider a missions trip with ReachGlobal Crisis Response.  Check out https://go.efca.org/ministries/reachglobal/crisis-response .

Does God Hear Our Prayers?

God sometimes seems silent.  We pray, but there is no immediate answer.  We keep praying and waiting.  We are not alone in this.  Even the great prayer warrior George Mueller did not live to see some of his prayers answered.  He prayed for 63 years for one man to be saved, but the man did not accept Christ until after George’s death.  George, however, did see thousands of his prayers answered in his lifetime.  The majority of these were not instant.  He had to wait and continue to pray.  George Mueller said, “When once I am persuaded that a thing is right and for the glory of God, I go on praying for it until the answer comes.”

God uses answered prayer in our lives to help build our faith.  Working with ReachGlobal Crisis Response, I have been privileged to see God at work repeatedly.  Isaiah 65:24 says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

After Hurricane Katrina, large teams came to serve and stay at Trinity Church.  Some weeks, there were 100 or 200 volunteers.  New Orleans is hot, and we depend on our ice machine for coolers and beverages.  Teams would arrive Sunday night for orientation and leave Saturday morning.  One week, a volunteer arrived a day early.  While staff members were trying to decide what to do with him, they discovered that the ice machine was not working.  There were no repairmen available on the weekend, and teams would need ice early Monday morning.  The staff was discussing this dilemma when the volunteer interrupted.  “Excuse me.  I am an ice machine repairman.  Can I help?”  God knew the need in advance and provided the solution before we were aware of our need.  The machine was working before the team arrived.

Answers are not always that dramatic.  Often we miss what God is doing to care for us and protect us.  I challenge you to review your own life and see where God has been at work.  Thank Him for not just the big, but the little things as well.

Teamwork

Norm Found a New Life in Christ

What does it take to change a life for eternity?  Nothing will happen if the Holy Spirit is not convicting the person.  Does that mean we are not responsible to be a part of changing lives?  Is it all God’s responsibility?  Although it does not happen apart from God, God uses people to fulfill His plans.  In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells us, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  

Volunteers Work on Norm's Home

God uses the volunteer on a team who gives up his vacation time to come work on a storm damaged house.  Homeowners often comment on how this surprises them.  They wonder what would make a person do this.  This often opens a door for the volunteer to share that he or she is there because of the love Jesus has put in their heart.

God uses people who come as interns or staff to serve for a longer time commitment.  They get the opportunity to develop a relationship with the homeowner and influence volunteer team members.  They walk through hard times with the homeowner loving them, challenging them, and sharing God’s love and Word as the opportunity arises.  Often, this means years of coming alongside someone, praying for them, and allowing God to work.

God uses Christians across the nation who pray for homeowners, staff, and volunteers.  They plug into the power that changes lives, which is a very important job.  Others give financially to enable volunteers and staff to touch lives.  People could not serve without partners who provide for their ministry expenses.  Together, we form a team.  Each person is an indispensable part of changing lives. 

What part can you play?  Check out Norm’s story at   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egcqUgqvC-Y   .  If you would like to partner with us to make a difference, go to http://go.efca.org/ministries/reachglobal/crisis-response .