"I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need" (Phil. 2:25). Short-term mission trips exist in a variety of flavors. Sadly, many of the trips taken from evangelical churches don’t have a great impact on the missionaries or regions that they visit. Thus, at Immanuel, here are three commitments for every short-term trip.
Missionaries are often in spiritually isolated places. They can lack deep fellowship and be absent of anyone else to speak into their lives. Thus, short-term trips serve to bless our sent ones in both word and deed.
On these short-term trips, we seek to strengthen and minister to the needs of our missionaries—spiritually and physically. We pour into them and their family that they might persevere in the good work to which the Lord has called them. Through studying God’s word together, debriefing, counseling, investing in their children, and spending time together, the Lord often greatly encourages his people—this is our aim.
By understanding the spiritual need of your sent one’s community and region, you gain a better ability to partner in the work. Thus, we plan to listen and ask good, helpful, mature questions about the spiritual need of the work. We serve our missionaries by providing them space to openly process—with another—how they are engaging the spiritual needs of the lost around them.
We also seek to interact with locals and spend time with believers and unbelievers. While we might not be experts in the local culture, we can personally grasp the spiritual state of the area through engaging with locals. And upon returning home, we are Lord-willing better equipped to know how to pray, engage, and resource from grasping the spiritual need firsthand.
Short-term trips are one way we seek to strengthen the local church and evangelize the lost all across the globe. By engaging in the biblical vision of sent ones, we contribute to the advancement of the gospel. The Lord is weaving a glorious work through which we can be a small thread in the overall tapestry.
This team will partner with a missionary family who has been sent out from Immanuel as they strengthen the local church and equip people in North Africa. This trip will be focused on working to encourage our sent ones, and strengthen the local church with its connected ministries.
Need // 6 people
Cost // $2,800 per person
Deadline to Commit // March 1st, 2024
This 9-day trip will partner with missionary families sent out from Immanuel as they engage the unreached people of Southeast Asia. We will connect with our sent missionaries and seek to support and encourage them. We will connect with leaders, connect with the lost, and encourage our sent-out ones. Pastor Andy will be leading this trip.
Need // 6 people
Cost // $3,000 per person
Deadline to Commit // April 21st, 2024