Romanian Reflections 1 - Why is an international mission trip a positive thing?

As a believer, going on an international mission trip is a positive experience for many reasons:

1. A trip across the sea to a different land and culture will stretch you in different ways as never before.

2. You will gain understanding of the process God uses for building His church and operating in the gifts He gives grace for. This process included the following:

• The call of God to go. If you are not called, don’t go. If God does whisper a call for you to go to another land, trust and obey for there’s no other way!

• Making the first step of sending out jars for commitment from the body of Christ.

• Waiting and watching the support to come in. We didn’t have to wait more than 24 hours before the Lord began to confirm His plans with financial and prayer support!

• Preparing to go minister in Jesus’ name – the preparation process is as important as the actual experience.

• Each one reaches one is so true and an important aspect of the team only God could put together. Interacting with the people on your team and crossing paths in a close way with people you may have never connected with otherwise will bring growth.

• The journey itself – this involved painful stretching and growing in both the physical and spiritual aspects of life.

• Entering the land and interacting with the people, their culture, lives, and stories provided for impacting moments and memories.

• God’s plan for you and for them – He wrote this in His books before time began. It is a beautiful thing to live in the moment God has preordained.

• The common bond shared with believers in another country because of Jesus and the Gospel. It is important to remember, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

3. An international mission trip provides for a different perspective on Paul’s missionary journeys and the letters He writes while engaging in the churches and with the people God ordained for His purposes.

4. International mission trips widen your love – you experience the heart of God in your own heart.

5. Going overseas to share the Gospel strengthens your own walk with the Lord and your relationship in the body.

6. Experiencing an international mission trip will allow for opportunities for God to break you as He reveals areas in your flesh that you must surrender to Him.

7. Leaving the land should provide you with a new courage, compassion, and boldness as you engage in your life at home.

Christie: I have been on multiple mission trips (four out of the country). These have been a positive experience for me for many reasons:  First, I think that depending on what you are doing, a trip to a different country and culture changes your whole perspective on life.  Recently seeing the gypsy village in Romania impacted my outlook. To see all of those little kids with visible lice in their hair, no clothes, and starving with no choice of that lifestyle made me realize how blessed I am. Seeing the village really made me thankful for having clothes, a home, and the opportunity to get a job, education and to make something out of myself.  Those gypsies could have so much potential if they would apply themselves, and I am thankful for the chance to do that.

Secondly, working with the orphans really changed my perspective on life in general because they are really happy and joyful when they have absolutely nothing. I realized my need to be more thankful for the little things in life.

Third, you also get to experience different things like the food, which usually ends up being really good!  Finally, an international mission trip is a positive thing is because you get to share the Gospel with people who may have never heard it before. Yes, you can do that in the States too, and you should; however, it is different when you go overseas and meet someone who has NEVER heard the name of Jesus and you tell them about Him for the very first time!

Isaac: An international mission trip turns out to be a positive experience because you see things with a different perspective than you live in. So many times we are sheltered or blinded by the way we live, and we can’t see what problems are going on around us. Going to Romania helped me to see and live with the less fortunate and made me more grateful for what I have.

Evan: I have only been on one other foreign country mission trip and that was to Honduras.  James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”  This verse describes what we did on this trip.  I think that everyone should go on an international mission trip, because it makes people aware of all the suffering and affliction that children and even young adults go through.           A mission trip to another country provides great opportunity to spread Christ’s love to little kids who don’t have hope.  Most of the orphans are physically and verbally abused if they profess Jesus as Lord. But 1 Corinthians 1:17 clearly says, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” The verse means that no matter what the world thinks, the Bible cannot be tarnished!  Suffering is good because it is for the glory of God!

Amy: This was my first trip out of the country.  It was very exciting getting a passport and flying across the world to another land. I think that going on an international mission trip has very many positive aspects. Experiencing the different culture while in another country is extremely interesting and fun! I loved hearing the foreign language, and trying to speak it as well. I would recommend doing an international mission trip to anyone and everyone!

Micah: Romania was my second mission trip.  I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica in May where I was able to encourage a young girl who had just lost her father. Romania was very different because it was on the other side of the world. The mission work with the orphans was amazing. I built relationships with the translators and interns as well. We were dependent on them for communication; therefore, we grew close to them.  Romania was seven hours ahead of time in America. One of the main things that I liked was the different language.  Also the orphanage that we worked with had children ranging from 4-26! It was wonderful to see the orphans of all ages singing and praying together in a different language. The orphans are wonderful to be around, and it was very hard to say good-bye.