From Carrie Badertscher, Prairie Camp Director

Missions/Service Resources

Many of you will pack your bags this summer and lead a group of students on a short-term mission adventure. You've scheduled five training days, collected medical release forms, and held a parent's meeting, but it feels like something is still missing.

We seem to do a great job preparing and carrying out our scheduled trips, but fail to provide sufficient follow-up and debriefing after the trip has ended, making it difficult for students to find everyday meaning in their cross-culture experience.

Below are a few resources that will help you with your next missions/service opportunity before, during, and after the trip.

The lessons in Deep Justice Journeys will help you prepare students for what to expect during their mission trips and service projects and allow them to reflect on their experiences. And, since no two mission trips are the same, and each youth group will have its own challenges, this book includes 50 learning activities that you can choose from to customize your group's lessons. In this book you will find:

• ideas to help get parents and the church engaged in your youth ministry's short term mission work.
• discussion exercises you can use to get students thinking about poverty, cross-cultural relationships, teamwork, and spiritual gifts.
• creative activities for debriefing to help your group wrestle with questions about students' experiences.
• ideas for how your youth group can ensure the ongoing growth and service of your students once you return home to the "real world."

 Check out this video:


To purchase Deep Justice Journeys:
From: Fuller Youth Institute
From: Amazon

Additional Resources (read before you leave): 

Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence, by David Livermore (Baker Books, 2006) 

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor ...and Ourselves, by Steve Corbette & Brian Fikkert (Moody Publishers, 2009) www.whenhelpinghurts.org