During the trip…
You and your luggage have arrived safely to your destination. Maybe you are feeling a little woozy from an eight hour plane ride, but you breathe in deeply foreign air and you know that you have arrived. You are confident that God has sent you to this place.
You even had the opportunity to share your testimony and the gospel with a curious seatmate on the plane. “Where are you all going and what are you going to do there?” the gentleman inquired. One thing led to another and before you knew it the gospel of Jesus Christ was pouring out of you. It’s a very good thing you were spiritually prepared for that opportunity.
So, how do you stay spiritually prepared amid all the distractions of unfamiliar surroundings and culture? Some of it will come naturally. It is amazing how loudly we call to God when we are way out of our comfort zone and out on a limb.
But, we must also actively pursue spiritual preparedness while on mission.
Team time
Every morning and every evening take time to come together as a team for prayer, devotions, and worship. Hopefully someone packed a guitar! Team members can take turns presenting a brief devotional. The morning is like a sort of pep rally to get the team jazzed up and ready to take the world for Jesus.
Save the evening for a wind down. Team members can share something that pricked their hearts. Discuss where and how you saw God working. Was He working in you or through you to touch someone else? Don’t forget to praise, worship, and adore Him for all He is doing.
Letters from home
Assign church members to write letters of encouragement for each team member. Give the members a calendar of events for each day, so they can pray specifically for the events of the day. Have mail call after morning devotionals to distribute the letters.
Read a letter of encouragement written for the team from church members back home. Do this every day. This is a simple thing to do and is incredibly encouraging.
Prayer walk
Walk through the neighborhoods and worksites (in small groups, never alone) praying for the people as you go. Notice the people and their situations and intercede for them to the Lord. Use this time to hand out flyers and invitations to
Hopefully, during the trip, you have begun to see people as God sees them. Speak to God often in little breath prayers. And always remember that you are representing Christ. He is the source of your spiritual preparedness.
Photo by geishaboy500
