[Also seen in Nashville Christian Family] When Jesus commanded believers to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Matt 28:18-20), He didn’t put any age limits on it. With their innocent faith and endless energy, kids can be great missionaries! Sometimes it’s us parents who need a little convincing.
I get it. Finances, communication, safety, health, distance – the concerns and risks are real. But before we cover those, let’s take a look at the benefits of taking and sending our kids on mission trips.
Taking Kids on Mission
Jared Belton, Senior Project Manager at Medi-Share, recently took his 11-year-old daughter Emma on a mission trip to Ecuador. The father-daughter duo went with a team from their church; it was the first international mission trip for both of them.
Jared was excited to share the trip with Emma, knowing that the two of them would be able to worship with people from a different culture who share our same faith. He says, “I wanted to bring my daughter and get her to experience another country and understand a different perspective. It’s good to experience things from a non-Western perspective, to witness all the blessings that we have.”
While in Ecuador, their team helped assist a partner church through Vacation Bible School activities like teaching, crafts, stories, and recreation. Because there were so many children involved, Emma was able to jump right in, making friends and serving easily despite the language barrier.
Sharing a mission trip together created great faith-building memories for the two Beltons, a practice that Jared and his wife hope to continue with their other children as they get older. As a dad, Jared counted it a privilege to watch his daughter rise to challenges and develop new levels of maturity and gratitude. “It was everything I could have hoped for in being able to share this time with her,” he says.
Sending Kids on Mission
My two teenage sons, Isaac and Caleb, went on a mission trip to Guatemala this past spring – a first for both of them as well. As a mom, I was excited for them for many of the same reasons that Jared mentioned. I wanted them to witness faith through the perspective of a different culture, and I wanted them to have a chance to stretch their own faith by stepping into uncomfortable situations.
While there, the two of them were able to do just that. Their work in Guatemala included ministering to orphans, sharing their testimonies, organizing soccer games, and distributing water filters, among other things. They slept in hammocks in the jungle and traveled for hours in buses without air conditioning. Their team battled sickness, danger, dehydration, and extreme delays.
Yet when they arrived home, my boys’ first words were, “I wanna go back again!” Their photos and videos were filled with nothing but sweaty smiles and bilingual praise songs. As they debriefed their memories, it was clear that their heart for the nations had expanded in ways that could only happen in an unfamiliar environment. They spoke of trials through a lens of joy and blessings through a filter of newfound humility. And as a mom, I’m so proud and so grateful.
Overcoming the Hesitations
As church-goers we always hear stories like the ones above, don’t we? A mission team will come back and give their report, often concluding the trip was “hard-but-good.” So, while Jared and I can both attest to the fact that taking and sending kids on mission trips is great, there are valid hesitations that remain.
After all, as parents we’re compelled to care for our children both physically and spiritually, and when it comes to overseas missions, sometimes those aspects of care seem to be at odds. Is it worth risking their physical safety for their spiritual growth? There’s no good way to answer that except through prayer and discernment.
Before sending my sons on their mission trip, I worried about them not having access to health care. If they got sick or injured in the jungle, they’d be hours from a hospital. But through prayer, I felt the Lord telling me that I should let them go anyway. That may not be the answer He gives every time to every person, but it was the answer He gave to me, so I had to obey and let them go.
Finances were another concern for both myself and Jared. Overseas travel is not cheap, and the funds for mission trips can be steep. However, we both discerned that it would be wise for our kids to take ownership of fundraising opportunities. Trusting God to provide for the trips that He had called them to was yet another way to strengthen our kids’ faith.
There are certainly legitimate reasons not to take or send your child on a mission trip. Jared says, “I recognize that not everybody is called to go overseas and serve internationally.” Though he adds, “But if you're just trying to find a reason not to go, turn that around and just go.”
“We have such a blessing to even be able to be involved in short term missions. There are so many parts of the world where [overseas] missions just aren’t an option, because the money is not there,” Jared says. He points out the ministry that he and Emma did could never happen in reverse – the people of Ecuador don’t have the means to travel to the United States for similar fellowship and encouragement.
Alternatively, if taking or sending your children overseas isn’t an option, see if God would lead you to involve them in missions stateside or even in your local communities. Any urban or suburban area is likely teeming with opportunities to make a Kingdom impact as a family. Additionally, with recent hurricanes and other natural disasters ravaging regions across our country, now could be an ideal time to partner with ministries such as Samaritan’s Purse to serve those recovering and needing help.
Taking and sending kids on mission trips is certainly life-changing and faith-stretching for all involved. Have you taken or sent your kids on a mission trip? Share the impact it had and your experience with our community in the comments.
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