Short-term mission trips are meaningful for everyone. Yes! Especially for middle and high schoolers. Short-term trips allow students to serve around their school schedule. Here are seven reasons to send your teenager on a short-term mission trip.

1. EXPERIENCE NEW CULTURE, BROADEN VIEWS

The most noticeable part of leaving home is experiencing a new culture. By being planted in a new community, missionaries are able to practice compassion by walking in another person’s shoes. Having a broadened worldview is beneficial to teens as they prepare for leaving for college.

2. EXPERIENCE LIVING OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONE BEFORE GOING TO COLLEGE

Leaving home before the big move to college gives teenagers the leg up in real-world experiences outside of their childhood home. College is often the first time a student is away from their family. However, if they have gone on a short term mission trip to a new city or country, they will feel more prepared to leave home once they graduate. The confidence felt in being fully capable and functional on their own empowers them in their new life away from home.

3. MAKE AN IMPACT BY SPREADING HIS GLORY

Teens can see His love and compassion across the globe, and instant connections can be made across language barriers due to sharing God’s love. Additionally, they can see just how much small acts can impact communities in need, glorify God, and change the lives of not only them but those that they serve.

4. TRAVEL TO NEW PLACES

Participating in a mission trip can give you the chance to travel, and to go with a purpose. The benefits of traveling are vast – the obvious of which is getting to experience a new place in great depth. Traveling can also help in gaining new skills like social interaction and communication. You get to interact with people who have a different view on life and learn how to incorporate that into how you think on a global scale. This can translate into more creative thinking and improved school discussions. Traveling has been known to assist people in self-reflection and exploration, something teenagers can benefit from greatly.

5. PARTICIPATE IN VOLUNTEER WORK

The volunteer work done on a short-term mission trip can foster a heart of compassion, a value that can be taught at any age and sticks with you for life. This can assist teens in shifting from a self-centric perspective to a selfless attitude. As they serve others, God’s name is glorified, and that can make a massive impact on the life of a teenager.

6. MAKE LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS

The relationships made on a short-term mission trip can last a lifetime due to eating, sleeping, traveling, and serving together 24 hours a day. It forces friendship. However, these friendships are like no other; they are centered in Christ, and they are experiencing life-changing events together, causing the friendship to strengthen immensely. Mission trips provide teenagers with the space to form bonds as they grow their personal relationship with God.

7. STRENGTHEN FAITH AND RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

A mission trip is a wonderful place to feel God’s presence. It gives one the opportunity to spread His word and serve His people while also strengthening their own personal relationship with God. Hard work in a small community with peers who passionately love Jesus helps to provide a Christ-centered community for believers who can grow in love and faith together.

With a Mission Discovery trip, all your planning is covered.

Food, lodging, transportation, and daily itinerary are pre-planned, taking a load off your back. At Mission Discovery, everything we do is to expose God’s love to all of His children. Our itineraries leave time for devotional thought and reflection.

You can find more mission trips made specifically with teenagers in mind on our trips page.