I was sitting in Starbucks this morning, waiting for them to brew my coffee of the day, and I was approached by two women who handed me a flier about some apartments that are being constructed somewhere in the area.
I took the flier to be nice, and they asked me if I happened to be looking. I said, “No,” with a smile, and they said a few other things and left. Then I got to thinking about a few things.
The first thing was their boldness. They weren’t afraid of my reaction to them. They just gave me the flyer. They weren’t sure if I was interested in buying an apartment or not. They just tried to sell it to me.
The second thing I thought about has to do with being ready and my regret for not being ready. I sure wish I had something to give them about the “business” I’m in. I didn’t have anything that I could give back to them to ask if they were interested in something much more important than an apartment.
You better be sure that in the future, I’ll try to be more bold and be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in me.
(Photo by: thinkpanama on flickr)
Since we’ve been thinking about global youth ministry, you might be looking for more information on world missions. If that’s the case, then The World Missions Atlas Project, over at Worldmap.org, is a great resource for you.
The site contains different types of information, including maps, data sets, and descriptions of various countries and regions of the world. There are maps of various regions linked to the missions data that is known for that region or country.
You can download PDF files, maps, and data to share what is happening in the world of missions.
I haven’t had enough time to fully explore the entire site because there is so much on it, but if you’re looking for free maps for missions, the World Missions Atlas Project is definitely the place for you to begin your search.
Series: Global Youth Ministry
This post is part of a series on Global Youth Ministry. Be sure to check out part 1 – Why Global Youth Ministry is Important and part 2 – What’s a Global Youth Worker?
Some say that apart from church planting efforts, Global youth ministry training should be the top priority in global missions. I believe it’s a ministry that every youth worker should personally be involved in.
Obviously, I believe strongly in the mission statement of Youth Ministry International, which is “To train national youth workers for existing local churches within the people groups of the world.”
Every youth worker in the United States should be involved somehow in the training of youth workers internationally. Here are some benefits of being a global youth worker:
Five Benefits of Being a Global Youth Worker
- Personal obedience – everyone should be involved in world missions because God has commanded us to make disciples of all nations. Your participation in global youth ministry will strengthen your personal relationship with God.
- An example for your students. If you expect your young people to have a heart for missions, they need to see that you have a heart for missions. Being a global youth worker will allow them to see your burden for the nations.
- An example for your church. I always hope that my youth ministry can be an example to the church. If I am interested and involved in global missions, my students will be an example for the church through their support for global missions.
- Fulfillment using your gifts in global ministry. You may not believe me when I say this, but you have something to offer. You can pray more specifically by getting to know other youth workers overseas. You can come for a week. You can mentor long-distance. You could even go long term to train others. There are too many opportunities, and there are many different ways you can use your gifts.
- You can use your experience. Someone once told me that everything that happens to us is just part of the training for what God has for us in the future. You have experience and training that others do not, and this experience and training that you have had in your life should be put to use in the training of others.
If you’re interested in training youth workers internationally, please leave me a comment or contact me. Youth Ministry International is constantly looking for international trainers, and I’d love to talk to you more about the opportunities there are all over the world.
Being back in the United States for us as missionaries is sometimes an awkward time.
For example, when people ask us where we’re from, we don’t have a great answer because we’re from more than one place. Even in our own hometown in Florida, we have trouble explaining where we’re from. “Home” is two different places. Going “home” depends on where we’re currently located.
People automatically assume you’re on vacation. They don’t realize that you are connecting with donors, speaking at churches, trying to find new donors, and continuing to work on your other job in your field (for me, I’m still preparing for classes at the Seminary and making plans for our programs there).
It’s also pretty funny when we get excited about some new product that’s been out on the market for a while but is new to us because we’ve been away. It’s especially funny when the product is food in the grocery store.
The good news is we finally bought our tickets to go back to Mexico! We leave from Miami on September 18. The awkward time of being in the States is coming to a close. Now comes the awkward time of transitioning back into our life in Mexico.
(Image: Welcome to the USA – taken at the border)
I was reading Tim’s blog the other day, and he said that he had never done a missions trip with a missions organization.
I think Tim gives some valid points about not using a missions organization, and I also think there are some good points for using a missions organization to organize your mission trip.
I’ve had the chance to lead countless short term teams during our time in Mexico (and before), so here are my thoughts on the subject.
Advantages of Taking a Missions Trip with a Missions Organization
- Lasting ministry by partnering with someone who’s “on the ground.” I know you can do this on your own, if you have the right contacts, but missions organizations spend a lot of time developing relationships with the national ministries with whom you’ll be working, allowing your two week ministry to have a lasting impact with less work for you.
- Short term trip fits into a long term strategy. Two weeks in a foreign country will do more for your students than it will for the local ministry. But, we should expect our time on a mission trip to play a part in a longer-term strategy. That’s where a missions organization comes into play.
Our strategy with YMI is to allow short term teams (called Quest Teams) to model youth ministry so that the local churches will invite us to train youth workers for their churches.
- Safety from working with an organization that knows the territory. The missions organization can help take care of insurance and help alleviate other safety issues that you might not be aware of in the region where you are going.
- Administration hassles are handled by someone else, giving you more time to minister to your students. I’m usually the guy at the missions organization doing most of the ground work such as keeping track of finances, deciding where to get food, details about lodging, and many, many other details. The youth pastor definitely gets to give his opinion and input, but he doesn’t have to worry about that stuff because the missions organization takes care of it for him.
- Quality experiences for all involved. This can happen if you plan your own mission experience or if you go with an organization. The point is to be involved in missions and give students an experience with missions that will impact them for eternity.
We are open to having groups come work with us in Mexico. If you are interested in bringing a group to Mexico to work with us, contact us or YMI’s home office.
(image by: JPhilipson on Flickr)
