Mission Trip Checkup: Returning Homeنموونە

Continue the Work

Have you ever been to the doctor for a checkup, gotten a clean bill of health, and STILL had the doctor suggest exercise?

No matter how healthy one is, exercise is a standard requirement that prevents loss of muscle, agility, etc., keeping a body strong and in motion.

So, what does exercise look like after a mission trip? And how does one exercise and rest at the same time?

Exercise post-mission is the long-term process of keeping alive what was born on-mission. Without exercise, it’s possible much of what you observed and learned could be forgotten and your part of the mission will have ended the day you left.

You will probably have a post-trip buzz, and that’s great because others need to know your enthusiasm for what God did. But as time goes by and the excitement fades, commitment to exercise will keep alive what gripped you at that pivotal time and thus continue the work that began on mission.

Rest and exercise, done well, can achieve the same purpose by strengthening and improving the areas that you regularly choose to focus on. So choose to stay in motion, commit your efforts to God, and the Lord will help you keep up the good work!

Practical Considerations:

• Tell others what you experienced. Accept opportunities to share about what God did during your trip, whether publicly (such as at your church or small group) or one-on-one with someone who needs the encouragement.
• Share what God taught you.
• Journal – in detail.
• Sponsor a child – or more than one – in the country/region where you served.
• Raise support for the needs you saw.
• Stay in touch with the people you met.
• Commit to pray for the residents and the missionaries.