by Mark Milioni
Mission trips change lives. They change the lives of those who are ministered to — through evangelism, building projects, feeding centers, water wells, and medical stations — and those who go. People are never the same.
But mission trips are costly. They cost a great deal of money. It is expensive to make travel arrangements for a group. They cost a great deal of time. They must be planned for and prayed for months in advance. They cost a great deal of patience. You are dealing with a number of factors beyond human control: people, governments, weather, and spiritual opposition.
But nothing great comes without great cost.
There is a very special bond formed among a group that goes on a mission trip together. It is more than just a shared experience, it is an opportunity to see God bless the sacrificial giving of your time and finances and to see the power of God break language and cultural boundaries as people come to know the Savior you are sharing. It is an opportunity to see churches started and buildings built by your own hands. It is an opportunity to bring physical and spiritual healing. Nothing will instill in you a greater passion for ministry than seeing lives changed for eternity.
I have seen the power of the mission trip in my own family. My brothers both surrendered to the ministry following a trip. My children and my ministry have been changed forever by experiences on mission trips.
Mission trips are so important that every year BBC students are encouraged to participate in a trip. I love hearing their experiences in Africa, Cuba, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Asia, or even in the U.S. They are learning that to change a life is to change the world.