Would you like to do a “makeover” of your classroom? Decide to include a mission trip in your curriculum. It will bring about changes in attitude and the appearance of your room.
Does a venture such as this take planning? Yes!
Is the cost a sacrifice? Yes!
Do the rewards outweigh the cost? Absolutely!
The mission trip could be to a homeless shelter within your own city or to an Indian village in Costa Rica. Reaching out and ministering to those who are less fortunate will bring you rewards beyond imagination.
Our students just returned from a work and witness trip to Costa Rica. We went with the plan to bless others with our help, with things we considered necessities, with God’s love. We received back an understanding of all the blessings we already hold, from a love and friendship created in a matter of minutes with the Costa Rican people. We returned with tired muscles—but joyous hearts.
Whether we are feeding empty stomachs or reaching out to a hungry soul, God gives the increase. We had the opportunity to help with the building of a worship center where people will continue to learn about the love of Jesus.
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you,” (Luke 6:38, NIV).
How do mission trips help?
1. Children and adults learn new concepts through mission trips. They begin to realize the impact of taking time to build relationships with those who are of the family of God. These lessons are special ones that may never be understood in a regular classroom setting. A mission trip is an opportunity to put into practice all that the Word commands us to do.
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 19-20, NIV).
2. When children share their beliefs with others, it helps to cement those beliefs in their minds.
3. A person leaves a part of himself or herself in what was built or communicated. This is a blessing that only can be experienced—not explained in words. In Costa Rica, for years to come, there will be a house of God on top of a hill for all to see. God gave our group a vision beyond ourselves and our own interests. We had a vision to help all generations know about God through hearing the Word in this facility.
4. We will be reunited someday with the people we met on the mission trip. We will see again in heaven the people we see now in photographs and memories. We will see them, and they will be joined by others who came to know Jesus through the gift of love we left. We will see new and different faces--ones we did not see on our trip—those who came to know Him after we left. They became Christians because we chose to go, we chose to give, and God revealed His love to them.
This opportunity extends beyond homeschool and Christian school classrooms. Nazarene Educators Worldwide is now in the process of planning a mission trip to mentor teachers in Africa. If you have an interest in work and witness trips, watch for updates and information in this newsletter and on the website, www.naznew.org
Contributed by Becky Ramsey, Christian Schools Representative for Nazarene Educators Worldwide. Becky lives in Columbus, Ohio. She just returned from Costa Rica on a work and witness trip with 50 students.
