Keeping the Mission Flame Alive in Young Hearts

The summer is coming to a close. Families are gearing up for a new school year. College students are enjoying a last hurrah before classes start in a few weeks. Time goes by.

Yet, something happened during the summer months that was consequential in the lives of those who participated—children, teens, and college students experienced what it was like to serve in missions. Whether it was a week-long service-oriented local missions activity, a month helping in low-income or devasted areas of the country, or an overseas summer mission trip, young people from Christian churches and organizations put down their phones and picked up tools, children’s VBS materials, or passports to look outside their own worlds and get a glimpse into the lives of people different from themselves.

If given the chance, many of those who participated would report to their churches or families what they learned from the experience. There may be tears from the suffering they saw. Many would say it taught them new things about God and his Word. Most would say it pulled them out of their comfort zones.

But now, reports have been given, routine is restored, and the summer is coming to a close. Will these experiences be forgotten—just another “fun” trip to add to their already busy lives? What can we as parents, sponsors, and missionaries do to keep the flame for missions burning in the hearts of these young people?

Parents

As parents, you may have sent your child off with fear and trepidation. Though you are proud of them for wanting to serve the Lord in a new way, you also just wanted them safely home. Now they’re home. You got your wish. Do you just breathe a sigh of relief and go to the next item on your daily schedule?

My prayer is that as a Christian parent, you will be asking the Lord how you can build on your child’s experience and spur them on to more “love and good works.” If they returned with an excitement to grow in their walk with Christ as a result of this experience, maybe it’s time to step up in your discipleship of your child by suggesting a Bible-reading guide that you can do together. Use the dinner hour for conversations related to their experiences and talk about how they can continue to serve God during the school year.

Planning for the next trip is always a good incentive to keep the excitement going. You can brainstorm with your child about the possibility of a family mission-trip or talk with them about suggestions you can offer to their youth group leader.

If they made connections with a person they served, talk about ways they can continue to communicate with that person or help them. Make sure you are praying first together about what that might look like, as you want to help and not hurt. Connect with the trip facilitator to ensure you’re not causing a security issue or creating expectations that can’t be sustained.

The best way to grow your child’s enthusiasm for missions is to pray for the Lord to continue to work in their lives, giving them a heart for the nations. Keep the conversation going both ways—with God and with your child—and watch what he will do.

Mission Trip Sponsors

I know the church calendar is packed. Leaders move from one season of activity to another, and it’s not easy to keep up or stay above water. For most, once a trip is over, we tend to just check the box off and move on. I get it. It’s a natural tendency.

However, even pastors and youth group leaders often neglect the fact that the Spirit of God has moved in the hearts of the young people who’ve participated in a mission trip, no matter how short or seemingly insignificant. These are seeds in the lives of young believers that he uses to grow their faith and call to service. We cannot neglect the watering of these seeds, so they can continue to grow and bear fruit. But how? What do we do as leaders to keep the fire going when there is so much else going on?

As you’re discipling, teaching, and talking about new and relevant topics, seek to relate it to what they experienced on a past mission trip. Sustaining memories of God’s work in the lives of his people is a big part of the work of pastors and leaders. We need to keep those memories alive throughout the year by talking about them and building on them.

Holding a debrief session shortly after a team’s return from a trip is a great way to begin to get them to brainstorm on possible future projects. What worked in the last trip? What didn’t? How could we have been better prepared? What did the kids or teens feel they were lacking in preparation for the trip? Do we need to know God’s Word better? Do we need ways to practice sharing the gospel in our neighborhood before going to other places?

If necessary, plan sessions to discuss missions and potential future activities and trips with kids. Work it into your schedule now, so it’s not forgotten. Don’t forget to keep other chaperones and parents in the loop. Talk about how to keep the excitement going and doing things better next time. Help parents to keep the conversations going within the walls of their homes, too.

Missionaries

Perhaps you were on the receiving end of one of these groups of young people. Hosting volunteers takes a LOT of energy and planning, and once it’s over, you’re exhausted. I get it. Still, who knows better than a missionary that most of us answered the call to long-term service because we, too, served in some short-term capacity. We are the results of those seeds God planted in our hearts through mission activities and trips.

Even if you felt the trip was a disaster or didn’t see much fruit from the efforts of the team, that doesn’t mean God was not at work in the hearts and lives of the young people who participated. If you have a connection with either the team leader or the individual members, I encourage you to write them from time to time (put it on your calendar, if necessary). Let them know what’s happening in the area where they served. If someone came to the Lord or is growing in their faith or has a pressing prayer need, share it with the team. Keep them engaged in informed prayer. They are now a part of your work—God’s work—in the lives of those you serve. Let them continue to be a part. You still need them, whether they ever come back to your place of service or not.

The debate continues over the efficacy of short-term and volunteer mission work, but despite the questions, it is clear that our God can take the tiniest of things and bring big change in a person’s life. Let’s not hinder his work in the lives of our young people who are the next generation of missionaries, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Instead, let’s spur them on, building them up in their faith and giving them continued opportunities to step out in service for the building of the Kingdom of God. To His Glory.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Mission Monday post, click HERE, or check out these other posts on summer missions and children: Go Experience. Go for Good, Let Not Your Heart be Hardened, Small Groups Big Support, and Volunteer.