10 Keys to Prepare Teens for a Missions Experience

Written by Kyle Cravens

Whether your teen is a mission trip “veteran” stoked about his next adventure or a “rookie” wondering what the future holds, preparation is essential to a great experience. Here are a few steps you can take to assist your teen as he gets ready for the challenge of sharing the gospel at home or abroad. 

1. Participate in the Decision. Discuss ways the mission trip could benefit your child and the people she will serve. Allow her to share concerns or reasons for fear. Involve the entire family through prayer and devotion times.

2. Prioritize Pre-trip Meetings. The trip leader will undoubtedly hold meetings for participants. Stress the importance of these times for gathering information, bonding, and planning. Help your teen clear his schedule and put the meetings on the calendar in advance.

3. Raise Financial Support. If your child is responsible to pay for the trip, prepare a support letter and pray about who should receive it. As money comes in, send thank-you notes. In addition, encourage your teen to save as much money as possible and consider hosting creative fund-raising events.

4. Research the Location. Look for details about the climate, terrain, the culture, and the needs of the people. Search the Internet or books from the library for this information.

5. Assist with Packing. Make a list of items to pack. Think light-weight and only pack what she will need. Remember to label her bags with some distinguishing mark.

6. Provide Spiritual Guidance. Direct your teen to create a chart that begins 30 days before leaving and assign an Old Testament and New Testament reading for each day. Help him prepare a list for each of the 30 days, including fellow travelers and the people he will serve. Teach him how to keep a journal in the weeks leading up to the trip.

7. Help Prepare a Testimony. Help your child write a testimony of Christ’s work in her life. Include her life before Christ, her decision to accept Christ, and what He is doing in her life now. Encourage her to practice sharing this with you and other family members.

8. Focus on Assignments. If your teen will be working with children, encourage him to work with children at church or in an after-school program. If he will doing yard work, help him practice using the proper equipment.

9. For International Trips, Secure a Passport and Vaccinations. To avoid possible snags, complete and mail the paperwork required for a passport as soon as possible. Your group leader likely will know which vaccinations your child will need. If not, your doctor should be able to help with these shots.

10. Be There. On departure day, go with her, pray for her, and take photos to create memories for the future. Pray daily while she is gone and email her if possible.

Experiencing hands-on mission work can be transformational, but you need a strong start. Help your teen effectively prepare for his trip, so he can catch a vision for living a life on mission even after he returns home.

Kyle Cravens serves as an event coordinator in the Student Events area of LifeWay. Through the years, he has helped many students grow spiritually through a wide variety of camp and mission experiences.

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