Glimpse of Missions Through Short-Term Trips

In my mobilization travels to schools, I engage with students about missions.  A common theme in 2020-2022 was a request to experience and consider missions as being a part of a team.  Team church planting is exactly how we plant churches with Avant!  Short term team trips as well as summer internships give hands on learning and a “taste and see” of church planting!  Our prayer is for our short-term missionaries to consider long term team church planting! 

It is encouraging to see how the Lord is bringing short term teams together that want to seek the Lord in missions. Many people have prayed for these opportunities, and we are seeing those prayers be answered! From May 5-June 4, I’ll be leading a team of 5 young women (aged 20-31) to visit 2 of our church planting teams in Poland and Slovenia and to our media center and camp in Spain. The trip is designed to give on-field experience and pre-trip discipleship. Each young woman has agreed to be a part of 16+ hours of online mission’s discipleship. Our two hours twice a month fly by as we look at Scripture, pray and discuss different mission themes.  We have been learning God’s heart for the nations and how we as believers can go, pray, send, and mobilize others to the field.  

Traveling to an unreached region of the world that Avant is actively planting churches in is a main goal, followed with experiencing being part of a team that does missions discipleship training.  At Avant we desire to equip our members with Pre Field training, laying the foundation so that they can be better equipped for life on the field. The team will experience new cultures, food, and the everyday life of our Avant missionaries. The women will grow in their prayer dependence and in the relationship with Christ as they experience many new firsts- raising support, traveling overseas, learning new languages, meeting people of other cultures, traveling and navigating the unknown. Interpersonal skills and effective communication will also be part of the team’s experience. We hope they gain a new level of trust and faith in God- in His design of them and His purposes for their life.

Experiencing a short-term mission trip with Avant is a great way to explore God’s world and the gifts God has given you!  Pray for many more to join us in short-term opportunities to engage in learning the heart of our Lord for the nations!