A mission trip is not just a one-week experience to check a box. An intentional mission trip that is outcome-driven provides an opportunity to bring out Philippians 2:2-11 for the restoration of dignity and fulfilling purpose so that people can walk in freedom.
A mission trip, The 410 Way, is a catalyst that can propel us into action by changing our perspective of how we view the world, how we view our world.
Jesus and His Team
While on His mission on this earth, one of the very first things Jesus Christ did just before he set out on His mission journey was to select a team. During His mission journey, Jesus Christ worked with a team, each one with his own strengths (gifts, skills, talents) and weaknesses. Jesus Christ walked with His team, developing and empowering them in preparation for their own mission journey. The disciples went through different team dynamics. They had to learn how to work with each other, to build each other to fulfill the mission.
Challenging a Worldview
Secondly, Jesus Christ spent His time impacting people through the Gospel by challenging their worldview (mindset). He did this by using stories (parables) and meeting people’s needs through works of service and in action (miracles, signs and wonders).
Now let’s get back to the big question, “Why Come to Kenya on a Mission Trip? Why come on a mission trip as opposed to just giving money and not come.”
Well, let’s go back to our ideal example as followers of Jesus Christ as highlighted above.
When on a mission trip, the first thing to have in place is putting together a team of people from different backgrounds and with different strengths and weaknesses. Just like the body of Christ is One (1 Corinthians 12:12-27), the team on a mission trip is empowered to build each other just like iron sharpens iron for the good of the mission of The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Right from creation, God designed man to do things as a team, in partnership with, not alone (Genesis 2:20-22).
Relationships and Impact
Relationships is central to God’s great redemption plan. Everything about God and His work for Kingdom impact centers around relationships with people and partnership for His glory. A mission trip team provides a platform to bring out the gifts, skills and talents, some of which are discovered during the trip through relationships with the team members and the people in the community. A mission trip through The 410 Bridge is intentional in that it provides opportunities for discipling of individuals in the mission trip team as well as people in the community.
When we come to accept Jesus Christ to LORD over our lives, we step up to join in The Great Commission. To do this, one needs to be empowered to share The Gospel with confidence through Jesus Christ. One of the most effective ways of developing someone is through the following leadership principles: I do. You watch; I do. You help; You do. I help. We talk; You do. I watch. We talk; You do. Someone else watches.
When we take a deeper dive into these principles, this is exactly how Jesus developed His team to become global changers.
Sharing the Gospel
A mission trip to Kenya will provide multiple opportunities to share The Gospel through practicing how to share testimonies and journey of faith with not only the team you’ve come with, but also with the people we get to interact with in our communities. This in turn will grow our confidence in ministering with the people God puts in our lives and once we get back home the experience we have received will enable us empower others to do the same causing a ripple effect for Kingdom impact.
In addition to the above, once we get to the community, apart from the relational experiences and platforms for acts of service, our worldview will be empowered to think differently on how to sustainably address the poverty issue.
We receive a deeper Biblical understanding of God’s heart for the world. We get to see how God works in different communities, in different ways. Just like the experiences and stories of Jesus Christ led to the transformation of lives, a mission trip to Kenya provides an opportunity to meet with the real people on the ground whose lives have been transformed through our partnership, hear their stories first-hand and get a glimpse of experiencing how they spend their time by sharing in that time with them.
This not only impacts your mission trip team members, but it also goes a long way in impacting the community when they get a first-hand experience sharing their life with mission trip team member (s).
So, Why Come on a Mission Trip to Kenya?
Because the heart of a mission trip is to transform the life of all the people involved to advance Kingdom impact by making the decision to allow Jesus Christ to LORD over one’s life then come home to empower and impact others to do the same.
A mission trip through The 410 Bridge provides a great opportunity to understand a sense of community and provides a platform for The Body of Christ to utilize skills, gifts and talents in a global environment.
