1. How have you changed since the trip?
Changes will begin from the inside out. But it’s important to acknowledge each one. If you move along with your life without exploring what you saw, heard, and felt during your time serving, everything will eventually become a blur.
Notice the inward development, and uncover the details by recalling your most memorable senses.
2. What stuck out to you the most?
What story is it that you find yourself sharing with others or replaying in your head again and again? There’s probably major significance to that moment. Was it the look in a woman’s eyes? The embrace of a man who was healed from a lifelong illness? Maybe it was playful children kicking up dust from the streets, and you remember their chorus of laughter.
Think about what stuck out to you the most.
3. What did you learn about God?
The whole purpose behind a mission’s trip is to go and make disciples. Through this calling, WE, also, learn about God! We see that He loves people from all over the world. We see that though culture may be diverse, we can still come before God with the same hearts. Our perspective of God often shifts after returning home from a mission’s trip. We gain a better understanding and draw closer to Him.
Note what you have learned about your Creator!
4. How do you want to show up in the world differently based on what you’ve learned?
Here is when the action happens. You have discovered what has changed, identified your most significant experience, and noted what you have learned about God. Now, what do you want to do about that? How do you want these discoveries to impact your life? You can choose to come home ignoring what you felt and saw and live a life completely unaffected, or you can choose to incorrporate what you have experienced and be better for letting the changes affect your actions and behaviors.
Be intentional about how you plan to show up in the world differently.
5. What can you put in place to remember what you learned from the trip?
Choosing something symbolic is a great way to remember a mission’s trip. Did you bring home a meaningful souvenir? Is there a Bible verse that stuck out to you? Make that verse the background of your phone! Place your souvenir somewhere in your home that you see every day.
Set yourself up to remember your trip’s impact.
God opened the door and gave you a life-changing opportunity to be a part of a mission’s team, so do your best to get the most out of your experience by working through the questions above and preparing your heart for the life-changes that can occur after a mission’s trip.
