I haven't go to other countries ....

Great question - and I have to reply because my husband and I are leading a group of youth on a mission trip to Uganda in a few days!  We start training them on Sunday and then we leave on Wednesday!  This is the second time we've been to Uganda on a mission trip - the first time was a Jesus Film campaign and this time we will be teaching BIble stories orally.  I've also been to Poland, Slovakia, Austria and the Czech Republic and done some inner city work.  My husband has also been to Brasil and South Africa.  This is our second year of leading kids from all over the states on mission trips in the Summer.  We love it!  There is nothing like it and we would highly recommend it for anyone. It is such an eye opening experience in so many ways.  

I've never gone to another country, but the Methodist church in South Carolina has a camp called Salkehatchie. I've gone every year since I was old enough and it is a wonderful experience. You spend a week doing construction work for people who can't afford or aren't able to fix their houses themselves. It's amazing to see so many youth and college students give up a week of their summers, 200 dollars, and the comfort of their lives to give to people and spread the word of Christ.

<3

I went on two ministry-oriented international choir tours, but I'm never quite sure how to categorize them. However, I heartily recommend it, whatever it was.

I've not gone on a missions trip, and I do want to be open to go where God leads.

How awesome it would be to serve those at "the ends of the earth" who lack both physical food and the spiritual nourishment we have in Jesus Christ.

That's true but we can't overlook those souls who lack both physical food and the spiritual nourishment we have in Jesus Christ right in our own backyards. As we provide for people nearby, we're entering into God's mission on earth. At this point, God has shown me there's a huge enough mission here at home in the U.S. particularly w/in the church herself, since in many churches/denominations, the balance has gone off to so many other things other than the Gospel, which is the Church's lifeblood and message.

I think there's a danger in focusing on missions to the point that we forget we're all called to missions wherever we are (i.e.-we forget all the members of the Body are to be actively using the gifts God has given them to build up His Kingdom). We compartmentalize missions and we're not meant to do that. All our life is to be missional. The Father sent the Son, the Son sends us...some to Jerusalem, some to Judea, some to Samaria, and some to the ends of the earth.

GO GO GO! I feel the same way. I've been going to church camps and spring break mission since I was little, and while there are definitely people here that need help, I believe I'm called to go far away, while others are called to stay here. Finally this summer, in about 2 weeks actually, I'm going to Kenya for about a month. I'm so excited to see what God will show me, and where He may be wanting me to go!

ps. the longer the trip, the better. one month is a good cap off if you don't have a lot of experience with missions work... you generally leave still wanting more. a little past the month mark, you start getting pretty drained and going through even more challenges, and it's important that you're able to stick that through so that you're able to see how God works through those problems, and then you get out of that funk pretty fast. But never leave when it gets hard. The struggle is always a sign that something bigger and usually beautiful is coming, probably regarding your relationship with God.

I went to Mexico in 2002 and it sparked the desire to make that my life style.

There are so many reasons to go on a mission trip. One is that it is so important that we as American Christians see the world outside of us. I have been on missions trips to Belfast, Northern Ireland, Los Angeles, New Zealand, and the Dominican Republic. Each one was unique and special in their own way. Each one taught me things about myself, from selfishness to righteousness, and I still am thinking about trips I went on a decade ago. 

I  paid $888 and went to N'awlins in 1998 with Teen Mania. Worst mistake of my life. They say the are nondenominational or is it interdenominational? anyway, they claim to be welcoming of various denominations. But 2 days into my two week trip, they took me off ministry, because I refused to speak in tongues. They could have sent me home, where I could have been useful in some way, but no they decided to keep me on the trip, and let me carry the sound system, and be a gopher, as long as I did not try to witness to anyone.

I recovered from that expeirence, and went on a summer trip with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  In 2001 I went to Baton Rouge for 10 weeks. Unlike with Teen Mania, I did not have to pay a dime. My round trip ticket was paid for by NAMB, and NAMB even sent me a $600 check to help cover expenses and incidentals.

In 2002 I went on another summer trip with NAMB and this time went to Houston Tx, I got another free plane trip, and another $600 check from NAMB, had so much fun that I stayed on for the fall semester of 2002 and the spring semester of 2003 and got paid $270 a month to help cover expenses. All my housing and food costs were covered by the mission center I was working at in Houston.

In the summer of 2003, the mission center in Houston decided that I needed to broaden my horizons and find some place else to work at. So I resubmitted my application and went on another mission trip with NAMB and this time I went to ___________. I actually can't mention where I went, because I had to sign a peice of paper that said I was not allowed to share some information  because we were working with children who had open cases with Child Protective Services and/or Department of Children and Families. I suppose I could tell you what city I went to, but there is only one Children's home there and so it would kind of give it away. Anyway, I stayed in ______ for 9 weeks

I decided to go on one last mission trip, before finally buckleing down and working on my degree in social work and children's ministry. So in 2004 I submitted another application with NAMB and I was going to go back to _________ but that fell through at the last minute, and so with limited time to find a new city, I told NAMB just to go and talk to the place I went to in Houston and ask them if I could return. Houston said yes and so I literally got on a plane 2 weeks later and flew back to houston

So have I gone on a trip? yes I have gone on a total of 6 (Baton Rouge, Houston 4 times, and _______)  All of them were in the U.S. and each time I got ready to go, I was asked when I would go on a "real trip" and go outside the country. I responded to each comment the same way. "American people need Jesus too"

I do recommend that you go on a mission trip. Particulary since Jesus told us all to witness. But just remember that there are ways to go on a trip for very little money. Even if you do not go to a Southern Baptist Church, if you are in College there may be a Baptist Student Union or Baptist Colliget(sp?) ministries or a Baptist Student Ministries program going on at the college, and if you belong and attend one of those, they will help you get accepted and go. Cost should never be a factor on if you can go or not. 

Finally please remember that mission trips inside the country still count as "real" trips. 

I have been to Mexico (summer 2004) and Kazakhstan (summer 2006).

I would like to go back to Mexico, but don't know if that's ever going to happen.