What’s Holding You Back From Going on a Missions Trip?
We want to help you push past your fears & excuses and live out the task God has called us all to,
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
Keep reading for advice on how to overcome the obstacles and excuses that may be holding you back form going and serving!
Excuse #1: I’m waiting on God’s call/approval. A response I often get when I ask people about going on a mission trip with DFM is, “I will pray about it and see if God is calling me to go/if it is His will for me to go”. Can I just go ahead and answer this one for you? YES! God is calling you to go. It is His will for ALL of us to go!⠀
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As followers of Christ, we would never stop and say, I will pray and see if God wants me to forgive people, if He wants me to love people, if He wants me to pray, if He wants me to worship. Why? Because He has made it clear in His Word that we are to do those things. Well, He has also made it clear that it is His will for us to Go.⠀
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“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’ Mark 16:15⠀
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“Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3⠀
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“But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” – Romans 10:14⠀
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“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples”.-1 Chronicles 16:24⠀
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“Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”- Matthew 28:19-20⠀
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I love what singer/song writer Keith Green said. “Jesus Commands us to go- it should be the exception if we stay.”
Excuse #2: I don’t have the money. I’ll be honest and say that it’s a legitimate reason that many people lean on to not GO. With family, bills, kids, necessities, and responsibilities, it can seem like a big burden and impossibility. However, I can attest that when you trust in God to provide for your needs, He will not only provide them but will give more than needed, especially when you are making a difference in His name. I have seen God provide for me in so many ways while going on Mission trips. Work hard, yes. Do all that you can to sow into your own trip, but then believe for the impossible! If God has called us to GO then He will provide the way. (Leigh Shepherd, DFM full-time missionary in Guatemala)⠀
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Matthew 6:31-32⠀
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”⠀
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Matthew 7:7 ⠀
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 21:22 “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” ⠀
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John 15:16⠀
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”⠀
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Mark 10:27⠀
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.
Excuse #3: I don’t speak the language.
With the purpose of a missions trip being to serve others and share the gospel message, the ability to communicate with the people your trying to share the gospel with is pretty important. The good news is that on all of our trips there are interpreters with our teams at all times that are ready and equipped to help you connect with the people you encounter. Using interpreters gives us the opportunity to support them and provide them a steady job, as well as it provides us the chance to encourage them and share the gospel with them.
Still nervous? Think on this…Do you really have to speak a person’s language to show them the love of Christ? Put your actions to work and be the hands and feet of Jesus to the men, women, and children you encounter. Don’t let your inability to speak the language be something that holds you back. There are so many ways to get around this issue. A week in the country, immersed in the language may just be a magnificent start to you learning the language! It’s okay to be nervous and feel inadequate, but don’t let that hold you back. God equips those He calls.
1 John 3:18
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue only, but in deed and truth.
Excuse #4: I’m too young/old. Think you are too old/young for a missions trip? NO WAY!⠀
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It is true that Dirty Feet Missions is very hands on with our trips. No one is just an observer. However, we work really hard at making sure there is something for everyone to do. If digging footers, mixing cement ,passing buckets is not in your area of physical ability, we can still put you to “work” trust me.⠀
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You can sit and tie rebar for a house build, help lead a vacation bible school for children, sort medicine for a medical clinic, and one thing that DFM teams all do…. Build relationships with the locals and bring the Hope of Jesus Christ to them. There is no age requirement for that.
Excuse #5: I can’t leave my family. For sure leaving behind your children/spouse can be difficult. You just have to remember that leaving your family for a week to go on a trip doesn’t mean you are abandoning them. Rather, you can be an example to them; an example of a willing, humble, and obedient servant of God. Generosity, empathy, and humility are values that we all wish to instill in our children. What better way to show your children than to give them a living, breathing example of what it looks like to make a difference in the world we live in.⠀
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We in no way want to say that family takes a back seat to ministry. DFM believes in family! Our staff and ministry are based on making our families a priority. However, we will say that leaving our loved ones behind on occasion is definitely part of the sacrifice and calling. Serving God and people never comes without sacrifice. ⠀
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Sit down with your family, tell them your heart to want to go serve others and get them on-board with your passion and vision. Initiate the help of others (friends, grandparents) to fill in the gaps for you while you are gone and then GO and watch God move not only in the people’s lives you are going to serve but also in the life of your family. [Matthew 10:37-39⠀
“Whoever loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”] • [Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4]
Ready to go? Click here to sign up for our 2020 trips: http://www.dirtyfeetmissions.org/trips