Short-term mission trips often seem like a thing for the young. In fact, a 2008 Barna Group study indicated that the vast majority of “mission trippers” are under 25 years of age. The grown-up problems of getting time off of work and negotiating family responsibilities—not to mention figuring out how to pay for the trip!—are unique issues for adults. Yet, many adult Christians desire to go on a short-term mission trip and possibly have even attended informational meetings but still have too many unanswered questions to feel comfortable making such a commitment.
In Travel Can Be More than a Trip: FAQs for First-time International Mission Trippers, author Janice Byrd provides a resource for adults who are considering the idea of a short-term mission trip and are wanting additional information about what to expect. Each of the book’s 10 chapters answers a common question about mission travel; they cover topics from fundraising to knowing what to pack to avoiding cultural faux pas. The manuscript is easy to navigate so that the reader, if unable to read the book in its entirety, can quickly find answers to top-priority questions.
Peppered with practical advice from a seasoned veteran of short-term mission trips (the author herself has been on more than 60 international trips in six continents), the book begins with Byrd’s first introduction to missions in the late ‘60s as she entered college wanting to be an astronaut. She graduated convicted that her travel would indeed be “other-worldly” but in the realm of international Gospel-sharing instead of in outer space. Her varied missions-related travel experiences in the ensuing 40 years gives her a unique expertise that will leave readers feeling empowered, knowledgeable, and ready to make an informed decision about their first mission trip.
Available as an eBook for iBooks (visit Apple store on your Apple device), for Kindle on Amazon, and for Nook on Barnes & Noble.