Mission trips are a staple of youth ministry. They help us get our students out of their mundane, day-to-day existence and into a spiritual adventure. Mission trips provide opportunities for some of the greatest spiritual growth we've ever seen.
However, they also have the potential to turn south in a hurry. We've experienced it all -- from travel nightmares to leader meltdowns to puking parties to the total loss of all control. There was the time Steve spent 84 hours in travel hell for 1 day in Mexico. Mathew once pulled a giant dookie out of the toilet in the Andes so that everyone could puke more freely. And this episode ends with the story of when Mathew's group went all "Tom Hanks" on the Island of Rotting Mangoes, waiting to be rescued by the El Salvadorian Navy.
But hey, we survived with stories to tell, and you will, too!
Just be ready for the inevitable Mission Trip Disaster.