Harpers All In : Meet The Harper Tribe: Kid's & Short-term mission trips

I often get asked questions about taking kids on short-term mission trips. This is just me sharing my heart on short term trip's and why fear should not play a role in taking your kids along. Hopefully some of your questions will be answered, you will be encouraged & God will shed some light on why families SHOULD take their children on short term trips. If you are unsure or fearful of taking them remember that God is not the Father of fear.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control ~2 Tim 1:7

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:9

Fear is by far the biggest obstacle when it comes to taking your kids on Short term mission trips (STM's) So many unknowns; will it be overwhelming for my kids, is there clean water, where will we sleep, is the travel too long, what if they get sick, what if, what if, what if.... Many of these questions there are answers to and the answers will vary depending on where you are traveling to. Whether you are headed to another state or another country these are all legitimate questions. For us we felt without a doubt that God wanted them to go with us & I personally had to pray through the fear. And yes their were parts of the trip that were hard, and parts that were boring & parts that were emotional. But. It. Was. All. Good!!! Good for their hearts, good for their relationship with God, & good for those that they encountered.

We found with our little's, that the STM's resulted in our children learning at an early age a deeper compassion for others & a sense of generosity that can so easily be lost in our society. Children are Completely. Capable. of grasping the cultural differences, seeing the real heart issues of those they encounter & knowing that Jesus is the answer for those issues. They 'Get it!" they really do. What a great way to teach our children that 'they ARE the church.'

We personally experienced our children playing soccer, jumping rope, & sitting and holding hands with children that didn't even speak the same language. Our children came out of their shells and allowed God to use them in ways we had never seen. It was such a joy to watch them be Jesus to other children, to lead worship songs, to organize soccer teams & to share there feelings and thoughts in a room of adult team members. Seriously this mama heart was a wreck!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~James 1:27

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ~Matthew 28:19

***Short-term mission trips without a doubt will have LONG-term effects on your children.***
It is a decision you will never regret!