According to the Barna Group, Despite Benefits, Few Americans Have Experienced Short-Term Mission Trips. “Just 9% of Americans have ever been on one of these brief service trips, including only 11% of churchgoers.” However, I would imagine those numbers have increased significantly over a period of 10 years since this research was done.
You receive the letters like I do. Someone in your family, or a friend has felt led to go on a short-term mission trip or to summer camp. Now they need to raise the money. Possibly you’ve written one of those letters. It makes sense. Reach out to others and ask them to support a cause you feel passionate about. It works and it should work that way. It’s possibly the only way that many could ever experience a life changing mission trip or summer camp. But then there are those who, even if they wanted to go on a mission trip, do not have the network of people willing or able to financially support them.
It was some time during the school year in 2016, maybe after I got one of those letters, that I started to think about who does and doesn’t get to go on short-term mission trips. So I started to ask the kids in our groups the three questions.
- Have you been on a mission trip or to camp?
- Would you like to go on a mission trip or summer camp?
- If you want to go why have you not?
It’s important to understand the type of kids we mainly work with. Inner city, less fortunate and flat broke. Their answers shocked me. I guess not so much in a sense that it surprised me they have not gone on a trip, but more so that they would want to go. But then of course they would want to go. Who wouldn’t want to have an opportunity to experience an impacting, life changing experience like a mission trip or summer camp?
What really saddened me was the fact that not one of these kids would ever have the chance. They don’t have the connections or resources like you and I do.
That was it. I was on a mission to provide an opportunity for maybe a few to go. Dare To Serve is going to raise the funding to offer an opportunity for these kids to Serve at summer camp. We are partnering with Sabine Creek Ranch. Dare To Serve will be bringing kids to Sabine Creek to Serve in the cafeteria during a high school camp.
So now it’s my turn to write one of those letters. Will you partner with us to send as many kids as we can? Not for the fun or just a chance to get away, but an opportunity to Serve in a way that your kids and my kids have experienced.
A few dollars will help. And maybe you have more than a few to give.
Click the button to sponsor a kid now!