Through fundraising, plane rides, unique foods, foreign culture, and more, you’ve just experienced big things during your overseas missions trip. You may feel that your overseas trip was brutal, excellent, or maybe both. How do you process your short-term missions trip?
You’ll want to consider a few things:
Time to process your short-term missions trip
You’ll likely need some time to ponder what happened on your trip. Your perspective may change from the first week you got back to a month later. For instance, on your first trip to your hometown grocery store you might have been shocked that there were 50 types of cheese, but it was hard to find one slice overseas. After a month, you may not notice. How do you feel about having what you need at your fingertips? Whatever you experienced, you can take a few hours to get away with God and ask Him to process with you.
Room to remember what God did
Make sure to give yourself some room to remember, to feel, and to think about what God did in you and through you. Skimming through your photos and texts may help, or reviewing your journal entries. While you’re thinking back on your trip, your could try connecting with a close team member or a friend you made overseas.
Thanksgiving to God and others
Thank God and the people He used to send you overseas. You may have raised more money than you ever needed outside of college tuition. God’s the source, and He used some good people to help you gain cross-cultural experience. Given that, you could try to set aside some time to write thank-you notes that provide a quick verbal snapshot of something God did on your trip.
