any of us have given money to mission projects at some point in our lives. Growing up Adventist, I participated in many Thirteenth Sabbath programs, special times when foreign missions are spotlighted and opportunities given to contribute our offerings. The back page of our Sabbath school quarterly always highlights projects in some part of the world that benefits from our mission offerings.
Yet while being conditioned to sending money, adult missionaries, and pastors to do mission work, it’s difficult for some to adjust to the idea of sending teenagers and young adults to do this kind of work. After all, isn’t it just better to send money and let those who live in the mission field do the work? Wouldn’t we save thousands of dollars in plane tickets, meals, and lodging if we just sent the money without sending the kids?
Yes, financially speaking, we would save money. But perhaps we’d waste lots of youthful energy, leadership talent, and future love for the church and its mission if we sent only the money.
I would never criticize the traditional way of supporting missions; I’ve done it all my life and I continue to encourage it today. I would just offer a different perspective that has proven helpful to younger generations of Adventists, as well as to churches and leaders who have implemented it.
Potential Benefits
Youth and young adult mission trips are not organized because they are financially feasible; mission trips change lives and bring long-term, eternal results. A mission trip gives its participants—whether teens, young adults, or adults—the opportunity to grow closer to Christ while raising money for the benefit of others, establishing lasting friendships, creating unforgettable memories, learning to love others, working side by side with people of other generations, and getting involved in leadership.
The mission trip experience is a tool of empowerment, which marks our young people as long as they live. It causes today’s youth to become more faithful to God and to the church and its mission. A mission experience also makes relevant to younger generations the importance of giving to Sabbath school mission projects.
The Department of Adventist Youth Ministries of the Greater New York Conference leads several mission trips every year. The countries of the Philippines, Mexico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Haiti, as well as the city of New York and the Gulf Coast of the United States, have benefited from the commitment and love for missions of the Adventist teens, young adults, and adults of Greater New York. Throughout the United States, Canada, and Bermuda there are plenty of opportunities to join various domestic and international mission projects, whether they be long-term (lasting up to a year) or short-term (a week or two).
If you’re a teen or a young adult, I encourage you to take a missionary journey. Check with your pastor, youth leader, or local conference youth department for opportunities. Your life will never be the same. Don’t hesitate to bring a friend who isn’t a Christian; the experience can change your friend’s life also.
If you’re a parent, local youth leader, or pastor, remember: unless your youth and young adults are involved in ministry, they will soon be missing from your church’s pews. Take time to lead them in an out-of-the-ordinary missionary experience. When you return you’ll have great friendships, decisions for baptism, renewed commitments, and some hardworking young leaders and missionaries ready to do something for the Lord in your local church.
Think about it, plan it, and take some potential church leaders on a mission project as soon as you can. In the months and years to come you will be glad you did.
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Jose Cortes, Jr., leads the department of Adventist Youth Ministries in the Greater New York Conference. He has led more than 15 youth and young adult mission trips and projects in New York City, the United States, and several countries in the world. This article was published February 25, 2010.
