Things I learned or remembered for Mission Trips ~
*Days are LONG
*Sometimes schedules don't work
*Plans are great but be flexible
*People everywhere are longing for friendship, a friendly smile, a hug, a positive word, encouragement.
*Its not about us
*We need to get ourselves and our egos out of the way so the Lord can work through us and through situations.
*Teamwork is essential.
*No whining, backbiting, pouting or strong language
*Drink plenty of water or Gatorade (2 got dehydrated last week)
*Eat vegies & fruit, plus the meat & starches ~~~ not just junk.
*Help wherever you see a need ~ even if its not "your job" ~ we appreciated all the extra kitchen help last week when the rest of the team had downtime. The dishwashing, chopping vegies, making salad, etc. was all a blessing to us.
*Rest when you can. 10 minutes with your feet propped up can work wonders on your energy level and your attitude.
*Don't assume anything.
*Blessings come unexpectedly. We were blessed with free food to prepare for the group through a donation from the host church. Our team then got a hot entrée for lunch in addition to the sandwich fixings.
*The "strangers" you got on the bus with to travel to the destination are "friends" by the time you ride the bus back home.
*Its awesome to watch your children grow in their confidence with ministry and service. Amy worked on a VBS team, worked with the blockparties, and helped in the kitchen ~ morning, noon and night.
*It takes all types of people & their gifts to make an effective team.
*Not everyone has the same convictions as you do with regards to many different issues. We need to make sure ours are based on the Bible and its teachings.
*Make time to pray & read the Bible. It is possible to get up and get going and not stop till you drop in the bed. Its better to spend some time with the Lord and rely on Him.
*Watching my husband cook & create over the course of a week is fun. As one gal said "He can take normal ingredients and turn them into something you never expected." ~ which in these cases was really tasty.
*Pack what you need and use what you pack. Don't overpack. Or in our case this week ~ we underpacked a few things and needed to make a Walmart run.
*Expect to be tired ~ it will happen.
*Keep good records of what you fixed and how much ~ it will be helpful on future trips. We are going back next year.
That's all I can think of right now. I am sure more will jump into my head at unexpected moments!
Happy Monday & Happy July 1st!
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Monday, July 1, 2013
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Welcome to the farm ~ we are a blended family with 7 children (3 are married), 4 grandsons, 5 dogs, 3 rabbits, and 15 chickens living on 3 acres in Georgia. I love crafting, sewing, cooking & canning, recipes of all kinds, reading, playing with my little buddies, family time, travel, pinterest and most of all the Lord.
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WOW you got a lot out of that trip. A lot of great tips.
ReplyDeleteQuestion from a curious mission trip planner: How much per head per meal do you allow? Your meals look fantastic but wondered how much you were able to do it for knowing you are probably doing it as cheaply as possible.
ReplyDeleteDonna, I think its about $50 per person for the week. We do look for deals and we have a wholesale membership (we have a business license for catering). With the membership we bought lots of the fresh vegies, and meats. Lots was bought at a Sams club and then the rest at the local Walmart. The church we cooked at got a large food shipment for charity families and they gave us lots of food also which we were able to use. In Honduras we do a hot breakfast and dinner & sandwiches, chips, packaged crackers/cookies for lunches (the medical & construction teams are in the field during lunch time)We also do lots of casserole type dishes. Hope this helps!
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