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Mission Trips

Looking for short-term mission trips with everything organized for you? Every year, International Volunteer HQ supports more than 15,000 people to volunteer abroad on mission trips in 40+ countries around the world. Since 2007, IVHQ has helped more than 138,000 volunteers complete mission trips to Africa , Asia , Europe , South America , Central America , North America , the Caribbean , Middle East , and the Pacific .

IVHQ offers safe, social and fully-supported mission trips for teens , college students , families and individuals at any stage of life, as well as for those seeking summer mission trips and medical mission trips . With long-term and short-term mission trips starting at just $20/day including accommodation, meals and 24/7 in-country support, IVHQ is the world’s leading mission trip organization.

IVHQ offers both short-term and long-term mission trips with durations ranging from 1 to 24 weeks. Through IVHQ, you can choose from a diverse range of volunteer projects to support, inclduing: childcare volunteering , wildlife conservation , environmental conservation , medical volunteering , teaching abroad , and much more. These international volunteer opportunities enable you to support locally-driven projects that uplift under-resourced communities around the world.

If you’re looking to join a mission trip in 2024 or 2025, we’ve outlined IVHQ’s most popular types of mission trips and all the information you need to know to find your perfect mission.

What is a mission trip?

A mission trip is an international volunteering opportunity centered around collaborative efforts with local communities to provide essential support where it is most needed. These trips can be either religious or non-religious in nature, aiming to uplift individuals, local communities, and natural environments across the globe. IVHQ offers inclusive volunteer abroad programs that welcome participants of all ages and life stages.

Through IVHQ’s diverse range of mission trips , individuals can make a tangible impact while fostering new friendships, discovering diverse cultures, and broadening their horizons—all while contributing to the well-being of those who require assistance the most.

Why do people go on mission trips?

Mission trips are a popular way to combine your desire to travel and see with world with your motivation to give back and make a difference in the world. While some people see mission trips as an opportunity to put their faith into action, others go on mission trips for a variety of non-religious reasons, including:

To make a difference: Many people go on mission trips make a positive impact in the world through providing support to communities in a range of different ways. This could involve volunteering to teach English , building schools or homes , providing medical care , volunteering with animals or supporting environmental conservation .

To gain a new perspective: Traveling to a new country and immersing yourself in a different culture can be a life-changing and transformative experience. Mission trips allow you to see the world with fresh eyes and gain a better understanding of different cultures and ways of life.

To meet new people: Mission trips offer an opportunity to connect with people from all around the world. International volunteers work together towards a common goal, often forming life-long friendships and connections along the way.

To get out of your comfort zone : Mission trips are an opportunity to discover a new sense of purpose by stepping out of your comfort zone, discovering new countries and cultures, and living like the locals. This can be equally challenging and rewarding! Taking a mission trip is an opportunity to growth as person, discover your strengths and weaknesses and redefine your purpose in life.

While people go on mission trips for a variety of reasons, at the heart of it is a desire to make a positive impact on the world, connect with others and build a better future together.

I recently returned from a mission trip to Sri Lanka and it was everything I dreamt it would be. I lived with a family in the jungle next to the longest river in the country, volunteering in a disabled childcare center. I was so happy with the project and had a wonderful - and sometimes challenging - experience. I would recommend this mission trip to anyone who wants to travel alone.

How much does it cost to go on a mission trip?

The cost of going on a mission trip varies depending on the destination and duration of the trip. IVHQ makes mission trips accessible to volunteers worldwide through affordable volunteer program fees and flexible durations.

For example, the cost of a 2-week mission trip with IVHQ to Tanzania is US$415, while a 4-week trip to India is US$585. These costs cover accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, and in-country support from IVHQ’s local team.

Additional costs that volunteers need to consider include the IVHQ registration fee , airfares, travel insurance, and any necessary visas or vaccinations. However, IVHQ provides detailed information and support to help volunteers prepare for their mission trip and manage these additional costs.

It’s worth noting that IVHQ also offers a range of fundraising ideas and resources to help volunteers cover the costs of their trip. For example, volunteers can create a fundraising page via IVHQ’s fundraising partner and share it with friends and family to collect donations.

IVHQ’s fees are transparent and inclusive, making it easy for volunteers to plan and budget for their trip without breaking the bank.

Why do a mission trip with IVHQ?

If you’re looking to join a mission trip, you likely have a social or environmental cause in mind that you’d like to contribute to. Just as you place importance on the program you join, it’s equally as important to choose a responsible mission trip organization.

At IVHQ, we believe that mission trips should contribute positively towards society. Environmental and social impact has always been at the heart of what we do, which is why we’ve undergone rigorous assessment to become a Certified B Corporation , holding us to the highest ethical standards. We’re also the first and only global volunteer travel provider to declare a Climate Emergency and our operations are certified as 100% carbon neutral.

With a B Corp stamp of approval , Program Fees starting at just $20/day including accommodation, and more than 16 years of experience , IVHQ is proud to be the mission trip organization of choice for thousands of individuals and groups looking to take a meaningful mission trip in 2024 & 2025.

Best mission trip opportunities across the globe

IVHQ offers a range of meaningful volunteer programs in Tanzania, Zambia, Victoria Falls, Madagascar, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Zanzibar and Namibia. Explore Africa’s beauty while conserving endangered wildlife or giving back to local communities in need.

Available in 11 countries

IVHQ offers volunteer programs in 15 incredible destinations across Asia, including Bali, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Discover new cultures and play a hands-on role in supporting local social and environmental projects.

North America

Join a volunteer program in Mexico or the USA and choose from a range of meaningful projects, from Childcare and Teaching to Animal Care and Environmental Sustainability. IVHQ’s North American volunteer opportunities are based in New Orleans, or in Merida, Mexico.

Available in 2 countries

Central America

Based in the popular destinations of Costa Rica and Guatemala, IVHQ offers a range of impactful volunteer programs in Central America. Support community initiatives, work alongside locals and embrace unique cultural traditions for up to 24 weeks.

South America

IVHQ’s volunteer trips to South America are based in iconic Latin American locations across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. With unique opportunities in Teaching, Construction, Wildlife Conservation, Medical, Amazon Jungle Conservation, and more, there’s something to suit every volunteer!

Available in 6 countries

IVHQ’s Caribbean volunteer opportunities are based in and around the stunning islands of Jamaica, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico. Give back to the local community through Teaching, Marine Conservation, Childcare, Animal Care and other impact led volunteer projects.

Available in 4 countries

Discover Europe’s rich culture and history on a volunteer program in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Romania or Croatia. Choose from a range of meaningful projects including Wolf Conservation, Youth Support, Teaching, Childcare, Special Needs Support, Environmental Scuba Diving and more.

Middle East

Explore the Middle East on a volunteer trip to Jordan. Choose from a range of community projects such as Youth Support, Women’s Education, Teaching and more. When you’re not giving back, you can explore the Middle East’s unique culture through our exhilarating tours and add-ons.

Available in 1 country

Experience the vibrant culture and welcoming communities of the Pacific on a volunteer trip with IVHQ. Choose from a range of life-enriching programs, from preserving the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and coastal waterways in New Zealand to teaching on the beautiful island of Fiji.

Available in 3 countries

Find the best mission trip for you

• Teens & High School Students
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Mission trips for teens & high school students

Joining a mission trip is one of the best ways to step outside of your comfort zone, gain new perspective and give back to communities in need. IVHQ offers a range of mission trips for high school students and teens , meaning you don’t need to be 18 to go abroad and make a difference.

Since 2007, IVHQ has supported thousands of young people to volunteer around the world on our youth mission trips. More than 20% of our volunteers are under 20, so we know a thing or two about providing life-changing, reliable travel experiences for young explorers.

We offer safe and affordable volunteer opportunities for teens and high school students in 17 destinations around the globe. Learn more about how to join a mission trip for under 18s .

Top mission trips for teens & high school students:

Volunteer in costa rica.

Volunteer in Guatemala

Volunteer in Tanzania

Mission trips for college students

Today’s student demographic is more progressive than ever before. That’s why student mission trips have become a popular alternative to studying abroad. Instead of studying abroad, many are opting for a more meaningful form of international travel - one that is regenerative and makes a positive impact on local communities.

IVHQ offers mission trips for college students in more than 40 countries around the world. Our mission trips to Africa are particularly popular amongst students. With fees starting at just US$20 per day, our low-cost mission trips are an affordable way for students and young professionals to discover a new country and gain a global perspective while making the world a better place.

When you go on a mission trip with IVHQ, you also have the opportunity to gain academic credit while you volunteer from as little as US$599 for 5 credits - making a super affordable alternative to studying abroad!

Top mission trips for college students:

Volunteer in peru.

Volunteer in Victoria Falls

Volunteer in Zambia

Mission trips for families

Planning a family mission trip can be a challenge, especially if you’re trying to accommodate multiple age groups. IVHQ’s fully-hosted mission trips mean that you can get away and make a difference without having to coordinate and plan for the entire family. The best part? Lots of IVHQ programs offer private room and accommodation upgrades at a very affordable price!

If you have young children, IVHQ has great options that will give you quality time together while instilling the values of service. Family mission trip opportunities are available in Africa , Asia , Europe , Central America and South America .

Our team of Volunteer Travel Experts can provide you with personalized family mission trip recommendations to match your budget and the causes you care about. Learn more about how you can go on a mission trip as a family .

Top mission trips for families:

Volunteer in kenya.

Volunteer in Portugal

Best short-term mission trips

IVHQ offers short-term mission trips for 1 to 3 weeks in over 40 countries, starting at just $20 per day including accommodation . This means you can get away and experience a new culture without needing to take ample time away from your day-to-day priorities.

Our short-term mission trips are designed for those who want to maximize impact in a short period of time and are perfect for students and professionals who are looking to take an alternative break . With everything organized for you, including airport pickup and 24/7 in-country support, you can hit the ground running as soon as you arrive at your destination. Check out our top short-term mission trips for 2024 & 2025:

Top short-term mission trips:

Volunteer in croatia.

Volunteer in Ghana

Volunteer in Mexico

Best summer mission trips

Summer is one of the most popular times of year to go on a mission trip, allowing you to immerse yourself in a new culture and interact with locals while soaking up the sunshine. With time off from work and school, it’s the perfect opportunity to see the world and make a difference alongside like-minded people.

Whether you have a desire to volunteer abroad with animals or want to find a medical volunteer program , check out these top summer mission trips for 2024 & 2025 .

Top summer mission trips:

Volunteer in puerto rico.

Volunteer in South Africa

Volunteer in Zanzibar

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Why You Should Go on a Mission Trip: What’s Their Purpose?

Posted: 8th June 2020

The term ‘missionary’ refers to someone of the Christian faith travelling to other parts of the world, to spread the word of God and show His ways through the good deeds performed in His name.

Mission trips are a lot more relaxed these days when it comes to the religious element, however, their goals and values usually stay true to the history.

Volunteer mission trips in the 21 st century are shorter, with more emphasis on undertaking a long term commitment to uplifting communities. Modern mission projects are executed in a shorter time frame and use practical methods to improve the living standards of the affected communities.

What’s the purpose of a mission trip?

Many mission trips focus on building projects – such as housing, schools or clinics where volunteers work to introduce vital infrastructure to people who may never had access to them before. Other mission trips could focus on social issues and ways to resolve them, such as our partnership with 25Zero, where we tackle the issue of Ugandan girls missing school because of their period .

However, the true focus of any mission trip is to spread love and compassion to those you encounter. Sometimes, that may be as simple as really listening to the everyday problems people have to endure and reminding them of the undying love God has for them.

Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer, or you’re considering taking your first mission trip, we’d like to share some of the reasons this is truly a meaningful way for you to make a lifelong impact on many, many people.

Why should you go on a mission trip?

Most mission trips are run as Christian organisations, but factoring out religion entirely, the Samaritan aspect is the real driving force behind our two-week volunteer trips. A mission trip (whether abroad or local) is a great way to meet new friends and make lifelong connections, with people who hold the same values and morals as you. It’s also a wonderful chance to expand local networks of volunteers who you can call on if you ever find a local community that needs your help.

Women, children and the elderly are some of the most vulnerable and susceptible members of any community, more so in areas affected by disease and a sever lack of government funding. Volunteering on a mission trip that focuses on building infrastructure – such as hospitals, clinics and schools helps to uplift these people, and future generations.

Whether it’s through providing young girls with an education they would otherwise not have received – thus empowering them to uplift themselves out of the poverty cycle – or providing a safe and clean clinic to women where they can have access to life saving medicines that, before, may never have been available – your participation will always have far reaching impact that may well change the lives of others forever.

While a two-week mission trip may seem like a very short time out of your life, you should know that the difference a team of dedicated Christian volunteers can make in that time truly is life changing for so many people. The sense of belonging the beneficiaries will feel, the improved living standards they will have and the knowledge that you were part of making that change is a feeling to be cherished for the rest of your life.

During your two-week trip, you’ll get to experience some down time where you have the opportunity to visit historical sites, and really get to know your host country and the struggles they have faced before. This richness in knowledge is something you won’t soon forget. Our mission trips span the world, so whether you want to help people in Sierra Leone to rebuild the SAIO school after the devastation of Ebola and the Regent Mudslide, or you’re more inclined to want to visit Brazil where the mission trips focus on uplifting the thousands of people living in slums or favelas, you really can see the world and make it a trip to remember.

Aside from the generosity, kindness and faith-based lessons you’re bound to impart on your fellow volunteers and future friends, there’s no doubt that a mission trip will open your eyes to the privilege of a house to call a home, a school to send your children to and food to eat every day.

There’s so much more to a mission trip than meets the eye. Read our testimonial impact stories for first-hand accounts of how Mission Direct’s charity mission trips have made impactful differences to volunteers and beneficiaries alike.

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Why Go on a Mission Trip?

How mission trips help.

Are Mission Trips Still Relevant?

In a word, Yes!

In addition to having a significant effect on the ministry partner and the community being served, a mission trip will also have an influence on you and your group.

You come to see how your experiences fit into the overall narrative of what God is doing. As you serve people in a different setting, you will have a fresh and profound encounter with God.

Top Reasons to go on a mission trip

• Adventure Do you ever experience a missing-ness, a sense that something is off? A conviction that there must be more than this?
• Purpose You want to make an impact on the world. You desire to be a part of something greater than yourself.
• Stepping Up The globe is a large place full with heartbreak, hunger, poverty, disease, and sorrow. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the size of the situation and believe you can’t make a difference. All too often, people look at the issues of the world and say: “Someone should do something about this”. You have the chance to politely enter someone else’s suffering and genuinely alter things. to create sustainability where there had previously been none. However, you must first take action and leave your comfort zone.
• Frendship Often friendships made on mission are just deeper, richer, and more fullfilling. When you have shared experiences, emotions, victories, you have a lasting bond.

Mission trips are not easy, and they will change your life forever.

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What Good Comes from a Short Term Mission Trip?

The phrase “mission trip” can mean a lot of different things to different people. For some, it conjures meaningful memories about how they connected with a community of people on the other side of the world. For others, it may not be so positive. Headlines about mission trips done wrong and memories of seeing people treated like projects leave some asking, “What good comes from a short-term mission trip? ”

While Experience Mission is a short-term missions organization, it may be surprising to know that we think everyone should ask this question. Because the truth is that unhealthy mission trips can do more harm than good. They can leave people feeling undignified and small while making those who go feel big and important for what they’ve done. This is not the vision of self-sacrificial love we see in the life and teachings of Jesus , and we should say “good riddance” to this approach to missions.

However, we believe that healthy mission trips — approached with intentionality, a focus on relationships, and a mission to dignify everyone we serve and partner with — are exactly what the world needs more of today . So, here are 3 great parts of these kinds of mission trips that make each experience 100% worth the time, money, and effort you put into them.

1. Meeting Tangible Needs

In a world that’s not experiencing enough love, mercy, and justice, mission trips allow you to participate in God’s plan to redeem and restore the whole earth by serving your neighbors in need. There are real needs around the world that we as followers of Jesus have the opportunity to help address—most effectively by coming alongside amazing local ministries with a vision to serve and impact their local communities. We call this type of humble, self-sacrificial service “being a tangible picture of God’s love.”

When welcomed in by local leaders, mission trip volunteers play a critical role in tackling real problems alongside local residents.

How can mission trip teams help in communities?

Momentum & Energy —  People working and volunteering at local ministries around the world are stretched thin as they seek to love and serve their own communities well. Mission trip teams have the opportunity to humbly do the “grunt work,” like cleaning, organizing, and expanding ministries, which frees up full-time staff and volunteers to gain vision, avoid burnout and serve their own communities well, year-round.

Ease the Financial Burden —  On many mission trips, a large portion of your mission trip fee goes directly toward addressing financial needs for local projects or long-term ministry partners. For example, on 1-week  mission trips to Savannah, Georgia , this partnership can literally put a roof over a family's head as they seek to find a sense of hope for their future.

Power in Numbers —  For some small and growing ministries, the help of short-term volunteers reinforces the truth that they are not doing their work alone. Mission trips create space for all of us to rally around people faithfully loving and serving like Jesus as they determine how to help and bring hope to their community.

Education & Training —  In some rural areas around the world, access to educational resources is scarce. When specific needs align with volunteer expertise, short and long-term volunteers can, when invited, help by bolstering programs, training volunteers, and providing a new perspective on ministry. We do this humbly, not as "saviors", but as mutual learners , looking to learn from local people as much (if not more so) than we seek to teach and instruct.

2. Building Meaningful Relation ships

From our perspective, healthy mission trips don’t focus on projects and agendas — they’re about building meaningful relationships across cultural boundaries that honor each person’s God-given humanity. Mission trips with a relational approach do more than just meet immediate needs, they empower everyone to “live their mission” more fully every day.

We believe intentional relationships unlock our God-given potential for compassion and grace.

From community members feeling valued and dignified as they work to fight cycles of poverty and injustice, to volunteers learning to have empathy and understanding for those around them in different life circumstances.

What can relationships do on your mission trip?

Empower Everyone to Live Their Mission — Relationships are all about mutual respect and influence . This means allowing people to mold and shape us just as much as we hope to bring meaningful change to their lives. When we choose to approach mission trips as an opportunity to listen and learn from one another, everyone is empowered (both those who go and those receiving teams) to serve and partner together to create lasting change in our own communities.

Restore Dignity — Mission trips and charity organizations don’t always have a good track record when it comes to dignifying those in need. When we choose to build relationships that lead to serving and partnering together, community members receive more than handouts, they have a sense of dignity and ownership over what’s happening in their own lives.

Inspire Generosity —  One argument against taking short term missions is that the money would be better spent by sending the funds for local people to do the work. While it’s true that those funds could certainly be put to good use, we believe that a long-term face-to-face relationship between real people and real churches has the power to transform the generosity of an entire congregation of givers.

When we can put a face and a name to a cause, it becomes a priority and challenges us to give above and beyond a simple, one-time gift.

Create World-Changers — Especially with youth mission trips (but also with adults and college students!), the experience of going on a mission trip can fundamentally shift our worldview. When we fully understand how vast and diverse the world is, we gain context about the impact and influence we can have, for good or bad. And hopefully, we choose to live into the good, showing God’s love to others in big, bold, world-changing ways.

3. Giving and Receiving

Life-changing mission trips are about serving with “open hands” — ready to give as well as receive. While we all understand the importance of meeting tangible needs, what does it look like to receive? We think it has a lot to do with your attitude and posture. When we come with open ears and open hearts to hear what God may be revealing to us during the trip, we can allow the people we meet to challenge and change us for the better.

What can you learn on a mission trip?

Compassion and Empathy for Those Around You —  We’re all the same in God’s eyes, but in a world filled with news headlines and stories about “others” around the world, taking time to build relationships with those who might seem different than us unlocks understanding and compassion, not just with those you encounter on your mission trip, but for people in all walks of life.

Faith and Hope in the Face of Adversity —  There’s power in sharing our stories with each other. When we take time to listen to those who have experienced difficult circumstances in their lives—whether it’s loss of community or family, generational poverty, racism and injustice, or simply being ignored and cast off in their struggles—we can learn what it means to depend on God in all seasons of life. Choosing to sit in the struggle with those we seek to serve is a humbling and hopefully inspiring approach to loving and serving like Jesus.

Leadership and Teamwork   —  Mission trips are a group effort! Hopefully, you’ll have the opportunity to see and experience God working as you come together with others from your church, family, and the community where you serve.

This is a rare glimpse into what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like, and hopefully, it inspires us to foster strong, loving community in all aspects of our life.

How To Live Your Mission   —   It all boils down to this! We believe that good short-term mission trips transcend the week-long experience. When you take a week to live intentionally, love your neighbors, and see everyone the way that God sees them, you walk away changed, and you can and should apply that change to every area of your life. We call this “Living Your Mission.”

Mission trips are a powerful experience, and they should be treated as such. If you’re asking yourself, " What good comes from a short-term mission trip? " we think you’re on the right track! Serving with a humble posture and seeking to build relationships and create lasting change on your mission trip can be the difference between a meaningful, dignifying, transformational experience or one that wastes time, effort, and resources—or worse, degrades the community you hoped to serve.

Will you fight for a mission trip that dignifies, empowers, and uplifts those in need?

Will you go and allow people you meet to challenge and change you? Will you give your group the unique opportunity to meet tangible needs, build meaningful cross-cultural relationships, and grow into people who live your mission every day? We hope so.

Get started today!

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Mission Trips: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

Have you ever thought about going on a mission trip? Did you shy away from the idea because you weren’t sure what it would take or where to begin? You’re certainly not alone. There is a lot to know about mission trips. From planning and preparing to packing and participating. This all-encompassing guide covers it all.

Read on to learn:

What are mission trips?

Why do people go on mission trips, who goes on mission trips, where can you go on mission trips, how long are mission trips, what do you do on mission trips, what do you learn on mission trips, what kinds of mission trips are there and what is their purpose, what do you need to know before deciding to go on a mission trip, how much do mission trips cost and who pays for them, how do you raise money for mission trips, how do you prepare for a mission trip, what do you do when you get back from a mission trip.

Mission trips are Christ-centered service experiences. They offer a wide variety of opportunities for participants to share and spread the word of God. They bring together groups of people interested in serving communities with abundant needs.

But they’re more than volunteer projects. God is the central tenant of every mission trip. The purpose of a mission trip is not simply to deliver aid. It is to leave a lasting impact by leading people toward Him.

People who choose to go on a mission trip want to help communities that are not as fortunate as they are. They want to experience what it’s like to impact the lives of others. They want to appreciate His Blessings, to share the Gospel, and to grow closer to God.

There are still many people who have never heard of our God or Jesus and His message of salvation and hope. So, people also go on mission trips to share His love — just as the disciples did.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

- Matthew 28:16-20

Millions of people who take part in mission trips each year. Many of them look forward to experiencing God’s work. Whether they’re looking for clarification and direction in their own lives or want to see Christ’s impact magnified in new ways, loving and serving others allows them to give more of their life to Him.

Any Christian with a desire to serve can participate in a mission trip. Groups of students, families, churches, and other organizations all take part.

The people who come together to serve are not always from the same area. In addition to church leaders, church members, and missionaries from around the world, participants often include other professionals from a wide range of fields.

People are attracted to missions for a variety of reasons. Qualities like their shared and/or mutually beneficial interests, skills, talents, and aspirations bring them together.

That can mean the history, backgrounds, and motivations of a single group vary widely. This diversity is beneficial, allowing the mission team to connect and serve on many different levels.

The only thing you really need to go on a mission trip is to be confident you are mentally, emotionally, and physically capable of performing the required duties. This is why it is important you fully understand the area and conditions into which you will be traveling.

Want to save this and read later? Download the PDF

You can participate in a mission trip across a large portion of the world. The map below from The Traveling Team shows the number of missionaries received in 2010.

Source: http://www.thetravelingteam.org/stats

As you can see, there are many opportunities to participate. Websites like ShortTermMissions.com allow you to search for openings from a long list of mission agencies. You can also narrow your searches using criteria like region, activity, and length.

Or, if you have a specific location in mind you can visit an organization’s website directly. Missions of Hope International (MOHI), for example, has opportunities available in Kenya, Africa . Contacting an organization directly will help you get your questions answered quickly and efficiently.

How do you choose a mission trip?

There are many organizations (like SIM and Bold Hope ) set up to help match a servant with a call to serve. However, we recommend starting with your local church. First, meet with your clergyman to see if he or she is aware of opportunities that meet your interests.

There may also be others in your community looking for an opportunity to serve. Don’t be afraid to hold an informational meeting and invite your fellow worshipers to learn about the benefits of mission trips.

Once you have researched available opportunities, we suggest narrowing them down by interest. Are you looking for an opportunity to travel abroad? Would you like to put a particular skillset to work? Next, you can decide on a location based on where you are able to travel.

Some trips are more expensive than others. So, the extent to which you can secure financial support may also play into your final decision.

Wherever you go, make sure you fully understand what you are trying to gain personally. This will help you can choose an opportunity to help you achieve your goals. Choosing in this manner will help you enjoy deeper spiritual growth while you are away.

For example, many of the people who participate in a mission trip to Kenya with MOHI go because they want to meet the children they sponsor. Others use the trip to help decide whether they would like to sponsor a child or go simply because they’re passionate about helping children get a quality Christian education.

Today’s mission trips — no matter how long they are — are all considered short-term mission trips. A short-term mission could be as long as several months in Africa or as short as a weekend in the inner city.

Long-term missions, on the other hand, are considered lifelong journeys. This time can be spent in one location or many. A large number of mission staff members make lifetime commitments to serving short-term missions, for example.

Most likely the trip you are thinking about taking will be a short-term opportunity. Short term mission trips last anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. The exact time commitment can vary based on the location and the kind of project you are completing.

When it comes to the tasks required for any mission, no two are ever the same. If you’re teaching, your time might be spent in a classroom or church. If you are cleaning up after a natural disaster, you may spend all of your time outdoors performing hard physical labor.

But at their very root, all mission trips follow this same premise:

You’ll be going to a specific destination to complete an assignment that betters the lives of the people living there — like building a house or church, working in a school, or planting trees. With MOHI, for example, your partnership will help facilitate a holistic transformation in urban slums and remote, rural areas of Kenya where resources are extremely limited.

While you’re serving, your primary responsibilities will be to provide physical labor needs or to help meet educational objectives related to these tasks. However, your days also will be filled with activities that help you accomplish the mission’s true purpose: bringing disparate souls to Christ.

In fact, prayer and reflection are the most important part of the mission experience. During your trip, you may have many opportunities to lead and participate in prayer with the local community or with your travel group. Many opportunities — like helping to start schools, churches, and training centers in Kenya with MOHI — will provide the needed resources so that longer-term missionaries can continue to share the Word of God daily with the community.

The biggest opportunity to learn on a mission trip comes as a result of your evangelism and God-focused mindset. As you serve, you will encounter opportunities to grow your relationship with Christ. By taking these chances to serve wholeheartedly, you will see situations and others like Jesus wants you to, forever changing the way you look at the world and your life.

Your learning can also be centered on your service work. If you’re traveling to Kenya to install windows in local dwellings, for example, you might have to learn a few handyman basics like how to trim shims and apply caulk. It’s possible these experiences will help you find new skills or interests you can take home and share.

There is also a chance to learn from the travel itself. Immersing yourself in another culture can help you to recognize differences in the world around you. As you come to love and appreciate the unique art, music, or cuisine of the area you are serving it can help you become more open-minded and loving toward others no matter their background or beliefs.

There are many different kinds of mission trips, each organized for a variety of reasons including education improvement, infrastructure repair, governance reform, and environmental sustainability. They often vary in length and are usually tailored for groups of people from children and teens to adults of all ages.

Some bring aid to countries suffering from the aftermath of war or natural disasters, some focus on meeting the medical needs of underserved communities. Still, others bring hope for women and children by empowering them to leave abusive situations.

Since the intentions of mission trips can be so diverse, their impacts can vary wildly, and the benefits can be many. The goal of mission trips, however, is constant: to love and serve others. Every mission trip embarks with the end purpose of helping others to find God while showing them how to walk in His ways.

Before you decide to go on a mission trip, take time to learn as much as you can about the culture, its people, and the community you will be visiting.

Ask yourself questions like these before making your final decision:

• How do you feel about the area’s customs?
• Do you prefer an area where English is a commonly spoken language?
• Are you reluctant to take any of the necessary precautions (like getting recommended vaccinations) before leaving?

Your answers will help you paint a clearer picture of the fit of the mission trip you are considering. As you are weighing your options be sure to thoroughly consider your personal limits regarding accommodations and safety as well.

Deciding to participate in a mission trip means you will be traveling somewhere you’ve never been before. It’s important you deeply consider how much of a cultural leap you are ready to take. The anticipation of the trip can leave you with a very real fear of the unknown.

The good news is that overcoming these anxieties takes just a bit of preparation and a willingness to place your trust in God and His plan. Remember to pray about it. Pray for wisdom from the Bible and for God to grant you peace of mind.

One of the biggest questions someone who has never been on a mission trip before might ask is: Are mission trips expensive? The three biggest cost contributors are your travel, the length of your stay, and fees of the program you are participating in — if it’s not a mission organized directly through your church.

The fee you pay for many programs — though it may seem unnecessary — can actually help you save money. The facilitators will arrange travel, accommodations, food, and other essentials for your entire group, saving you money and hassle because many of the incidental expenses you might encounter will be taken care of before you arrive.

But what is the financial cost, really?

The truth is that it can vary — from hundreds of dollars to thousands — based on where you are going and what you are doing. In general, some locations cost more than others. They require extensive preparations, travel, supplies, and time — which on the surface can all add up fast.

Often, the people going on a mission trip make sacrifices to support it with personal savings, through a loan, or contributions from their parents and other family and friends.

Expenses paid out of pocket to attend your mission trip could be tax-deductible under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). We recommend consulting your tax advisor for more information.

If you are worried about covering the cost of your trip, there are several ways you can save money. Reduce travel expenses by staying closer to home and avoiding peak travel times to the area you are serving. Additionally, you can try cutting accommodation costs by arranging part of your stay with a host family or local hostel. Lastly, check into local scholarships offered by your church or other community organizations.

If you decide the cost of a mission trip is out of your reach, consider sponsoring a child or community instead.

Many mission groups start their fundraising process with a support letter to their immediate community. Support letters are multi-purpose: They ask for both the spiritual and financial support you’ll need for your trip.

When you sit down to write yours, consider these tips:

• Begin your letter by sharing your story
• Share the news of your trip
• Let recipients know how they can best support you (financially and spiritually)
• Offer ways to stay in touch during and after your trip

Another very popular way to lower your mission trip’s expenses is to raise money. From spaghetti feeds to online fundraisers , the list of ways to fund your mission trip can be endless.

There are also ways to raise support for your trip that does not involve money. As you prepare, consider asking for material items. Make and distribute a list and don’t forget to include drop off and collection dates, locations, and times.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for spiritual support. Let your supporters know how they can pray for you.

From what to pack to travel accommodations, there are a lot of things to think about before actually leaving on a mission trip.

Preparing for a mission trip takes more than coming with an open mind though. Preparing emotionally for what is sure to be an emotional experience will help you to gain more from the opportunity. God will be with you, but you will have to leave behind your local support system and the familiarity of your home and church community.

Before you leave don’t be afraid to reach out to recently returned mission travelers to ask about their experience. Hearing firsthand about their service can ease your mind and help you to pray about the experience that awaits you from a deeper perspective.

After you arrive, keep your heart open to fellowship opportunities. You will have a lot of shared experiences with the individuals on the journey with you. Take the time to seek the Lord and grow together in His Word.

Sharing your mission trip experience allows you to continue glorifying God even after the physical work is done. Seek out opportunities to talk with friends, family, and church members about what you did, what you saw, and how it impacted you. The opportunity for them to learn from you can be just as valuable to them as it was for you.

Talk about what it felt like doing the Lord’s work, explain why you felt called to serve and what the experience was like once you arrived. Keeping a journal while on your trip can help you to call on your experience and share your reflections more deeply.

If you had the opportunity to take photos and videos during your trip, consider putting together a highlight reel to help friends and family really connect with what you have to say. As you share, remember to go beyond educating people about a different part of the world. Make it a goal to inspire others to serve God in a meaningful way as well.

Making a Commitment to God and Yourself

Your mission experience is not over once you return home. Participating in a mission trip brings an abundance of opportunity to share His teachings and grow in God’s Word. Not only will you be impacting the lives of people around the world, but you’ll also make an impact on those closest to you, and most of all have the chance to realize many changes in yourself.

If you have questions about how you can live your life in a mission-minded way or are looking for an opportunity to experience God’s love abroad, don’t be afraid to seek out mission trips.

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Why Do People Go on Mission Trips?

Over 1.5 million citizens of the United States go on a short-term mission trip every year. That’s a lot of people! And, mission trips aren’t just something you randomly decide to squeeze into your schedule. They take lots of prayer, time, and money to make happen. So, why are so many people each year choosing to make the sacrifices and go on a mission trip? Because it’s worth it. 

Forming Relationships with Christians Around the World

One of the most significant benefits of participating in a short-term mission trip is the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with fellow Christians from around the world. Mission trips often involve visiting churches, communities, and organizations in foreign countries, where participants can connect with local believers. It is astonishing to be able to see the power of the gospel unite followers from completely different cultures. Even though Christians can live in completely different places with different customs and traditions, Jesus gives them so much to have in common. 

Meeting people from diverse backgrounds and witnessing their faith firsthand can be a profoundly enriching experience. It allows participants to gain a deeper understanding of the global body of Christ and fosters a sense of unity among believers. Such relationships often last long after the mission trip ends, providing a lasting connection and support system across continents.

Fulfilling God’s Commandments

Short-term mission trips provide an avenue to fulfill the commandments of Jesus, who urged his followers to love their neighbors and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 22:39, Matthew 28:19-20). These trips embody the Great Commission , offering a practical way to share the message of Christ with people in need.

By reaching out to faraway communities, mission trip participants actively spread the gospel and offer hope to those who may have never heard the Good News. This act of obedience to Christ’s commandments not only impacts the lives of those served but also deepens the faith and commitment of the individuals who undertake the journey.

Feeling Convicted

Another compelling reason people choose to go on mission trips is the desire to respond to the needs of hurting individuals and communities. Whether it’s providing medical care in underserved areas, assisting with disaster relief , or supporting orphanages and schools , mission trips offer a tangible way to make a positive impact on the lives of those facing adversity.

Many individuals are motivated by a sense of conviction, a deep inner calling to address the suffering and injustices they witness in the world. This conviction drives them to take action , and mission trips provide a structured and organized platform to channel their compassion and commitment into meaningful change.

Personal Transformation

Perhaps one of the most profound aspects of participating in a short-term mission trip is the transformation it brings about in the volunteers themselves. While the primary purpose may be to serve others, participants often find that they are equally transformed by the experience.

Stepping out of one’s comfort zone and immersing oneself in a different culture can be a profoundly humbling and eye-opening experience. It challenges preconceived notions, broadens perspectives, and deepens empathy. Many individuals return from mission trips with a heightened sense of gratitude , a renewed faith, and a stronger desire to make a positive impact in their communities.

This personal growth experienced on a mission trip often extends beyond the individual. When the volunteer returns home family and friends typically notice their loved one’s transformation, and they want to be a part of that as well. 

Growing Closer to Christ

A big part of that personal transformation is growing closer to Christ. By following Him into communities that He is already present in and partnering with Him in the work He is already doing, mission trip volunteers get to see the power of Christ in a way like none other. Volunteers not only get to hear testimonies of God’s faithfulness over and over again throughout their mission trip, but in times of stepping out of their comfort zone, they are also forced to lean on Him in new ways. 

In a world that can sometimes seem divided and disconnected, short-term mission trips offer a powerful counter-narrative of unity, compassion, and transformation. The decision to go on a mission trip is never made lightly, as it requires considerable dedication in terms of time, money, and prayer . However, the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices.

Mission trips enable participants to form lasting relationships with Christians worldwide, fulfill God’s commandments, respond to the needs of hurting people, and undergo personal transformation. These experiences not only impact the lives of those served but also leave a mark on the hearts and minds of those who go on these journeys.

So, if you’ve ever considered going on a mission trip or are wondering why so many choose to do so, remember this: It’s about more than just a trip; it’s about making a meaningful difference in the world and being transformed in the process. Ultimately, the decision to go on a mission trip is a testament to the enduring power of faith, compassion, and the belief that, indeed, it’s worth it.

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Related posts.

Does God Call Everyone to Be a Missionary?

What Makes a Group Mission Trip Successful?

What Do Christians Do on Mission Trips?

What is a Missionary? Learning from Biblical Examples

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10 Inspiring Reasons for Going on a Mission Trip

Have you ever considered going on mission trips? If you’ve never served abroad, you should definitely book a trip! You’ll impact the lives of countless people and realize many changes in yourself. Need further convincing? Here are ten reasons for going on a mission trip.

1. The Gospel becomes more real.

Christianity dominates in the United States over other religions. With dozens of Bible translations and thousands of churches to choose from, it’s easy to be a Christian here. However, places across the world still persecute Christians. Some believers even die for their faith. The mighty power of the Gospel appears more real in the areas it’s least welcomed .

2. Materialism fades away.

After seeing how little others have, it really puts things in perspective. It makes you reevaluate your needs and reconsider how you spend money. Seeing how happy others can be with what little they have blossoms a heart of gratitude for the many blessings we already have.

3. You widen your worldview.

Something changes inside when someone realizes the world is bigger than their backyard. Going on mission trips will open your eyes to another way of life. You’ll learn firsthand how many issues aren’t black and white, but rather monochrome shades of gray.

4. You appreciate different cultures.

While overseas, you’ll experience an entirely different culture and a lifestyle you wouldn’t otherwise encounter if you stayed stateside. You’ll learn so much about how others live, what they eat, how they dress, what they celebrate… These experiences will make you more rounded and could raise awareness of minority cultures around you when you return home.

5. You learn to slow down.

Americans thrive on busyness . We have coffee for lunch and brag who got less sleep the night before. Smartphones beg for our attention and social media drives our interactions with the world. During mission trips, you get to disconnect from this craziness. Although you might suffer from withdrawal the first few days, you’ll probably find the disconnection refreshing.

6. World affairs become more significant.

If you go on a mission trip, you’ll become more aware when the country appears in the news. You’ll become more interested in the affairs that happen wherever you travel because you’ll build a personal connection to the place and some of its people.

7. You make lasting friends–and memories!

You’ll likely grow closer to the people you serve alongside, and you’ll have plenty of memories to relive: the funny, the misfortunate, the heartfelt, and the miraculous. Outside your personal journal , mission trip experiences won’t be as understood than by those who went with you.

8. Your faith will grow.

We have many resources in the United States. This makes it easier to put our trust in what’s readily available. However, after serving where commodities like modern medicine aren’t readily available, you might witness an incredible miracle. After all, God provides in the craziest of ways–especially when the answer seems impossible.

9. It solidifies a call into vocational ministry.

If you’ve felt a calling into a life of international missions, give it a try! Serving in another country is a sure way to test your desire and reasons for going on a mission trip.

10. You will continue supporting missions.

Research shows you’re more likely to continue volunteering and supporting missions after you go on mission trips. Here’s what Pastor Justin Mack at River Valley Church says about the correlation:

“When you go on a missions trip and see the needs and opportunities around the world, it gets into your heart. When missions move from your mind to your heart, everything changes including how you spend your time, energy and even your resources.”

As you can see, there are incredible reasons for going on a mission trip! The experience will open your eyes to another way of life and let you experience God in a whole new way. Combined, these will influence how you see the world and live your daily life.

Ready to go on a mission trip, just not sure where? Check out 5 Destinations for Your First Missions Trip for some inspiration!

When you’re ready to take your mission trip journey, make sure you get travel insurance !

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The Best Mission Trips

By Nick Callos

What exactly are mission trips? 

Mission trips aim to uplift people in need around the world by addressing key problems, much like volunteer abroad programs do. With your mission trip group, you’ll build houses , teach English , work at daycares , and do other tasks that help local communities. 

If you’ve been thinking about a short- or long-term mission trip, do your research first. By choosing the best mission trip organization and project, you can have an amazing experience and enact positive change. 

In this guide, we’ll cover both religious and non-religious mission trips, giving you all the vital details. We’ll also go over how to choose a program, what to expect, and how to prepare for a mission trip. 

Let’s continue!

What do you do on a mission trip? 

In general, you’ll enhance the quality of life in marginalized communities through improvements in education, healthcare , infrastructure, community governance, environmental sustainability, and other key areas. Expect to engage in tasks like building medical clinics, teaching English, cleaning up litter , and more. Be ready to work hard as a mission trip volunteer!  

What you do exactly depends on the type of mission trip you’ll join. In a broad sense, mission trips fit into one of two categories:

• Religious mission trips
• Non-religious mission trips

For both religious and non-religious mission trips, you’ll have the opportunity for self-exploration and the ability to create positive change within a disadvantaged community. And you can make lasting connections with local people and other mission workers or volunteers. 

Before you search for programs, understand the difference between religious mission trips and non-religious mission trips. This will ensure you join a project that aligns with your values, goals, and interests.

How do religious mission trips differ from non-religious mission trips?

To gain a better understanding, let’s define religious mission trips and non-religious mission trips. 

What is a religious mission trip?

Religious mission trips refer to a religious volunteer experience in an underserved community. Mission trips like these are generally taken on behalf of a church group or religious group, and include things like group prayer with the community they’re serving (which distinguishes them from other forms of volunteer travel ).

In most cases, people in the host area don’t widely practice the faith of the mission trip volunteers. Service workers strive to lead locals toward God and their religion, on top of serving the community through various tasks. Through preaching, discussion, and sharing of values, missionaries aim to convert local people to their religion. 

Note: You may get the chance to preach to community members with the hopes of religious conversion. But some programs may require that you be a long-term missionary to have the authority to preach and convert locals to your religion. Ask about that beforehand. 

Religious mission trips do go beyond sharing beliefs and inviting others to join your faith. As the name suggests, mission trips have a specific mission. Usually, that mission combines spreading the religion with a tangible project, like building a house for a poor community, caring for children at an orphanage, or improving access to education .  

In this sense, religious and non-religious mission trips do have lots of similarities. Both types of trips focus on helping and empowering local communities in need. 

However, the overarching force that drives these projects is faith. That’s why, on a religious mission trip, you’ll partake in numerous faith-based activities that you don’t on mission trips for non-religious groups. Such activities include: 

• Church service
• Community prayer
• Religious discussions
• Talking about your religion with locals

What is a non-religious mission trip?

A mission trip for non-religious volunteers mainly focuses on uplifting disadvantaged people and communities abroad. Volunteers provide their expertise, time, energy, and passion to make a tangible impact. 

Through a non-religious mission trip, you can make a difference in a large variety of ways. You can choose among lots of non-religious mission trip organizations too.

For example, GoEco , a volunteer abroad organization with more than 150 service initiatives, operates non-religious mission trips across the world, from teaching children in Fiji to community outreach in Zambia . 

Volunteering Solutions (VolSol) , a volunteer abroad organization that’s been around since 2006, offers non-secular service opportunities worldwide in areas like women’s empowerment, community development, and childcare. 

As you can see, there are opportunities for both skilled and unskilled volunteers. More project examples include: 

• Offering medical services in areas without adequate healthcare access (medical mission trips are among the most popular non-religious programs)
• Building houses and schools in rural villages
• Caring for children at a daycare center
• Taking care of the elderly in need

In addition, non-religious mission trips include other types of projects you won’t commonly find with religious mission trips. Initiatives may center around wildlife conservation, marine conservation , farming, sports coaching , business development, and other types of service work. 

Beyond helping the local community, non-religious mission trips aspire to provide volunteers with meaningful experiences. These mission trip organizations want to empower you to travel with a purpose. When you join such a project, having fun, gaining new cultural perspectives, and growing as a person should be goals you have. 

Now that you know about the types of mission trips, let’s discuss going on one.

Why go on a mission trip?

A mission trip can be a powerful, life-changing experience that broadens your perspective, gives you better direction, teaches you new skills, and rejuvenates your body and mind . You can also learn about a foreign culture and meet like-minded people from around the world. And the experience could even inspire you to a life of service and volunteerism.

What’s also great is that anyone can join. Religious and non-religious mission trips suit all sorts of people, including high school students , college students, young adults, mid-career professionals, and seniors and retirees . 

Note: Certain mission trips may be designed for specific age groups and have set lengths of stay. Keep that in mind when searching for a program. If you’re looking for the best mission trips for college students or the best mission trips for adults, inquire with your church or mission trip organization. They’ll help you register for the most suitable program. 

To summarize, mission trips can transform you for the better. Go with an open heart and open mind, and you’ll see, do, and experience wonderful things. 

What are the best non-religious mission trips?

As mentioned earlier, mission trips for non-religious groups could involve any number of aid projects in areas like construction, healthcare, education, and childcare . Common duties include:

• building and repairing houses, schools, and churches
• providing basic medical treatment
• teaching English and other subjects
• caring for orphans and disadvantaged children
• implementing environmental conservation programs

If you’d like more options and/or simply wish to join a secular volunteer project, know you can choose among a plethora of opportunities. Through non-religious mission trip organizations, you can volunteer abroad and teach abroad around the world, and improve the future prospects of marginalized communities.

Below, we’ve compiled a list of the best non-religious mission trip organizations.

Founded in 2006 by experienced volunteers, GoEco was recognized as the Top Volunteer Abroad Organization in 2018 by GoAbroad. They carefully vet each mission trip to ensure high standards for quality and safety. 

Through GoEco, you can do good around the world, from North America to the Middle East to Australasia. GoEco’s wildlife conservation programs, like their desert wildlife initiative in Israel and orangutan rescue program in Indonesia , are particularly great. They also have high-quality medical mission trips, like their healthcare support project in Malawi.  

Read about some of the most popular non-religious mission trips with GoEco below: 

Rural Healthcare and HIV/AIDS Awareness in South Africa

Interested in a medical mission trip? Help curb the HIV/AIDS crisis as you work in rural clinics in Saint Lucia, South Africa. Your tasks include assistance with home-based care, helping families get proper support, and holding awareness workshops to educate and alleviate the stigma of HIV/AIDS. As you volunteer, you’ll get to immerse yourself in Zulu culture and learn about traditional customs. 

This is an amazing medical mission trip where you’ll see the impact of your work immediately. Click here to learn more and register !

For a full list of GoEco’s top medical mission trips, visit this webpage . 

Teach in Buddhist Monasteries in Nepal

Engage in positive cultural exchange with local monks at a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. As a service worker, you’ll teach English to young monks, enabling them to improve their language skills. You’ll also get involved in other tasks around the monastery, such as gardening, library work, and cooking. 

Former missionary workers have made amazing memories here, like Melanie: 

“In addition to teaching monks, I got to work at an orphanage in Kathmandu. It was an amazing month that I will endlessly cherish and continue to learn from.”

Ready to experience life on top of the world —literally? Find out all the details here .

For a full list of GoEco’s non-religious mission trips, visit this webpage .

Volunteering Solutions

About the Program:  Volunteering Solutions , or VolSol, as it has been nicknamed by its 17,000 volunteers and volunteer alums, has been connecting passionate volunteers with great international projects since 2006. VolSol was founded by volunteers who wanted to help international volunteers connect to highly specialized, community-based local projects.

VolSol has a full staff of experienced coordinators who assist volunteers before, during, and after placement, providing resources such as international insurance, a connection to a network of passionate global citizens over 17,000 strong and resources on how to volunteer ethically and mindfully. VolSol is one of the most affordable programs in the world with one week projects starting at just $200 USD .

Where to Go:  Volunteering Solutions has  programs all over the world  on six continents. Volunteers can’t go wrong with projects like  Volunteering for Child Care in Cusco, Perú , where volunteers have the opportunity to work with local at-risk children to teach them to become global citizens or  Volunteering in Koh Samui, Thailand  where volunteers are lucky enough to work in local schools in one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand– and that’s saying something! Volunteers can search through programs by visiting VolSol’s project page on Volunteering Forever, where all projects are described and rated by volunteers like you.

Short-Term Volunteering in Peru

Another adventurous, two-week volunteer opportunity you can sign up for right now through Volunteering Solutions invites you to Peru to  volunteer and travel to some of South America’s most spectacular sites . You’ll start with an orientation and intercultural project for your first week in Cusco, where you’ll volunteer in a rural nursery school to provide love, care, and attention to children from impoverished families.

After that, you’ll have some time to explore Cusco by yourself before embarking on a guided Sacred Valley tour, and then an amazing tour of Machu Picchu. This is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in Peruvian culture while exploring the Inca Trail and bringing a smile to the face of some of the country’s neediest children.

Sports Coaching in South Africa

If you’ve always wanted to visit Africa, Volunteering Solutions is offering a chance for you to  coach sports at a local primary school in Cape Town . Physical education has only recently been introduced into the school curriculum in Cape Town, so many schools are still building up their resources to accommodate these programs. As a volunteer, you’ll be a mentor to these children, assist teachers with lessons when you’re not coaching, and you’ll teach children how to stay physically fit and motivated to keep a healthy lifestyle. In addition to your volunteer work, you’ll be able to travel throughout Cape Town and visit areas such as Table Mountain, Robben Island, Lion’s Head, and more to gain the most from your adventure in South Africa.

A Broader View (ABV)

Specializing in volunteer programs and mission trips abroad, A Broader View calls people from all walks of life to do something meaningful and good. ABV gets excellent reviews from past missionary workers, with a rating of 4.99 out of 5 across 263 reviews on Volunteer Forever. That’s a testament to the quality of their missionary work overseas.

Specifically, ABV’s medical mission trips earn lots of praise. Look over two initiatives below!

Medical Mission Trip to Honduras

Travel to La Ceiba, Honduras! There, you’ll provide crucial support to understaffed and ill-equipped hospitals and clinics. A lot of the local community lives in poverty and lacks access to healthcare, so your help as a missionary goes a long way in getting people necessary services. Duties include assisting in the emergency room, observing minor surgeries, running errands for medical staff, and doing community outreach. How hands-on your role is depends on your experience. 

Many former participants have had great experiences, such as Allison: 

“Volunteering in the hospitals and walking through the neighborhoods vaccinating the community was one of the most unique and life-changing experiences I’ve had. Our ABV coordinator in Honduras helped us with everything we needed during the trip.”

Interested in a mission trip to Honduras? Get all the details and sign up here !

Medical Mission Trip to Ghana

Make your way to the town of Kasoa, where you’ll work at an understaffed health center. As a missionary worker, you’ll assist staff and host community education workshops to inform locals about the symptoms and treatment of malaria, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, and other health issues. Your efforts will boost the overall health of the community! 

This mission trip in Ghana is available for healthcare professionals or anyone enrolled in a medical program at school. For more details, visit ABV’s site . 

For a full list of ABV’s mission trips abroad, click here . 

Established in 1989, Frontier has placed more than 103,000 volunteers in projects overseas. They’re known for their incredible amount of projects, from childcare to conservation to human rights initiatives. Through their non-religious mission trips, Frontier offers services workers a way to contribute to deserving communities , learn about another culture, and explore their own beliefs and faith.

If you’re looking for missionary work overseas, definitely consider Frontier’s two programs (details below!). 

Uganda Missionary Work

With dramatic landscapes and welcoming people, Uganda provides a unique experience for missionaries. Dive into life in the local community as you do healthcare outreach work, build community infrastructure, help with childcare, and host environmental awareness workshops. 

Missionary workers who’ve joined this program have great things to say, like James: 

“It was an adventure of a lifetime. I was made to feel welcome by everybody in Uganda. The work was great — hard and long but loads of fun. The culture is different from ours and it was fascinating to find out how life works for them. I would highly recommend this project.”

For more details on Frontier’s missionary work overseas in Uganda, click here .

Ecuador Missionary Work

Head to the vibrant city of Quito, where you’ll enrich the lives of disabled and underprivileged children at a local school. Duties include organizing recreational activities, running vocational training workshops, helping with medical care, and more. Along the way, you’ll get to learn about the Ecuadorian way of life!

For more details on Frontier’s missionary work overseas in Ecuador, click here . 

What are the best religious mission trips?

First and foremost, your impact as a service worker will be felt and appreciated. 

As the International Mission Board, a Baptist Christian missionary society, notes, mission trips play a vital role in supporting permanent missionaries . Short-term mission workers offer key support to long-term mission strategies. They help fuel spiritual passion in locals and empower them to live a life of religious devotion. 

Your exact role depends on what project you join and what your goals are. That’s why the best service project for you may not be the best one for someone else. 

As you learn about the best mission trip organizations, look for those that put the needs of the local community above all else. You have plenty of great choices, so do your research. You may even find the best mission trip organization for what you want to do right in your hometown! 

When searching for the best mission trips, it’s vital that you first understand your options. Generally speaking, you’ll go on a religious mission trip through your church and with other members of your congregation. Church organizers put the trips together and the adventures serve as a way to more deeply integrate members into the faith, especially the youth.

If you can’t go with your local church, or would like more choices, you can join a religious mission trip through another church in your area. Ask around and make calls to see what trips are happening. You can also search for opportunities through a non-profit regional or national mission trip organization.

For instance, Maryknoll Mission Trips offers lay Catholics around the world the chance to serve as an ambassador for the Catholic faith while engaging in service work. Through their volunteer mission trips, you can serve throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia . 

Additionally, know the mission. This way, you can understand if the trip will be fulfilling for you personally and spiritually. Religious mission trips very often focus on construction, teaching , childcare, and healthcare . 

Some of the best mission trips include:

• Bringing clean water to Haiti with Healing Haiti , a Christian mission organization
• Teaching in the Philippines with OMF International , an interdenominational and international Protestant Christian missionary society
• Building houses in India with the Fuller Center for Housing , an ecumenical Christian housing ministry
• Working at an HIV/AIDS clinic in central Nigeria with Mission Africa , an interdenominational, evangelical Christian missionary society. 

You should also know that you can participate in initiatives specific to a religious sect or join an interdenominational faith mission. The broader, interdenominational mission societies still commit themselves to bringing the news of God to locals. You’ll join in prayer, discuss religious beliefs with the community, and live out God’s words. It’s just your work won’t directly tie to your religious denomination, like it would if you volunteered through your church. 

To conclude, consider your beliefs and faith, what you want to do, where you want to go, and what mission trip organization you’d like to join. This will enable you to choose the best mission trip for you and have a truly transformative experience. 

Are there alternatives to mission trips abroad?

Yes! Through volunteer abroad programs, you can participate in community service work that’s similar to mission trips.

Below, we’ve highlighted four great international volunteer organizations that operate service projects overseas.

Plan My Gap Year (PMGY)

With volunteer experiences available in 17 countries across South America, Africa, and Asia, Plan My Gap Year offers volunteer programs in the areas of childcare, medical care, teaching, wildlife preservation, and more. Their programs range in length from one week to 40 weeks or more. Through PMGY , you could: 

• Care for disabled children in Ghana (from $624 for two weeks)
• Teach English in a slum school in India (from $579 for two weeks)
• Rescue wildlife in Bali (from $519 for one week)

To view all of PMGY’s service projects, click here !

Maximo Nivel

If you want to do service work in Latin America, Maximo Nivel has tons of wonderful programs in Costa Rica , Guatemala , and Peru . Do medical volunteering, work with kids, join an eco-agriculture project , protect sea turtles, or get involved with hands-on community development work. Maximo Nivel even has internships in fields like human rights , education, and medicine, giving you the chance to gain practical experience and do good.  

For a full list of Maximo Nivel’s volunteer abroad opportunities, click here !

Love Volunteers

Known for their affordability, transparency, and strong commitment to local communities, Love Volunteers operates in more than 34 countries. From community development work in Bosnia (from just $569 for four weeks) to medical internships in Uganda (from $429 for two weeks), Love Volunteers has a variety of volunteer projects in a variety of locations. They’re highly rated by past volunteers — a testament to their quality of work. 

To check out all of Love Volunteers’ service opportunities, see their site !

Projects Abroad

Established in 1992, Projects Abroad has become a highly trusted name in volunteering abroad. They’ve placed more than 120,000 people in programs, and have been featured by the likes of the BBC and CNN. They have projects across every continent. Through Projects Abroad, you could: 

• Support female entrepreneurs through a micro-finance internship in Tanzania (from $3,660 for four weeks)
• Coach sports in Samoa (from $3,260 for four weeks) 

For a full overview of Projects Abroad’s programs, click here !

Alai International

Alai International aims to empower volunteers to make a positive difference as they roam the globe. With 475+ programs across 41+ locations, from Mongolia to Ethiopia to Colombia , you can certainly find a suitable program, whether that be teaching at a school or environmental conservation . 

Visit Alai International’s site to learn more!

How long are mission trips?

Depending on your needs and aspirations, you could take a short-term, mid-term, or long-term mission trip. You’ll find the most options within the one-week to eight-month range, since longer trips require a greater commitment. Length also varies depending on if you sign up for a religious or non-religious mission trip (see details below).

Length of religious mission trips

Religious mission trips have a specific structure. Often done in a group (not an individual/solo trip ), mission trips maintain a very set daily schedule, with allotted time for work, prayer, preaching, reflection, cultural immersion, and entertainment. 

How long you stay depends on the organization and specific requirements of your religion. Typically, programs don’t last incredibly long (e.g., five days, one week, two weeks, or a month). With some mission trip organizations, you can serve for a few months or more. 

Long-term missions do exist and usually require that you stay at least two years. According to The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) , a global alliance of churches and missionaries, long-term missionaries are “ the backbone of ministries” and are “relentlessly committed” to living out their church’s mission. 

Do note that some denominations, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , have followers that commonly go on longer mission trips. Those in the LDS church serve anywhere from 18 months to three years abroad.

Length of non-religious mission trips

Mission trips for non-religious groups offer you a different selection when it comes to location, activities and tasks, and length of stay. You can come individually or with a group of your friends or family . And you can travel for as short or as long as you’d like. Projects are often flexible with how long you stay. 

For instance, through GoEco , a popular provider of medical mission trips, you can stay for as short as two or for as long as 12 weeks (and sometimes longer). Each mission trip organization differs, so check in advance.  

What should I expect on a mission trip?

As long as you prepare, you’ll have a smooth experience. Ready yourself mentally, spiritually, and physically for: 

• Being outside your comfort zone : Mission trips may take you to off the beaten path destinations . Come with open eyes and an open mind —and welcome new experiences. It will broaden your perspective and even broaden your palate! As the Virginia Theological Seminary states in their blog, “expect to be challenged. Expect to be changed .”
• Staying flexible : This is an adventure! Not everything will go as planned. Come ready to adapt to unexpected circumstances. 
• Acclimating to the host culture : Study the local language , customs, and traditions. Remain humble and ready to learn.
• Time for reflection and sharing : Document your experiences and thoughts. Group reflections and discussions give you the chance to share challenges, observations, experiences, and more. 
• Faith-based activities ( for religious mission trips ): Religious mission trips center on faith, so you’ll attend group discussions, community prayers, and church services (which you won’t with non-religious mission trips). 
• Note: Some religious mission trip programs focus solely on providing aid, and don’t engage in religious conversion activities. 

Again, while you may perform similar activities on religious and non-religious mission trips, especially if you volunteer in childcare , education, or construction , where the two types of mission trips mainly differ is the religious aspect of the work. Religious mission trips call you to not only dive deeper into your faith, but also to carry out your ministry’s mission and invite others to your faith. Secular mission trips don’t have this element. 

Additionally, know most mission trips require that you sign a mission trip covenant (religious) or agreement (non-religious). This sets clear expectations for your behavior, attitude, and responsibilities. The community covenant or agreement is very important, so keep a copy with you after reading and signing it. 

Since every mission trip has different expectations and structures, take the initiative to ask questions before going. This enables you to prepare yourself properly and puts yourself in position to have a successful and life-changing mission trip.

How much does it cost to go on a mission trip?

It depends. 

The total cost of a mission trip is similar to a volunteer abroad trip, which we estimate to range between $980 – $3200+ for an affordable short-term trip . As you can see, prices can vary dramatically. 

When calculating the cost of a mission trip, consider the following:

• Location : Some destinations cost more than others. Proximity also plays a role. If you live in the United States, airfare and accommodations to Central America will cost less than flying to Asia . 
• Length of stay : Accommodation, food, and other essentials add up over time. Many mission trips include meals and lodging with the initial costs, so you won’t have to worry about those expenses once there.  
• Program : Who’s facilitating your mission trip? They may have program fees, but will handle a lot of the details and prep work for you. 
• Financing options : Does the mission society fund part or all of the trip? If so, you may not pay much at all. Are there fundraising activities before going? That could lower your expenses. Many churches and mission societies utilize donations to fund mission trips, so that could make your adventure more affordable. 

Making the most of your mission trip abroad

A mission trip can make a lasting impact on your life and the lives of others. Many mission trips focus on spreading religion, but do go beyond that. Mission trips are also about helping communities that need it most. The core of your mission is to serve fellow human beings and make a tangible difference in people’s lives. 

Remember: The more you give, the more you’ll get . If you give of your time to volunteer, serve others, and make a difference, you’ll feel satisfaction beyond words. So, start exploring and find your perfect mission trip today!

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Nick Callos · Writer

With a BA in English Literature & Writing from Boston College, Nick researches and writes about volunteer, intern, and teach abroad programs worldwide. He has studied abroad and taught English in Chengdu, China, and aims to help fellow travelers make a lasting impact on the communities they visit.

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Mission trips have long been recognized as an extraordinary way to make a meaningful difference in the world while experiencing personal growth and spiritual fulfillment. These journeys allow individuals to step out of their comfort zones and into communities in need, offering assistance, hope, and love. In this blog post, we’ll explore some compelling and good reasons why you should consider going on a mission trip.

• Share the Love of Christ :: Going on a mission trip provides a unique opportunity to share the love and message of Christ with others. It allows you to live out the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized love, compassion, and service to others. By sharing your faith, you can provide spiritual guidance and support to those who may not have encountered it otherwise.
• Make a Tangible Impact :: Mission trips are about more than just words; they’re about actions. You can contribute to community development by building houses, providing clean water, offering medical care, or teaching valuable skills. These tangible acts of service have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of those you serve.
• Cultural Exchange and Understanding :: Going on a mission trip exposes you to diverse cultures, languages, and traditions. It’s an opportunity to learn from others, broaden your horizons, and gain a deeper appreciation for the rich tapestry of humanity. This cross-cultural exchange fosters mutual understanding and respect.
• Personal Growth and Character Development :: Mission trips challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and confront new and often unfamiliar situations. This process of adaptation and problem-solving can lead to significant personal growth. You’ll develop qualities such as resilience, adaptability, and empathy, which can benefit you in all areas of life.
• Forge Lifelong Friendships :: Mission trips often bring together individuals from various backgrounds and walks of life. The shared experiences, challenges, and successes create strong bonds. Many participants find that they forge lifelong friendships with both fellow participants and the people they serve.
• Discover Your Purpose :: Engaging in missions can help you discover or reaffirm your life’s purpose. It can lead you to explore your calling in terms of service, ministry, or humanitarian work. The sense of fulfillment that comes from serving others can provide clarity about your life’s direction.
• Experience Joy and Gratitude :: Witnessing the positive impact of your efforts and the transformation in the lives of others brings immeasurable joy and gratitude. These emotions can be life-affirming and serve as a reminder of the beauty of giving and selflessness.
• Strengthen Your Faith :: Many individuals experience a deepening of their faith on mission trips. Trusting in God’s provision and guidance in unfamiliar circumstances can lead to a stronger connection with Him. It’s an opportunity to live out your faith in practical ways.
• Create Lasting Memories :: Mission trips offer experiences and memories that last a lifetime. The stories, lessons, and moments shared during these journeys become part of your personal narrative, enriching your life and the lives of those you share them with.

Going on a mission trip is an extraordinary and transformative experience that offers numerous good reasons to embark on this journey. It allows you to impact the lives of others, share your faith, and grow as an individual. It’s a chance to connect with different cultures, forge lifelong friendships, and discover your purpose in life. Ultimately, a mission trip is an opportunity to be a beacon of hope and love in a world that often needs it the most.

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What is a Mission Trip and Why You Should Go On One

You may have heard about mission trips from your church, school, or social circles and are curious to learn more. Mission trips are impactful and life-changing experiences that involve helping others while exploring your faith. This article will teach you what you need to know about mission trips, possible reasons to go on one, and how to connect with an organization or trip leader. 

What is a Mission Trip?

There are two main types of mission trips: religious and non-religious. In both options, participants undergo deep self-exploration, make a positive impact, and learn about other communities while completing volunteer work. 

However, Christian mission trips, which will be the focus of this article, always involve a component of faith. 

Christian Mission Trip Overview

Christian mission trips are opportunities for Christians to serve the world around them through community outreach. Churches or religious organizations typically arrange them. 

All sorts of people go on Christian mission trips; high school students, college students, retirees, seniors, and everyone in between. Some trips are designed for a specific age group or skill set, so check with your church or religious organization about which trips are most suitable. For example, there are youth mission trips for younger kids or medical mission trips for nurses and doctors. 

What Do You Do on a Mission Trip?

During the mission trip, participants will connect with the local communities, helping them, learning from them, and sharing their experiences with Christ. 

Your exact role will vary depending on the type of mission. Usually, mission trips focus on one type of community project, such as teaching English, painting churches, helping with natural disaster recovery, building homes or medical clinics, or providing other services needed in the area. 

The community service component is complemented by prayer, religious discussions, and other faith-based activities. More examples of Christian mission trips include church planting and Bible education, also known as Vacation Bible School (VBS).

Usually, Christian mission trips have a set daily schedule. Your day will involve service, prayer sessions, activities with local people, reflection, and entertainment, often organized by the group or congregation running the trip.

Length and Destination

Missions vary in length and location. Short-term mission trips can be around one week to one month, while long-term assignments can last up to 2 years or more. 

Trips arranged by church groups or Christian university organizations typically lean more toward the short-term end. However, if you’re looking to spend more time away, you can check out other mission trip providers and organizations, which we will review later on.

Additionally, trips take place both near and far. For example, many Christian mission trips go abroad to developing countries, like parts of Africa, South America, and Asia. However, you can also choose a closer destination, like an inner city near you. Get in contact with your church or Christian college to see what destinations and types of projects are available. 

Reasons to Go on a Mission Trip

Mission trips are eye-opening experiences that provide personal and spiritual fulfillment, while helping communities in need. The reasons to go on a mission trip are endless and can often be very personal. The following section will name a few key motivations for embarking on a Christian mission trip. 

• Gain a New Perspective

Mission trips teach you that there’s more to the world than what you’ve previously seen. It teaches you how to put others before yourself and the true meaning of selflessness. It may even get you thinking about your higher purpose.

• Learn Valuable Skills

Whether you’re building a house, teaching English, or helping with disaster recovery, you’re going to learn new, valuable life skills. In addition, you’ll discover capabilities and things about yourself that you never knew you had!

• Get out of Your Comfort Zone

Many missions take place in foreign countries. The language, culture, food, people, and environment might be new to you. You’ll be entirely out of your comfort zone and immersed in something unfamiliar, which will help you grow.

• Cross-Cultural Exchange 

Related to the previous point, an immense amount of cultural exchange will occur on mission trips abroad. You’ll make connections with people from entirely different backgrounds than yours. Experiencing culture will help you reflect on yourself, who you are, where you come from, and in which direction you want to go, all while learning something new. 

• Connect with God

A key part of Christianity is helping and serving others. Mission trips do just that and beyond. In addition to completing a service project, you will participate in faith-based activities and share your love for God. 

How Do You Go on a Mission Trip?

A good starting point is to check with your local church or university (if you’re a student). If you can’t go with either of those groups, you could ask another church in your area about their programs. Make some calls and get an idea of what options are available. You can also check out organizations that lead faith-based mission trips. 

Once you know your options, consider what type of trip best suits your needs, timeline, and preferences. Ask yourself what type of project you are looking for, where you want to go, who you want to serve with, and when and for how long you’re able to go. Then, choose the program that most closely matches your answers. 

Make the Most out of Your Trip

A mission trip is your chance to make tangible and intangible differences in communities that need your help. So go on a mission trip with your whole heart. Challenge yourself, serve others, try something new, and give, give, give! 

You’ll feel greatly satisfied knowing your positive impact on another person’s life. Then, reflect on your mission trip experience and talk about it with others back at home.

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A Guide to Christian Discipleship

Missionary Trips: Finding the Right One And What to Expect

Missions / February 9, 2020 by Tai Mcguire

Many Christians have the heart and good intention to help others, especially those in other countries who are without resources and the gospel. For many Christians, they don’t know where to go with their intentions. They need insight, opportunity, and connection. Mission trips and organizations are perfect ways to develop a missional mindset and lifestyle.

What is a missionary trip? A missionary trip is a trip to another city, state, country, or continent done by a religious organization. Christian mission trips tend to focus on spiritual development, community development, and holistic humanitarian type aid. The priority of Christian mission trips is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring others to salvation through faith. They also work to improve the quality of life and care for those in need.

Before choosing a mission trip, you should be aware of what different trips are available. You should know what to expect, the benefits, struggles, and what to avoid. Continue reading to find the best trip that works for you as an individual.

Types of Trips & What to Expect

There are various types of Christian mission trips. These vary based on duration, focus, location, and need. The purpose of the trip also impacts the type of work that is done. For example, shorter-term trips tend to focus on training individuals for missions and preparing them for discipleship. Longer-term mission trips focus on the area and community in which they reside.

Long-term missionaries may work with short-term missionaries to complete projects in a cost-effective and time-conscious manner. Additionally, they may provide experience to inexperienced Christians who are seeking to do missions or ministry. This can be a great way for believers to gauge where they need to grow and where the Lord might be leading them.

No matter your experience with missions or ministry, there is a mission trip for you. You can help no matter your skill level, age, or life experience. However, there are some things to avoid on mission trips, which we will discuss later. First, we will look at the types of mission trips and what to expect in each one.

Short-term mission trips usually span from one week to a few weeks long. The work done on a short-term trip is alongside an organization, church, or long-term missionaries. Since the time spent is short, there isn’t as much that can be done. Short-term trips can open opportunities for evangelism, work within a local church or ministry, community outreach, and labor projects.

What to Expect:

• To fundraise or work to pay off the financial cost.
• Expect to see a lot of need that you will not be able to fully address. Prepare yourself to do the work that you are able to. Pray that God would raise up others to complete the work, or consider returning long-term.
• Evangelism, working within a local church, partnering with long-standing missionaries.
• Being led by other leadership, and assuming a position of service and humility.
• Having time to explore the area. Many areas, especially those visited by Western churches, allow the volunteers a day or so to tour the area. Some trips must include tourism since that is a part of the Visa expectation.
• Eat the food that is served to you. Most cultures overseas are hospitable. They will want to feed you. It is polite to eat their food.
• Confusing cultural differences. You may stumble upon cultural differences that you were not expected. Ask the long term missionaries or your translator what to expect and how to respond.
• You may be staying in a village, hotel, home, compound, or church.

Long-term mission trips occur for a year or more. They can be life-long, yet they aren’t always. Some missionaries will spend a stint in one overseas location and then move to a different culture or location. Long-term missionaries are usually sent by a supporting church or organization. However, missionaries can be self-supported and sustained.

• Learning a new language.
• Learning a new culture, adapting and assimilating.
• Laying aside privilege, opportunities, and positions that you had in your home country.
• Leading others and potentially being the site leaders.
• Living in conditions that may not have electricity, running water, traditional homes, conveniences, or resources.
• Fundraising and relying on reliable supporters.
• Working a job in another country to support yourself or your family.
• Teaching locals and other missionaries to do the work of a missionary.
• Developing communities in a holistic manner. Focusing on spirit, mind, body, emotions, health, relationships, and finances.
• Being unwelcome and misunderstood. Not always seeing fruit in a timely manner and having unmet expectations.
• Facing difficulties and experiences that your friends and family back home won’t understand.
• At times feeling lonely and discouraged.
• Consistent reliance on God through prayer, worship, reading of scripture, fellowship, faith, and perseverance.

Priority Projects

Priority projects tend to be done on short-term mission trips. An example of this is building a house, church, or a resource building in a community. However, priority projects can become long-term. Those who are gifted and skilled in areas such as business, health, teaching, and finance, may be called to work within an organization to fulfill a particular need.

I have a friend who’s family lived in Africa for five years because her father was called to train pastors and spiritual leaders. Furthermore, other individuals will live overseas for a specific purpose to train others or help an organization stay on its feet.

• Expectations depend on the type of project, its duration, and the overall need.
• At times, but not always, priority projects seem to be focused on a physical need.
• Teaching valuable life skills that are practical enough for locals to complete on their own.
• Simplifying matters and creatively finding new ways to implement resources, according to what is possible and impossible in a certain culture or economy.
• Incorporating spiritual development in relationships. Don’t focus solely on work if you have the opportunity to share the gospel.
• Form relationships with those you are working with and with community members.

Spiritual Development

Trips that are focused solely on spiritual development will be less humanitarian. Meaning, the trip is not focused on supplying resources, training, or aid for physical needs. Rather, the purpose of the trip is to bring the gospel in a rapid amount of time and to further disciple those who already have the gospel.

One example of this includes the evangelistic work of Billy Graham and the like. Trips focused on spiritual development also include training sessions, the study of scripture, leading nonbelievers to Christ, and preparing others to continue the movement once the missionaries are gone.

• Share the gospel.
• Pray for the sick, demon-possessed, mourning, hurting, lost, confused, and spiritually broken.
• Teach the scriptures and lead Bible studies.
• Preach messages to groups.
• Work one-on-one to disciple others.
• Evangelize.
• Plant churches.
• Train local leaders.

Holistic Focused Trips

As humans, we have various types of needs. We have spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and relational needs. Of course, the redemption of spiritual depravity is our greatest need. However, scripture also makes it clear that as Christians we are to take care of other Christians in a holistic manner. We are also called to advocate for the oppressed, set the captive free, minister to the needs of others, and supply aid in physical needs.

Holistically focused mission trips can be short-term or long-term. These types of trips include in-depth spiritual development, as well as economic, social, communal, cultural, physical, and holistic development.

• You will have the opportunity to evangelize, pray for others, form close relationships, disciple, teach, study scripture, and fellowship.
• You will be able to use your gifts to improve the quality of life within the community.
• The priority will be providing for both the spiritual and physical needs of individuals.

What to Avoid on Mission Trips

Many Christians go on mission trips with good intentions. Unknowingly, they may be creating more harm than good. There are a few things they should be aware of before going on a mission trip. Additionally, wrong motivation can cause issues for the missionary, and for the people on the other side.

• The “white savior” complex. Too often, Western missionaries go overseas and draw more attention to themselves than God. They lead in a dominating manner, instead of with humility, grace, and service, as Jesus demonstrated. These individuals use their money, resources, and knowledge and lord it over locals, at times without knowing it. They let their privilege esteem them as greater than the locals.
• Going for the experience, vacation or adventure. Think of the people in need and let this be your motivation. Don’t go on mission trips for selfish reasons. Think of these things as an added bonus. If you want a vacation go on a vacation and not a mission trip.
• Pushing your culture. Christianity is not cultural. The Christian way is not in Western culture or one culture in particular. Be careful that you are spreading the truth of scripture and not your own cultural bias.
• Judgment and pride. You do not have all the answers. Be teachable and learn from your teammates and from the locals. View them as people made in the image of God, just as you are. Ask questions and seek to understand, rather than advocate for yourself.
• Posting pictures in the wrong way. Too many people post vulnerable and personal pictures of the local people they worked with without thinking twice. If you do post pictures from your trip, be intentional and understanding about how those individuals would feel if they knew you were posting.

Recommended Trips

Here are some mission trips and organizations that I recommend.

If you have never been on a mission trip, a great place to start is through your local church. If you have already been on these types and trips and want greater experience and training, consider the following.

• LEAD Venture – This is a gap year program at Bethany Global University. Students receive 30 college credits, in-depth training on campus, a certification, and a 16-week overseas internship. Gap year students can return to the university to complete an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree.
• YWAM DTS – These schools are located globally and typically last from 3-9 months. Students do holistic mission work, including spiritual and physical development. They spend part of the DTS learning in the classroom and the other half in cross-cultural ministry.
• Bridge Street Ministries – This is also a gap year program that earns college credits in Grand Rapids Michigan. Students will spend the first three months in a classroom setting and ministering in an urban city. Next, students serve overseas for 3 months. The last 3 months are spent back on site to debrief and prepare students for their next step.

Long-term trips can be established individually, through a local church, additional network connections, or through an organization. Here are some of the best organizations, Universities, and programs for long-term missions.

• Bethany Global University – Provides fully accredited Bachelor’s degrees that are functional and practical. During the four years, students live overseas for 16 months to gain first-hand experience serving in another culture. After graduation, students can continue as missionaries for Bethany International or do missions independently or through another organization.
• Bethany International – Is a missions organization that works with unreached people groups of the 10/40 window. It trains, sends, and partners with other missionaries to take the church to where it is not and to help others do the same.
• Adventures in Missions – Works with all levels of mission work, from youth mission trips to adult mission trips and long-term work. These trips can focus on fulfilling spiritual, physical, and holistic needs globally. This organization trains missionaries and establishes them in long-term work.
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God is moving all over the world, and He invites you to be a part of something extraordinary.  Discover how to live out your unique design as you grow in your faith, experience community on mission, and make an eternal impact by helping people know Jesus on a summer mission! 

This summer, thousands of students will go around the world with Cru.  Learn more about how your passions align with a one- to 12-week summer mission.  Come be part of something extraordinary!

Learn more about Cru summer missions, FAQ’s and more.

Not sure where to go? We can help you!

Applications open november 1, 2023.

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5 Reasons Every Teenager Should Go On a Mission Trip

• Mission Trips

Mission Trips for Teenagers

What would you do if you discovered an incredible experience that opened eyes, softened hearts, empowered service and changed teenagers lives?

When a youth pastor saw how mission trips had drawn his teenagers to others and toward Jesus, he asked himself that question. His answer was starting YouthWorks, an organization that now invites thousands of teenagers and leaders on mission trips each summer.

Since 1994, we have seen mission trips play a crucial role in the lives of countless teenagers, and we continue to believe every teenager should experience a mission trip.

1. Mission Trips Bring Youth Groups Together .

If you’ve ever been on a weekend student retreat, you know how that experience can build community. Teenagers ride together, play together, eat together, stay up late together, get up tired together… “Together” is a powerful word. Think of “together” as glue – the more broadly it’s spread, the better a youth group will bond. Mission trips apply “together” to students’ sense of adventure, their desire serve, their relationship with God, their daily experiences, their broken comfort zones and much more (including these things below!).

2. Mission Trips Broaden Perspectives for Teenagers.

Teenagers might be more connected than ever with what’s happening around the world, but have they seen what it’s like to live below the poverty line in small-town America? Or experienced the energy and exhaustion of inner-city living? Or felt the heartbeat of Native America beaten across the taut surface of a drum? Pulling teenagers from their typical context helps them understand that the world is larger that their daily lives would have them believe. By beginning to understand another setting, their own context comes into truer focus.

3. Mission Trips Challenge Comfort Zones.

Beyond broadening perspectives, mission trips demand that teenagers participate. Painting a house, playing with kids, serving a meal, sleeping on an air mattress, experiencing a new culture – these are a few examples of ways comfort zones are crossed. But when coupled with intentional processing and worship, mission trips have the unique ability to challenge students’ comfortable perceptions of God and the world. Faith steps beyond the doors of the church and demands to be applied to real-world living.

4. Mission Trips Empower Students.

God is doing incredible work through the Church. The energy, authenticity, fresh perspective and passion teenagers bring are a vibrant part of that church. Done well, mission trips help students take ownership and initiative. Eyes are opened. Passions are ignited. Possibilities are exposed. Pursuits begin. Mission trips help teenagers see what they are capable of. But first, the Church chooses to believe in the incredible opportunity of being a teenager – not a possibility to be met “someday,” but a boiling potential just waiting to overflow.

5. Mission Trips Create Sacred Space.

The Israelites used to build monuments by throwing together big piles of rocks to point at later and say, “That signifies God’s faithfulness in our nation.” For many teenagers, mission trips represent a time and a place when God worked in and through their lives. More than a mere mountain-top high, these sacred spaces both anchor students in their faith and propel them forward in their relationship with God. Even in times of trouble, teenagers often point toward their mission trip experience and say, “That signifies God’s faithfulness in my life.”

How YouthWorks Helps More Teenagers Go on Mission Trips

QUALITY EXPERIENCES – We want youth mission trips to be much more than something students are supposed to do. We want mission trips to be something students and teenagers want to do. That’s why we put considerable time and resources into creating excellent curriculum, hiring great staff, making meaningful connections, and choosing awesome activities within each community. We care about teenagers, and we want them to love serving others as much as we do.  

DETAILS – That’s right. At YouthWorks, we do details – the big ones, the small ones, the ones you might never know exist. We’ve got people who like words, people who like numbers, people who like maps, people who like brainstorming, people who like design, people who like hiring, people who like… well… love communities… and when you’re planning for your YouthWorks mission trip, we’re all working for you – because we also like you ! And you do the most important job of all: walk alongside students. We do the details so you can invite, focus on and love teenagers.

CLOSE-TO-HOME LOCATIONS – With over 30 mission trip destinations across North America, there is bound to be one close to you. Taking teenagers on a mission trip doesn’t require crossing international boarders, and with YouthWorks, it might not even mean crossing state lines. We want mission trips to be attainable for teenagers, parents and youth workers.

AFFORDABLE OPTIONS – Many churches go with YouthWorks because they recognize a truly quality experience at an affordable price. We work hard to keep mission trip prices as low as possible because we don’t want finances to be any teenager’s excuse for staying home.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES – When we hear about a specific student or church who is struggling to make it on a mission trip because of financial restraints, we do our best to work with them to find a solution. If your church needs any help financially or you have a specific student that needs help getting on a mission trip, connect with our Service Center .

RECRUITING RESOURCES – Sometimes it’s hard to communicate how important an experience could be for a teenager to attend. That’s why, each year, we create resources – like posters and videos and lists of good practices – to help youth leaders communicate with students about their upcoming trip. Ultimately it is parents and youth leaders who prompt teenagers to go on trips, so we want to help them do the best job possible.

Interested in a mission trip for your teenagers with YouthWorks? Explore trip options:

Find a Trip

Got questions? Fill out the form to start the conversation. 

Share this post, sam townsend.

Sam Townsend loves wooded trails on warm summer days, full conversations over half-price apps and puns that could make a grown man groan. He is a writer, a third-generation footlong hotdog salesman and the Senior High Ministry Pastor at Calvary Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s also a big fan of YouthWorks, where he contributes to theme material creation and blog production.

5 Reasons Every Teen Should Go On A Mission Trip Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas How to Create a Fundraising Letter

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• Adventures in Missions

Missions Trips 101

Christian mission trip tips and tricks essential information for adventures in missions trips including the world race.

Top Reasons to go on a mission trip

Do you ever feel like something’s missing? That feeling that there’s got to be more than just this.

You want to make a difference in the world. You want to be part of something bigger than yourself.

The world is a big place, full of overwhelming heartache, hunger, poverty, sickness, and pain. It’s easy to be weighed down by the enormity of it all and assume you can’t make a meaningful change. All too often, people look at the problems of the world and say: “Someone should do something about this”.

You have the opportunity to respectfully step into someone’s pain and make a meaningful difference. To build sustainability where there was only hopelessness. But you need to take the first step, you need to get out of your comfort zone!

Will you take the plunge?

The danger of Missions Trips

*Hint, they aren’t easy and they change you forever

A mission trip will turn your world upside down in the best way. Discover your unique role in bringing God’s kingdom to the needy. Let Jesus fill the need in your own heart as he uses you to make a difference in the lives, communities, and hearts of those who need it most.

The best way to experience missions is to live responsively. At Adventures In Missions, we ask, prayerfully listen, and respond through obedience. When we ask God for guidance, listening for his response it often changes us. When we obey him to the best of our ability, we begin to truly live!

You can take a small step. Take a few days or a few weeks of your life to be Jesus to someone in desperate need of hope. God can use you to make a difference. It’s not enough to learn about God and live life in a cozy Christian bubble. The church needs to leave the building!

Jesus did not call us to say a prayer but to enter into a lifestyle. We know that a life with Jesus is a life full of hope, and we are committed to bringing that hope to the people who need it most. Seth Barnes

Kindle a Relationship with God. Build fellowship with others.

The mission field offers many unique experiences that will challenge our definitions of normal. We embrace the concept of ‘doing something different’ in order to let God have his way in our lives and ministries. James 1:2-4

We believe that God is living, active, and has something to say to us. Listening and responding to the voice of God are the goals that drive us. John 10:27

We choose our ministry partners based on shared values, and work alongside them to creatively meet felt needs. Philemon 1:6

We empower and equip for kingdom work, believing that communities and relationships will be transformed by the love of Christ. Matthew 28:18-20

We are passionate about sharing Jesus’ story with those we encounter. We help build the kingdom by explaining how God has transformed our own lives, and by confirming our words through our actions.

What to Expect on a Mission Trip

*Hint, they aren’t ordinary or fake

• Break the Mold Don’t be afraid to get dirty or reach out to touch the marginalized and forgotten We believe your mission experience will be something out of the ordinary. We have a deep, desperate love for the people of the world. Whether they are in our back yard or halfway around the world, we see the beauty of God’s creation in our diversity. We must leave comfort behind to see the world as it truly is, and to bring Jesus in. By shaking up the status quo, by doing something different, we offer every youth a chance to spend real time with a real person with a real story. We are not afraid to get dirty or to reach out and touch the marginalized and forgotten. Whether you are ministering in rural Appalachia or near the beaches of Florida, our hope is that your experience will push your teens, your leaders, and you out of your comfort zones and into relationships with people and ministries in ways you may least expect.

Adventures in Missions has been forming relationships with ministry partners around the world for over 23 years. You may be partnering with a ministry host that has been on board with us since then or pioneering alongside us with a more recent ministry partner. Whatever the circumstance, Adventures staff has been communicating with your host on a consistent basis, and have recently been on the ground to survey the most current and pressing needs of the community you will be serving.

Depending on your location, your day-to-day life of ministry can look different. But it will always reflect ways to show the love of Christ. We believe in listening to the voice of God to hear how he would like us to serve and love his creations. This may look like:

• Showing consistent love to children who need to know they matter.
• Facilitating a vacation bible school.
• Playing sports and doing outreach with locals.
• Visiting door-to-door to pray and share Christ’s love and heart for others. Share the gospel -the good news that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.
• Going on a prayer walk.
• Cleaning facilities for churches, organizations, and locals in need.
• Serving and/or distributing food to the hungry.
• Working on relief from a natural disaster.
• Loving an orphan or widow.

“The staff at Adventures work year-round to build and maintain healthy relationships with our partners on the field. Teams like yours are a huge blessing to the needs they have, and it is our goal to make sure you feel your time and efforts are maximized while serving.” -Brandon Babb, Missionary in Eswatini, Africa. 2021

Adventures staff or a local ministry host will provide a cultural briefing upon your arrival, including specific details pertaining to your location.

We also have a desire for you to have a real experience of the location you visit, not just a tourist-level view. Our trips focus on going to the heart of the location, to where Jesus is most needed. Sometimes that looks like painting a building, other times that looks like praying at someone’s house. We let our local leaders determine what best fits into the grander vision of each location’s broad vision of ministry. 

It’s not all work and no play. When appropriate, we often have a special outing planned relative to your location. This is a time for you to continue to bond and enjoy time with your team, and experience the culture around you.

Premium Missionary Accommodations: Churches, Homes, Tents, Floors, and Hotels

*Hint, every trip looks different, but we do our best to keep everyone safe.

• Food: WHERE DO WE EAT? Your teens may lend a hand in the kitchen, or you could stay with a lodging partner who will handle all cooking and meal preparation. Meeting your needs is a priority of Adventures, however we ask that you prepare yourself, leaders, and participants to have a ‘mission mindset’ when it comes to details like food and housing arrangements. All meals and accommodations will be sufficient, but not lavish.
• Rest: WHERE DO WE SLEEP? You should have received information regarding the specifics of your housing location. You may have bunk beds, or you may be roughin’ it on the floor for a few days. A light sleeping bag and sleeping mat are a good idea for comfort. You may be on a project with only your team, or another group of missionaries. We ask that you not pack full-size, blow-up mattresses so everyone can enjoy enough space to relax and sleep.

Yes. Keeping the ‘mission mindset’, this could look like a variety of options. You will most likely stay at a facility with a small number of showers. It is a good idea to start preparing your students for five-minute showers. Have fun with this. Get creative. Make it a game at youth group in preparation for going into the field. For example, select a student to demonstrate a quick shower process. With shower supplies provided (shampoo and conditioner bottle, soap, towel) set a timer for five minutes. Have the student demonstrate to the group how long five minutes can actually be,  MIMING , of course, the process of showering from start to finish.

S erving in missions means getting uncomfortable and giving up many things we often believe we’re entitled to at home. One of those things is the way we dress. While Adventures does not have strict dress codes or uniforms, we do ask that you and your team respect the environment and culture you are serving as well as the work you came to do.

Best Mission Clothes

• Knee-length skirt/shorts
• Loose-fitting t-shirts
• Comfortable shoes/Toms

Ladies, What not to wear These on Mission

• Short shorts
• Flimsy flip-flops
• Excessive accessories

Gentlemen, What not to wear on mission

• Shirts with sides cut out
• Nice shoes or sneakers
• Red or blue bandanas

We use Google Translate to automate translation from English to other languages. This translator may display innacurate information that does not represent PPM's views. Please proceed only if you consent.

mission trips

Central America

Baja California, Mexico

Detroit, MI

El Salvador

Middle East

Minneapolis - Saint Paul

New England

Pacific Northwest

South America

Peru - Amazon

Prince Edward Island

Puerto Rico

South Africa

The Bahamas

The Carolinas

The Dominican Republic

Washington, D.C.

Get all the information you need about our mission trips and what your group can expect as they serve on mission with Praying Pelican.

Deepen your youth mission trip by doing ministry built on genuine partnerships, long term relationships, and sustainable ministry.

College students are looking for a place to make a meaningful impact. Amplify that impact by partnering alongside a local church.

Our customizable mission trips allow each person on your team of adults to find a place to serve, regardless of their interests or skills.

Church Sponsorship

A continuous effort to build up, encourage, and assist the local Church 365 days a year.

International

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Latest PPM365 Updates

Francis Githinji

Kenya | March 7, 2024

Kenya | February 15, 2024

Kenya | February 8, 2024

Kenya | January 23, 2024

Luis Carlos Armas Vascones

Peru - Amazon | October 28, 2023

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Current Responses

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Disaster Response (Indian Lake Tornado)

Flooding and Winds

Houston, TX

Greenfield Tornado

When disasters strike, the Church is on the front lines of response and relief efforts, working with local authorities and organizing grassroots efforts to meet the pressing needs of their communities.

Follow along with teams as they serve in disaster areas around the world, and also read about the experiences of past teams who have served in those areas through Praying Pelican Missions. Our disaster trip journals are a great way to stay connected with those support teams as they work locally and internationally to offer encouragement and assist the local Church in what might be their greatest time of need!

trip journals

Mission Trip Journals

Follow along with teams as they go on mission, and read about the experiences of past teams who have served with Praying Pelican.

Recent Trip Journals

Solid Rock Youth Group

Chicago, IL | June 8, 2024

Central Church

Memphis, TN | June 8, 2024

Monnin Group

Costa Rica | June 8, 2024

Westpointe Church

Costa Rica | June 9, 2024

Archbold Evangelical Church

Alaska | June 9, 2024

Denver Community Church

Baja California, Mexico | June 9, 2024

• Seven Reasons You Should Go on a Short-Term Mission Trip

1. Connect with and support the global and local church

• We believe that the local church is the hope of the world, because we carry the only real hope within us. We know the truth -- that Jesus is the only hope we have!

2. Broaden your spiritual horizons - go deep with Christ

• Serving others and getting out of our comfort zones shapes us and molds our character in Christ immensely. It challenges us to speak more boldly about His Gospel and serve with abandon. 

3. Experience a new worldview, gain a new perspective

• One of the most widespread ways that a mission trip can change you, is by shaping and changing your worldview. Realizing that God is the King of the WORLD, not just the USA or your backyard, is an absolutely necessary part of growing spiritually. 

4. Meet new people and make friendships

• Go and serve alongside a community of believers and local staff members who will surprise you, help you grow in your faith and who are excited about developing friendships with you and your team!

5. Make an impact that lasts 

• Short-term missions often get a bad rap that they do more harm than good, because they are a one-week-and-done trip. We work to actively avoid that from happening. We pray your desire is to return year after year to develop long-term relationships with your partner, but we also believe in the power of partnering alongside local churches and ministries who are able to continue the work the other 51 weeks of the year. Your role is to help as much as you can while you are on the ground and serve with abandon, alongside your local leadership, and encourage and support them, so they have a little fuel added to their spiritual flames for the rest of the year. 

6. Follow the Great Commission

• Jesus commands us to go into all the world. Starting at home and moving towards the ends of the earth. Short-term missions is an excellent way to get a group of people together with a common goal, to make an impact and expand the Kingdom of God!

7. Share the Gospel

• And lastly, of course, to share the Gospel with the nations. To tell people - from far and wide - about the saving grace of Christ! 

Mission Trip Resources

Before your mission trip.

• Five Roles to Recruit for Your Mission Team
• Five Steps for Your Call to Missions
• Five Ways Your Group Will Grow on a Mission Trip
• Four Reasons Your Church Should Invest in Missions
• Fundraising Ideas for Your Team Mission Trip
• Group Travel Communication Tips
• Group Travel Tips
• How To: Promote Your Next Mission Trip
• How to: Hosting Missions Team Meetings
• How to: Mission Trip Support Letters
• How to: Recruiting Your Missions Team
• I'm NOT Going on This Mission Trip - What Now?
• Individual Bibles Studies Before You Go On Your Mission Trip
• Individual Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas
• Mission Trip Fundraising Tips
• One Week of Group Mission Trip Devotionals
• Options to Think Through Before Your Next Mission Trip
• Packing Tips
• Sample Mission Trip Commitment Letter
• Sample Mission Trip Packing List
• Sample Mission Trip Support Letters
• Sample Mission Trip VBS Outline and Tips!
• Seven Keys of Preparation for Your Mission Trip
• Ten Tips for Cultural Sensitivity
• Three Basic Principles for a Life Changing Mission Trip
• Three Ways to Prepare for Your Mission Trip
• Tips for Sharing Your Testimony
• What NOT to Pack On Your Mission Trip
• Why Partnering Local Matters
• Will My Mission Trip Change Me?
• Your Travel Checklist

During Your Mission Trip

• Connecting with Your Local Pastor
• Five Tips to Debrief Well Each Evening of Your Mission Trip
• Mission Trip Clothing Guidelines
• Photography Etiquette on Mission Trips
• Physical Giving and Donations
• Serving With Dignity
• Staying Healthy On Your Mission Trip
• Staying Safe During Your Mission Trip

After Your Mission Trip

• Five Ways to Support Missionary Friends For Free
• Four Ways to Support Local Ministries
• Keeping Your Missions Partnership Healthy
• Living the Pelican Life
• The Mission Trip is Over - Now What?
• The Missions Truth Burden

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LATEST TRIP JOURNALS

USEFUL LINKS

INTERNATIONAL

Our customizable mission trips allow each person on your team of adults to find a place to serve, regardless of their interest or skills.

Africa's many countries boast a wide array of beauty, culture and needs. Destinations include Kenya and South Africa.

Serve with Praying Pelican across the Caribbean—locations include Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico.

Serve with Praying Pelican across the Central America—locations include Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

This is your opportunity to serve alongside a local church and experience God in a different culture—from Belize, to Cuba, to South Africa and beyond.

From our hometown of Minneapolis to the island of Puerto Rico, USA mission trips are diverse in service opportunities, cultural experiences, and community needs.

On D-Day, they changed the world. 80 years later, an incredible journey takes them back.

EN ROUTE TO FRANCE – Robert Pedigo had a hunch.

He and his bomber crew, based in England, had been flying missions against the Nazis. Then, on a late spring evening in 1944, a commander took each squadron into a nearby wheat field to give them special instruction.

“Men, go get a good night’s rest,” he said, “because we have an important mission tomorrow.”

The commander, he has always remembered, was Jimmy Stewart, the star who had left Hollywood to lead air attacks throughout World War II. Pedigo and the rest of the flight crew bedded down. The wakeup call would come at 2:30 the next morning, June 6. 

Pedigo, from Indianapolis, had sold scrap metal and worked other jobs during the Great Depression to help support his family before enlisting in the Army Air Corps. Now he was a nose gunner and air bomber on a crew of 10 in the 453rd Bombardment group. Their B-24J Liberator, nicknamed the Silent Yokum, took off into the morning sky.

As they crossed the English Channel, Pedigo looked down and couldn’t believe his eyes. He had been right. It was something big.  

Instead of just water, he saw ships, so many that he could have walked across the channel, using the boats as stepping stones. 

Instead of just sky, he saw fighters, heavy bombers, C-47 troop transports, every kind of plane imaginable. 

It was June 6, 1944, the day the rest of the world would soon know as D-Day .

From his seat at the nose gun, Pedigo could see it happening. Above, below and all around him, every boat and plane was headed in the same direction he was. Toward Normandy.

May 30, 2024: Fort Worth, Texas

With the ballroom lights dim, a 50-member choir of cadets from the U.S. military academies assembled on stage. They launched into a patriotic number, the closing event of the evening.

Spread out in front of them was a crowd of hundreds, but 66 were particularly important. 

World War II veterans, each was accompanied by a family member or guardian. Eight decades after D-Day, they were gathering in Texas for the start of a new mission. 

They were chosen to make an honor flight aboard a chartered Boeing 787 provided by American Airlines. The party also included six Medal of Honor winners from wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam and two “Rosie the Riveters,” women who made invaluable contributions to the war effort by working in factories and shipyards. In total, some 280 people would make up the entourage.

Together, they would be headed back to France, back to the scene of D-Day itself.

The journey would lead them to the beaches once code-named Omaha and Utah, where several of the men among the 66 had fought in some of the bloodiest combat of D-Day.

Atop the steep cliffs above Omaha Beach, President Joe Biden and other world leaders will mark the 80th anniversary of the invasion on Thursday. 

The 66 vets will be there, too, at Normandy American Cemetery, where more than 9,000 fallen Americans – people who were once just like them – rest forever beneath French soil. 

The trip to get there required more than a year of planning. But its official beginning was with a gala ball on May 30, the night before departure. 

One or two at a time, the vets entered. People pulled out their phones and snapped pictures. David Yoho, 95, from Vienna, Virginia, did an animated bow as the crowd cheered. 

Behind him, some rode in wheelchairs. Others, slightly stooped, leaned on canes. A few wore military uniforms decorated with medals.

Inside the ballroom at American Airlines’ headquarters, the veterans exchanged war stories and dined on Provencal short ribs, lump crab cakes and apple pie topped with creamy French brie. A few got up from their tables and slow danced to bands covering Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and the Andrews Sisters. 

Dan Dougherty, an Army veteran who was on the first ship to go directly from the United States to France during the war, celebrated his 99 th birthday. The entire room serenaded him with “Happy Birthday.”

The mood was celebratory, but statistics added some poignancy to the pageantry. 

The youngest of the 66 making the journey was 95; the oldest 107. Their average age: 100.8.

About a third of the adult male population of the United States served at some point during World War II . The armed forces included about 16.5 million men and women in all.

Today, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, less than 1% of them are still alive.  

For some of the 66 veterans, this flight would be their first trip to Normandy since the war. For all of them, it would most likely be their last.

“You launched the largest wave of freedom across our world,” former President George W. Bush said in a videotaped message. “Billions of people have lived in liberty because of what you did 80 years ago.” 

Watching him was Dominick Critelli, 103, an Army veteran who landed on Utah Beach a few days after the D-Day invasion and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. 

Critelli had immigrated to the United States from Italy when he was only 8, during the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini, “where they were shooting everybody and giving them poison.”

“I can’t forget that,” he said.

In America, he found a new home, one he would later fight for. 

Finally, the choir took to the stage. The song filled the room.  

From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam.  

From his table at the back, Critelli silently mouthed the words.

1944: D-Day at Omaha Beach, France

Sid Edson got up early and went from breakfast to a briefing and then to his bomber.

“My God,” he thought just before he climbed into his plane. “Today is the day.”

Edson had been a welder in Brooklyn before he was drafted into the Air Force in 1943. He worked as a radio operator and a gunner in a B-24 Liberator as part of Bomb Squadron 491. On the morning of June 6, the squadron’s mission was to bomb a German airfield in France.

“We were hoping it would help the soldiers invading all of the beaches,” recalls Edson, who now lives  in Lake Worth, Florida.

Edson wouldn’t remember much about the flight to France that day. He was too focused on doing his job. A radio operator had to make sure the flight crew was monitoring correct frequencies. And that the bomber's complex intercom system was functioning properly so the crew could communicate with each other. Edson also doubled as a gunner. He had to be prepared, on a moment’s notice, to man the bomber’s giant machine guns and open fire. 

An eerie radio silence filled the plane as it neared its target. The approaching Americans didn’t want to say anything that might tip off the Germans about what was about to hit them.

May 31, 2024: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

By 5 p.m. Friday, a sizable crowd had begun to form in Terminal D to watch the parade pass by.

Boy Scouts in tan-and-green uniforms waved American flags. Travelers hurrying to catch a flight slowed to check out the commotion. Others squatted beside the white-haired men and asked for permission to take selfies. 

American Airlines began planning the trip 18 months ago. The Old Glory Honor Flight, a nonprofit group that has arranged other trips for veterans, helped recruit applicants, train their guardians and provide the medical staff volunteers. A foundation led by actor Gary Sinise also helped put the trip together.

Veterans selected to make the trip were required to get a medical exam to determine that they were healthy enough to travel. Seventy-five wheelchairs were available if needed – enough for every veteran on board.

Most of the veterans stayed in wheelchairs for the short ride from gate D24 to D29, where they would board a plane for the 5,000-mile, 8½-hour flight to Paris. 

Willie Clemons, 96, who joined the Navy after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , saluted the cheering crowd that swelled with each passing minute.

Passengers waiting at gate D27 for a flight to Barcelona jumped from their seats and applauded. A woman working the counter at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit collected orders while keeping her eyes on the festivities. 

Andi Goldsticker of Dallas stood off to the side and held a sign thanking the veterans for their bravery and sacrifices in service to the country. “Because of YOU,” it read, “we are safe and free.”

Goldsticker’s father-in-law, Ralph Goldsticker, 102, a bombardier who flew missions on D-Day, was making the trip to France. His son, Andi’s husband Larry, was accompanying him. 

As she watched, she recalled the way her father-in-law had described the war. “Every time I dropped a bomb,” he would say, “I thought I was going to die.”  

At the boarding gate, the wheelchairs turned down the jetway. 

The 66 made their way down the plane’s double aisles. Above them, a photo and bio of each was taped to the overhead luggage bins. 

Festoons of red, white and blue stars were draped across cabin walls. Small American flags were tucked behind the passenger seat headrests.

Over the intercom, the announcements were tailored to the century-old travelers. 

Take your medicines. Drink plenty of liquids. Be sure to change sitting positions every few hours. 

In the rows behind the vets was a 12-member volunteer medical team. Emergency room doctors and nurses, a paramedic and nurse practitioners would roam the plane throughout the flight. 

Anyone experiencing a health issue should alert the crew right away.

The orange Texas sunset glared through the cabin windows as the plane rolled, lifted off and pointed toward France. 

1944: Omaha Beach, France

Dead bodies lay scattered on Omaha Beach when Vernon Mitchell landed. 

Mitchell, a gunner, had known precious little about the military before he enlisted in the Army in 1940. But jobs were hard to come by in St. Augustine, Texas, after the Great Depression. After working his entire young life on a farm, he signed up for the service at age 19. A few short years later, he was wading ashore in France. 

It was Wednesday, June 7. The first wave of the Allied invasion – and the most intense fighting – had taken place the day before. Over the course of the invasion, about 2,400 U.S. soldiers, more than 1,400 British and nearly 1,100 Canadians would be killed. 

Countless German soldiers died, too, but the Germans had already picked up many of their corpses by the time Mitchell landed. Dead soldiers were bad for morale.

When Mitchell and other members of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division stepped onto the shore, they were smacked by German artillery fire.

“They were still bombarding the place,” Mitchell remembers. “It was terrible.” 

Mitchell and his comrades fought their way out of Omaha Beach. Days later, however, Mitchell was heavily wounded when a German shell hit his squad. Two of his fellow soldiers died.  

June 1, 2024: Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

The overhead lights in the first-class cabin were on dim as the airliner zipped across the Atlantic Ocean at 37,000 feet. A little past midnight, there were still 2,300 miles to go – roughly the halfway point to Paris.

Several veterans dozed quietly as a medical crew roamed periodically through the cabin. John Gleeson, however, was wide awake.

A blanket thrown over his legs to stay warm, Gleeson, 100, of Honolulu, was recalling the story of how he ended up among these 66 veterans. 

His midnight memories were snippets of the entire war.

How the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor had enraged him as a teenager in Long Beach, California. 

How he couldn’t pick out Oahu on a map, but the day after Dec. 7, 1941, he enlisted in the Army. How he qualified for the Air Corps. 

How he was sitting on a bluff overlooking the beach three years later when the radio blared with the news about D-Day. The feeling when he realized so many of the men being killed were the same age as he was. 

Gleeson recalled going to his commanding officer and asking to go to gunnery school. How he was finally sent to fly combat missions over Europe.

“I just had a feeling,” he remembered, as the 787 soared through the night. “I’ve got to do something to help save the world, or save the United States.”

1944: Utah Beach, France

The landing craft pitched and swayed on the choppy water as it approached Utah Beach. But Martin Sylvester never got seasick.

The Brooklyn native had always been prone to carsickness. Around him, other soldiers from the Army’s 4th Infantry Division had grown sick from the turbulent tossing of their amphibious military vessel and were throwing up. Not Sylvester. Maybe, he surmised in his 2009 memoir, he was just too frightened.

The son of a tailor and a stay-at-home mom, Sylvester landed as part of the third wave of Allied forces on June 7. He and the other troops could hear gunfire in the distance as they waded through 3 feet of water and approached the shore. Yet they encountered no resistance from the Germans.

They walked to the top of a hill, where they came across a cement bunker with dead Germans inside and a field strewn with the corpses of animals – cows, horses, pigs and dogs, all killed by Navy artillery fire that had overshot the beach.

The crackle of small rifle fire suddenly filled the air. The Germans were shooting at them. The soldiers quickly ducked into a patch of hedgerows about seven feet apart and fired back. “When we fired, we went from hedgerow to hedgerow,” Sylvester recalled in an interview.

Sylvester and his comrades suffered only minimal casualties. The following January, however, he was hit by a sniper and taken as a prisoner of war in Fuhren, Germany. He escaped a couple of months later and hid in the basement of a one-room schoolhouse until he was picked up by an American armored unit that came through the town. He was recuperating in a Paris hospital when, on May 8, 1945, he heard loud noises and celebrations in the street.

The Germans had surrendered. The war would soon be over.

June 1, 2024: Paris

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Paris,” a member of the flight crew announced as the plane touched down at 11:48 a.m. Saturday at Charles de Gaulle Airport, named after the French general and World War II hero. The exhausted passengers applauded and cheered.

One at a time, the veterans disembarked with the help of family members and assistants, who pushed their wheelchairs down the narrow jetway. Inside the terminal, a long line of spectators held up photos of the veterans, waved French and American flags and shouted “thank you” in French accents. 

At a brief airport ceremony, a handful of veterans slowly rose from their wheelchairs as young students in blue sweaters sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” and the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise.” Others, too tired to rise, stayed seated, hands over their hearts.

In France, veterans who had a role in the D-Day landings are not only considered honored guests, but are embraced as “cherished heroes,” Denise Campbell Bauer, the U.S. ambassador to France, told the gathering.

“Your presence here reminds us that behind the monumental scale of D-Day are real people, individuals with their own stories,” she said.

The last surviving World War II veterans are “the living witnesses to an era that shaped our world,” said Philippe Étienne, the former French ambassador to the United States.

From the back row, Pedigo was overwhelmed as he silently listened to the accolades. 

“I have a tremendous connection, tremendous feelings for the buddies I lost there,” he said. “Tremendous feelings for people worldwide, especially the French people.”

While in Paris, the veterans would attend a ceremony at Suresnes American Cemetery and another beneath the Arc de Triomphe. Then on Monday, they would board buses to Normandy for the final leg of their journey, to stand where thousands of other Americans – people who were once just like them – rest forever beneath French soil.

Aboard the buses would be Martin Sylvester, 98, who had endured each day as a POW on two slices of bread and a cup of watery soup. 

Vernon Mitchell, 103, who survived the shelling that killed two of his comrades, and was later awarded with the Purple Heart, Bronze star and the French Legion of Honor. 

Sid Edson, 100 , who dropped his bombs successfully that day and only later pondered the fact that he had been in the air the entire time – and never set foot on French soil.

And 100-year-old Robert Pedigo, who always had the feeling that on June 6, something important was going to happen. 

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @mcollinsNEWS.

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After long delays, Boeing's Starliner capsule and crew launch into space

Brendan Byrne

**IF IT DOES** BOEING STARLINER LAUNCHES

Boeing's Starliner capsule lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Wednesday. It's the first time the capsule, powered by an Atlas V rocket made by United Launch Alliance, has flown people. Two NASA astronauts are on board for a day-long trip to the International Space Station. This test flight is years behind scheduled and billions of dollars over budget. MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The third time was the charm.

Boeing’s long-delayed Starliner space capsule lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying two NASA astronauts and reached orbit about twelve minutes later. The crew will spend the next 25 hours racing to catch up to the International Space Station.

The mission marks the first time the commercially-built capsule is carrying humans, with a scheduled docking to the station Thursday around 12:15 p.m. ET, with astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore as commander and Sunita “Suni” Williams serving as mission pilot.

It was the third launch attempt of Starliner. On Saturday, the countdown was halted with less than four minutes left. An issue with the flight computers that control launch was to blame. Launch provider ULA replaced a power supply on the system and cleared it for Wednesday’s launch. It followed a launch attempt last month that was called off due to a misbehaving valve on the Atlas V rocket’s upper stage Centaur.

While fixing that issue, Boeing discovered another: a helium leak. The gas is used in Starliner’s propulsion system. After a review of the data, NASA was confident Boeing could successfully fly the mission.

With all those issues resolved, and Starliner on its way to the space station, it appears this third try is indeed the charm. Now launched, Wilmore and Williams are taking Starliner on its maiden flight, putting the vehicle through its paces ahead of operational missions for NASA. After the Space Shuttle retired in 2011, NASA partnered with two commercial companies -- Boeing and SpaceX -- to ferry astronauts to and from the space station.

But Boeing has lagged behind its commercial space transportation counterpart SpaceX, which has flown nine missions for NASA already and another four private flights. An uncrewed Starliner mission in 2019 failed to reach the station, in part due to faulty flight computer code. A re-flight of the launch in 2022 was considered a success by NASA and Boeing, but issues were later discovered in the capsule’s parachute systems.

An analysis also found tape used to manage the hundreds of feet of cabling within the spacecraft was flammable. Boeing fixed those issues and received NASA’s go-ahead to launch the crew

But that first attempt to launch this crewed mission last month was scrubbed due to an issue with the rocket responsible for giving Starliner its big boost into space.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore (L) and Suni Williams, wearing Boeing spacesuits, as they depart the operations and checkout building for the launchpad on Wednesday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It's the third trip to space for both of them. MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

Willmore and Williams will test key systems of Starliner as it docks with the space station, including life support and communication. While the spacecraft can essentially fly itself, the duo will test out manual controls of the vehicle as it approaches the orbiting outpost.

The crew will spend about a week aboard the station with a scheduled landing under a canopy of parachutes in the southwest U.S. Teams at NASA and Boeing will comb through the data from this flight before certifying the vehicle for operational mission. NASA plans to split astronaut flights between Boeing and SpaceX, with trips to the I.S.S. happening about every six months.

Blinken to push cease-fire proposal in eighth urgent Mideast trip since war in Gaza erupted

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East on his eighth diplomatic mission to the region since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began in October

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will push for a breakthrough on President Joe Biden's cease-fire proposal when he returns to the Middle East next week on his eighth diplomatic mission to the region since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began in October, the State Department said Friday.

Blinken, who is currently in France accompanying Biden on a state visit timed to the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion during World War II, will fly from Paris to Cairo on Monday to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other officials before traveling to Israel, Jordan and Qatar, the department said. Blinken will then go to Italy to join Biden at the summit for the Group of Seven advanced economies.

In all of his meetings, Blinken “will emphasize the importance of Hamas accepting the proposal on the table, which is nearly identical to one Hamas endorsed last month” and “discuss how the cease-fire proposal would benefit both Israelis and Palestinians,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

“He will underscore that it would alleviate suffering in Gaza, enable a massive surge in humanitarian assistance, and allow Palestinians to return to their neighborhoods,” he said in a statement. “It would unlock the possibility of achieving calm along Israel’s northern border — so both displaced Israeli and Lebanese families can return to their homes — and set the conditions for further integration between Israel and its Arab neighbors, strengthening Israel’s long-term security and improving stability across the region.”

In Israel, Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. In Jordan, he will participate in an emergency international conference on aid to Gaza, and in Qatar he will meet with officials who are attempting to mediate the cease-fire deal.

The lightning tour comes as the Biden administration is pushing hard for Hamas to accept a three-phase cease-fire proposal that would include the release of hostages taken from Israel and held by the militant group and potentially pave the way for an end to the conflict and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Biden, Blinken and other U.S. officials have lobbied Arab nations heavily to use what influence they have with Hamas to get it to accept the deal that the president announced last week.

Hamas has said it views the offer “positively” but also called on Israel to declare an explicit commitment to an agreement that includes a permanent cease-fire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a prisoner exchange and other conditions. But there has been no definitive response so far, and in the absence of one, Blinken will press the case in his meetings in Egypt and Qatar, the two countries with the closest ties to Hamas.

However, Blinken may also have trouble selling the proposal — or at least its implementation — to Netanyahu.

Although the deal has been described as an Israeli initiative, some members of Netanyahu's far-right coalition government are strongly opposed to it. And, Netanyahu himself has expressed skepticism, saying what has been presented publicly is not accurate and rejecting calls for Israel to cease all fighting until Hamas is eradicated.

Despite Blinken's roughly once-a-month visits to the region since the war began following Hamas' deadly attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, the conflict has ground on with more than 36,000 Palestinians killed in eight months of Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry , which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians, who are facing widespread hunger . United Nations agencies say over 1 million in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by mid-July.

As the crisis has escalated, Israel has come under increasingly harsh international criticism for its actions and just this week has been excoriated for airstrikes in Gaza that have reportedly killed dozens of civilians. On Friday, Israeli strikes killed at least 18 people, including children, just a day after 33 were killed at a United Nations-run school sheltering displaced Palestinian families, health officials said.

Since mid-October, Blinken has shuttled between Israel and its Arab and Muslim neighbors, trying to boost aid to civilians in Gaza, prevent the conflict from spreading throughout the region and build support for plans for the reconstruction and governance of postwar Gaza — all while vocally backing Israel’s right to defend itself.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has heightened political pressure in the U.S., with pro-Palestinian protests springing up at universities and resulting pushback from some who say the demonstrations have veered into antisemitism.

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SpaceX Starship launches on nail-biting 4th test flight of world's most powerful rocket (video, photos)

It was quite a sight...and quite a fiery success for SpaceX.

The fourth test flight of the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built is in the books, and what a dramatic and nail-biting trip for SpaceX it was.

SpaceX launched its Starship megarocket for the fourth time ever today (June 6) at 8:50 a.m. EDT (1250 GMT), sending the 400-foot-tall (122 meters) vehicle aloft from its Starbase site near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas atop a thundering pillar of fire. 

There were two main goals today: bring Starship's first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, down for a soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, and achieve a controlled reentry of the 165-foot-tall (50 m) upper stage, called Starship or simply Ship. Both the Super Heavy booster and its Ship appeared to make their water landings, sending spectators at SpaceX's mission control at Starbase into a frenzy of cheers. 

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"This whole building was going absolutely insane," SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said during live commentary from the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. "When we saw the booster hit the water, I mean, wow."

Elon Musk , SpaceX's founder and CEO, was thrilled. 

"Successful soft landing of the Starship Super Heavy rocket booster!" he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after splashdown.

The Starship Ship vehicle, meanwhile, appeared to nail its landing burn despite one of its flaps clearly suffering burn-through damage during descent. Live camera views showed the flap's heat shield burn away, covering the the camera with debris, then ultimately cracking the lens. 

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Still, the camera came back despite several signal drops, proving each time that Starship was alive. At landing, the Ship appeared to flip as planned and execute its landing burn, SpaceX said. 

"Despite loss of many tiles and a damaged flap, Starship made it all the way to a soft landing in the ocean!" Elon Musk wrote on X later . "Congratulations SpaceX team on an epic achievement!!

The crowd, as you'd expect, went wild. 

"It was so loud here," Kate Tice, SpaceX quality systems engineering senior manager, said during live commentary. "I haven't heard the crowd get that loud, probably, since Flight One." Tice, Huot and SpaceX's Jessie Anderson celebrated the Starship landing by toasting a marshmallow with a Starship-shaped lighter.

Related: Relive SpaceX Starship's 3rd flight test in breathtaking photos

Starship views the fully reusable Starship as a revolutionary advance in spaceflight, one that could make human settlement of the moon and Mars economically feasible at long last.

Indeed, the vehicle was designed with Mars in mind: Its next-gen Raptor engines (33 for Super Heavy and six for Ship) burn liquid oxygen and liquid methane, both of which can be sourced on the Red Planet.

The moon will likely be Starship's first far-flung stop, however. NASA selected the craft as the first crewed lander for its Artemis program of moon exploration, which aims to establish a research base in the ice-rich south polar region by the end of the 2020s. The current architecture calls for Starship to land NASA astronauts on the moon for the first time in September 2026, on the Artemis 3 mission.

Starship will need to ace many more test flights before it's ready for that landmark mission, but the stainless-steel spacecraft is off to a good start: It has made significant progress on each of its four liftoffs to date. 

Starship's two stages failed to separate on its debut flight , which occurred in April 2023. That mission ended with a controlled detonation of the tumbling vehicle just four minutes after liftoff. (And that liftoff blasted a crater beneath Starbase's orbital launch mount, impelling SpaceX to install a water-spewing metal plate as heat-wicking reinforcement.)

Flight 2 , in November 2023, achieved stage separation but still ended early; both Ship and Super Heavy had been reduced to swirling bits in Earth's atmosphere by eight minutes after launch.

Starship made a big leap on Flight 3 , which launched on March 14 of this year. Stage separation occurred on time, and Super Heavy made it to within 1,650 feet (500 meters) of the Gulf of Mexico's wavetops before breaking apart. Ship, meanwhile, achieved orbital velocity and flew for nearly 50 minutes, finally succumbing to intense frictional heating as it reentered our atmosphere after an uncontrollable roll due to loss of its reaction control system, SpaceX said. 

Flight 4 saw yet more improvement, as the Super Heavy made it safely down to the water while the Ship appeared to maintain roll control during flight. 

During launch, the Super Heavy booster appeared to fire 32 of its 33 Raptor engines during liftoff, with one engine clearly out in video and telemetry. When the Super Heavy fired its 13-engine landing burn, only 12 engines fired, but the booster still appeared to make its "soft landing" splashdown, SpaceX said. 

— SpaceX launches giant Starship rocket into space on epic 3rd test flight (video)

— Starship and Super Heavy: SpaceX's Mars transportation system

— FAA to oversee investigation of SpaceX Starship's 3rd test flight

If you missed today's liftoff, don't worry: There will probably be many more Starship launches in the near future. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has said the company aims to launch six test flights of the megarocket in 2024, which would work  out to four more liftoffs in the next six months.

The timeline is not entirely up to SpaceX, of course; regulators such as the Federal Aviation Administration have a say. But, true to its fast-moving ways, SpaceX has already been gearing up for the coming Starship launches. It test-fired the Flight 5 vehicle early last month , for example.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with  Space.com  and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.

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• Unclear Engineer First, I want to say that this flight was an impressive improvement. And, it is good to see that even with an engine shutdown during liftoff/ascent and another during the landing flip, both vehicles performed nominally. That ability to accommodate some failures and still succeed is the hallmark of reliability. Next, I want to ask a question about the on-line coverage. I had it here on my computer through Space.com's link, and also on a TV in the kitchen through a Firestick, on what I thought was the same feed. But, on the Firestick link, at T-2:00 and counting, the feed suddenly switched to a video of Elon Musk (or a deep fake?) urging people to click on a QR code displayed on the screen to go to a site where they could send crypto coins and have Musk send back 2 coins of the same type. Sounded to me like a scam to get access to crypto wallets, and it was repeated multiple times, instead of showing the launch and flight feeds. By the time I had dried my hands and checked that the Space.com feed in the other room was still showing the flight feed, I had missed the launch and separation. So, at this point, I am left wondering whether what I saw on the Firestick/YouTube channel was actually done by Musk, or was it actually a scam taking advantage of the launch audience. Either is outrageous. Both are scary. Reply

Admin said: SpaceX launched its giant Starship rocket for the fourth time ever this morning (June 6) in a dramatic and nail-biting liftoff. SpaceX Starship launches nail-biting Flight 4 test of the world's most powerful rocket (video, photos) : Read more

Unclear Engineer said: First, I want to say that this flight was an impressive improvement. And, it is good to see that even with an engine shutdown during liftoff/ascent and another during the landing flip, both vehicles performed nominally. That ability to accommodate some failures and still succeed is the hallmark of reliability. Next, I want to ask a question about the on-line coverage. I had it here on my computer through Space.com's link, and also on a TV in the kitchen through a Firestick, on what I thought was the same feed. But, on the Firestick link, at T-2:00 and counting, the feed suddenly switched to a video of Elon Musk (or a deep fake?) urging people to click on a QR code displayed on the screen to go to a site where they could send crypto coins and have Musk send back 2 coins of the same type. Sounded to me like a scam to get access to crypto wallets, and it was repeated multiple times, instead of showing the launch and flight feeds. By the time I had dried my hands and checked that the Space.com feed in the other room was still showing the flight feed, I had missed the launch and separation. So, at this point, I am left wondering whether what I saw on the Firestick/YouTube channel was actually done by Musk, or was it actually a scam taking advantage of the launch audience. Either is outrageous. Both are scary.

• Unclear Engineer I did Google "Musk crypto giveaway" and got all sorts of results about the deep fake scam. It was not just on one You-Tube channel, because I tried at least 3 and they all had that scam. I really was not paying much attention to it, because I was looking for the real launch feed. But it seemed realistic enough in picture and sound that I think this deep fake technology could destroy our civilization. Just think what evidence could be faked and how that will undermine our legal system. Security camera footage, body camera footage, telephone call recordings, cell phone videos, everything is now questionable. We will probably get a large dose of exposure to all the possibilities between now and the U.S. election in November. And, I think that will just be the beginning, not the end. There will probably be deep fakes of extraterrestrials colluding with world leaders and accusations that everything that SpaceX actually accomplishes is only a deep fake. Even a "trusted source" can be faked, so what good is a reputation, now? We could be presented with 2 apparent images of the same person, each telling us that the other one is the fake. Reply
• fj.torres Of note: Starship has reached the usability level of Falcon 9: recoverable, refurbishable booster + one-way upper stage. That is all that is needed for space stations, space telescopes, Fuel depots, and most notably HLS. Needs work: heat shields and Raptor 2 reliability. Now to see if Raptor 3 solves the latter. Kudos to the SpaceX staffers, the real heroes of the story. Reply
• Unclear Engineer I would not say that Starship has reached the same level of development as Falcon. There is still a lot of work to do on recovery and demonstration of reusability. But, they are making good progress. I do hope to see 4 more launches this year. But, I am also waiting to see if the FAA declares another "mishap", and, if they do, on what basis. Reply
• DrRaviSharma Congratulations SpaceX as I commented on mission yesterday. Only question on mind is whether orbit achievement criteria are satisfied? Historic Epic achievement. Kudos to SpaceX vision - leader and team. Ravi (Dr. Ravi Sharma, Ph.D. USA) NASA Apollo Achievement Award ISRO Distinguished Service Awards Former MTS NASA HQ MSEB Apollo Former Scientific Secretary ISRO HQ Ontolog Board of Trustees Particle and Space Physics Senior Enterprise Architect SAE Fuel Cell Tech Committee voting member for 20 years. http://www.linkedin.com/in/drravisharma Reply

fj.torres said: Which youtube source did you use on the firestick? 'Cause I had Whataboutit via youtube on my TV and there was no scam, just a non-stop spacex feed plus a commentary window. So no, not a Spacex scam.You just need to pick better feeds. (kidding,okay? Youtube is a free fire zone with lots of chinese scams. Worse than the internet at large, actually, since they censor some serious/honest channels that "offend" china and certain "sensitives" with facts.). The launch itself was great as well as the extensive video documentation proving they did do what they intended to do. (did you see how they did the virtual landing? Simple but briliant.) My main thought was we could've had this a year or even two years ago if not for the FAA and the politically connected types determined to see boeing launch something, anything,before Starship. Political contributions at work, I suppose.

Unclear Engineer said: I would not say that Starship has reached the same level of development as Falcon. There is still a lot of work to do on recovery and demonstration of reusability. But, they are making good progress. I do hope to see 4 more launches this year. But, I am also waiting to see if the FAA declares another "mishap", and, if they do, on what basis.

• Unclear Engineer Is the he FAA still is issuing individual launch approvals for each Starship launch? Reply
• View All 17 Comments

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Boeing Starliner flies NASA astronauts into space for first time

The third time was a charm for Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which finally blasted off with astronauts aboard for the first time ever Wednesday, kicking off a long-awaited, high-stakes test flight to the International Space Station.

The capsule launched at 10:52 a.m. ET, riding into orbit on an Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. 

Veteran NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams make up the Starliner's inaugural crew. They are expected to spend about a day journeying to the space station before docking with the orbiting outpost Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET.

The Starliner program, including this first crewed flight, was plagued by years of delays and technical glitches. Most recently, a launch attempt Saturday was called off with less than 4 minutes remaining in the countdown. A previous attempt on May 6 was also scuttled after an issue cropped up with a valve in the Atlas V rocket, which is manufactured by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. A separate helium leak was later detected in the Starliner’s propulsion system, which led to further delays.

Boeing is hoping to catch up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has been flying NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on its Crew Dragon capsule since 2020 . If this crewed Starliner flight is successful through landing, it could pave the way for Boeing to join SpaceX’s ranks, giving NASA a second option for routine flights to and from the space station.

Both companies developed their spacecraft as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The initiative began more than a decade ago to support private companies in building new space vehicles to take astronauts to low-Earth orbit, following the retirement of the agency’s space shuttles.

Sunita Williams has been known to bring elements of her Indian heritage to space

Astronaut Sunita Williams, who's Indian American, has been known to bring items representing her culture with her to space. 

Williams, 58, has completed two other space missions. She previously told reporters that she brought some essentials onboard past flights, including sacred texts Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita and, of course, samosas.

“I really appreciate my Indian heritage and was glad I could bring part of it with me to space,” Williams said during a 2013 news conference in Delhi, before referencing the elephant-headed Hindu god. “Ganesh has always been in my house. Everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve had Ganesh, and so he had to come with me to space, of course. And Indian food — you can never get enough of Indian food … so I had to make sure I had some samosas in space with me. Other types of Indian food we definitely had up there as well.”

Date for astronauts' landing back on Earth is tentative

Denise Chow

The Starliner capsule and its astronaut crew is expected to spend about a week at the International Space Station.

NASA said the earliest landing opportunity is June 14, but that could change, particularly if there are additional activities for Wilmore and Williams to perform at the station.

“Boy, what a heck of a day it was today”

This morning's launch went about as well as anybody could ask for, according to representatives from NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance.

"Boy, what a heck of a day it was today," Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager, said in a post-launch news briefing.

Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing's Commercial Crew Program, said the successful liftoff was a significant milestone for the company.

"My boss was here today, my boss’s boss was here today, and my boss’s boss’s boss was here today, so obviously it means a ton to us," Nappi said.

He added that Boeing teams are still focused on the mission ahead. After it's completed, they will prioritize the certification process, which would allow Boeing to conduct regular missions to the space station for NASA.

The Starliner capsule is scheduled to dock at the International Space Station tomorrow. If successful, that will be another major milestone checked off the list for this crewed test flight. The capsule will join five other vehicles already parked at the orbiting outpost, including one of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsules.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing two U.S. vehicles at the International Space Station," said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. "I know Butch and Suni will probably get a kick out of that, if they get a chance to look out the windows."

Cooling system being monitored

NASA and Boeing are monitoring a cooling system on the Starliner capsule that is used to regulate temperatures during launch and landing. In a post-launch news briefing, Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, said the system used more water than expected during ascent.

But he added that backup systems have been engaged and engineers will take a closer look at the data.

Elon Musk says congrats

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, Boeing’s rival spaceflight company, joined the chorus of well wishers.

“Congratulations on a successful launch,” he posted on X.

Musk is preparing for his own rocket launch this week: the fourth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket and spacecraft. That flight is expected to lift off tomorrow from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

NASA's chief sends congratulations

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson celebrated today's Starliner launch, congratulating the teams at NASA, Boeing and United Launch Alliance on the successful liftoff.

"Today's launch is a milestone achievement for the future of spaceflight," he wrote on X. "Butch and Suni—safe travels through the stars. See you back home."

"Godspeed Starliner!" says astronaut scheduled to pilot it next

Dana Varinsky

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, who is scheduled to be the pilot of the Starliner's first operational flight (this one is considered a test flight), celebrated the launch today.

Fincke trained with Wilmore and Williams as the backup pilot for this mission, and he conducted live commentary for this morning’s launch.

Fincke's mission will send him to the International Space Station for six months along with fellow NASA astronaut Scott Tingle, who will be the mission's commander, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Josh Kutryk.

One for the history books

Today’s launch was the first crewed flight of the Starliner capsule, but a number of other historic milestones were achieved, as well.

Astronaut Suni Williams became the first woman to test an orbital spacecraft. Today’s launch was also the 100th liftoff of United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, and its first carrying a human crew.

Over the past two decades, the booster has been a workhorse for uncrewed missions for NASA and the U.S. military, but today's flight is a new beginning for the Atlas V rocket.

Earlier iterations of the Atlas rocket were used during NASA's Project Mercury, which was the country's inaugural human spaceflight program.

Next stop: The International Space Station

The Starliner capsule is now on its way to the International Space Station. The capsule is expected to dock at the station tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. ET.

“With Starliner’s launch, separation from the rocket and arrival on orbit, Boeing’s Crew Flight Test is right on track,” said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “Everyone is focused on giving Suni and Butch a safe, comfortable ride and performing a successful test mission from start to finish.”

In addition to the two astronauts, the Starliner is also carrying about 760 pounds of cargo, including some food and items requested by the crew while on the space station.

Orbital insertion burn

Boeing said the Starliner capsule successfully performed what's known as an orbital insertion burn, which involves firing its thrusters to put the spacecraft into a more stable, elliptical orbit.

This essentially helps the capsule chase the space station as it prepares to rendezvous and dock with the orbiting outpost tomorrow.

Watch the moment Boeing's Starliner blasted off

Boeing's Starliner capsule lifted off successfully at 10:52 a.m. ET, carrying two NASA astronauts.

Starliner is in orbit

Mission controllers confirmed that the Starliner capsule has reached orbit and successfully separated from the Centaur upper stage, meaning it is now flying on its own in space.

So far, so good

The Atlas V rocket continues to perform well, according to NASA officials. The rocket's Centaur upper stage ignited to push the Starliner spacecraft into orbit. The next major milestone will be when the Centaur's main engine cuts off and separates from the capsule.

Solid rocket boosters have separated

The Atlas V's solid rocket boosters have been depleted of fuel and were successfully jettisoned as the spacecraft continues on to orbit.

Cheers and car alarms

Marissa Parra

Juliette Arcodia

Reporting from Cape Canaveral, Florida

A mix of cheers and car alarms sounding on the beach near the launch site as Starliner roars skyward.

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

Marissa Parra is a national correspondent for NBC News based in Miami, Florida.

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• Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person.
• If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply with their child, you will need to show us more documents.
• You cannot renew your child's passport using Form DS-82.
• Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years. 

Steps to Apply

1. fill out form ds-11 and print it.

Use our Form Filler tool  to fill out your child's form on a desktop or laptop computer and then print it. If you are experiencing technical issues with the Form Filler, download a PDF . 

Tips to complete your child's form :

• Do not sign your child's form until asked to do so by a passport acceptance agent or employee. 
• You can apply for a passport book , a passport card , or both documents.
• You may ask for a larger passport book with more visa pages, at no extra cost, by checking the 'large book' box at the top of the DS-11.

2. Get Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (and a photocopy)

Your evidence must be an original or replacement copy. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the office which issued it. You must submit one of the following documents for your child:

• Issued by the city, county, or state of birth
• Lists applicant's full name, date of birth, and place of birth
• Lists the parent(s)' full names
• Has the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth)
• Has the registrar's signature
• Has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
• Certificate of Citizenship
• Please note you must also provide a document, such as a birth certificate, that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Full validity means the document is or was valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16. 

If you cannot submit one of these documents, go to our  Citizenship Evidence page  for more information.

Paper only : You cannot submit digital evidence of U.S. citizenship such as a mobile or electronic birth certificate. You must submit physical evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the document. 

Returning your child's document : We will return your child's document in a separate mailing up to 8 weeks after you receive the new passport.

Tips for making a photocopy :

• Black and white (no color)
• Use 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper
• Use a single side of the paper

If you do not submit a photocopy, you must submit a second copy of your citizenship evidence. We will keep this copy for our records.

3. Show Your Relationship to Your Child

You must submit a document that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Examples include:

• U.S. birth certificate (also evidence of U.S. citizenship)
• Foreign birth certificate
• Adoption decree
• Divorce or custody decree
• A court order

Some documents, like a U.S. birth certificate, show  both  U.S. citizenship and parental relationship. These documents must be originals or certified copies (not photocopies).

You and your child may have different last names, as long as the document showing your relationship to your child lists your full name.

If your name is different than the one on the document showing your relationship to your child, submit proof of your legal name change.

4. Get a Photo ID (and a photocopy)

Both parents or guardians must bring a physical, photo ID and a photocopy of it. If your photo ID is from a different state than the state in which you are applying, bring a second photo ID. 

You must show at least  one  of these photo IDs:

• Valid or expired, undamaged U.S. passport book or passport card 
• In-state, fully valid driver's license or enhanced driver's license with photo
• Certificate of Naturalization 
• Certificate of Citizenship 
• Government employee ID (city, county, state, or federal)
• U.S. military or military dependent ID
• Current (valid) foreign passport
• Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular ID) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant
• U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant
• Trusted Traveler IDs (including valid Global Entry, FAST, SENTRI, and NEXUS cards)
• Enhanced Tribal Cards and Native American tribal photo IDs
• In-state, fully-valid learner's permit with photo
• In-state, fully-valid non-driver ID with photo
• Temporary driver's license with photo

If you do not have one of these photo IDs, go to our  Identification page  for more information.

5. Show More Documents (if both parents or guardians cannot apply)

• Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person.
• If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply in person with their child, you will need to show more documents.

Important : Submit  Form DS-3053  and other notarized statements within three months of signing them.

6. Provide a Photo

You must provide one photo with your child's application. Go to our  Passport Photo page  for photo requirements and to see examples of photos. 

• Do not attach or staple your child's photo to the form. The acceptance agent or passport employee will review the photo and staple it to your form.
• Some  passport acceptance facilities
• A company which offers photo services
• Home. Ask your friend or family member to take your child's photo. Print it on glossy or matte photo quality paper. 

7. Calculate Fees

When applying using Form DS-11, you will pay two separate fees - an application fee and an execution (acceptance) fee. You will pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State, and the execution (acceptance) fee to the facility which takes your application. 

• Add $60 to your application fee if you want  expedited service .
• Add $19.53 to your application fee if you want us to ship your completed passport in 1-2 days after we issue it.  

Child Applicants :

For more information on how to pay and a full list of fees, go to our  Passport Fees  page.

*How to fill out your check and pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State. Please note you must pay a separate execution (acceptance) fee. 

Families may write one check or money order to the U.S. Department of State if they are applying at the same time. The check or money order must include the name and date of birth of each applicant.

8. Find Location to Apply

In the United States:

• Traveling in more than 3 weeks?  Go to a  passport acceptance facility  such as a post office, library, or local government office. Check with the facility to see if you need to make an appointment. 
• Traveling in less than 3 weeks?   Make an appointment  to apply at a passport agency or center.

In another country:

• Contact your  U.S. embassy or consulate .

9. Track Your Application Status

You can  subscribe to email updates  about your application status, and  learn more about each status update .

It may take 2 weeks from the day you apply until your child's application status is “In Process.” 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you send my child's passport and supporting documents.

You will get multiple mailings. The number of mailings depends on what document(s) you asked for.

Passport Book : You may get your new passport and citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We will return the passport book using a trackable delivery service.

Passport Card : You may get your new passport card and your citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards using 1-2 day delivery services.

Both a Passport Book and Card : You may get three separate mailings:

• New passport book
• New passport card
• Citizenship documents

Contacting Us : If you have been waiting more than 8 weeks for your documents, call us at  1-877-487-2778  to report that you have not received your documents. 

If you want us to reimburse you for a lost supporting document, you must contact us within 90 days of the date which we mailed your passport. You will also need to provide a receipt to show the cost of replacing the document. 

Can I pay for faster delivery and return shipping?

Yes. You may choose one or both of the following shipment options:

• Delivering application to us : Pay for Priority Mail Express for faster shipping. The price for this service varies depending on the area of the country.
• Returning the passport to you : Pay $19.53 for 1-2 day delivery. This means you will receive your passport   1-2 days after we send it. Include this fee with your check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. Do not submit a return envelope to us with postage pre-paid. 

You may receive your passport and supporting documents in separate mailings. If you are renewing a passport card, we will send it to you via First Class Mail. We do not use 1-2 day delivery services if you only applied for a passport card.

What countries require Form DS-3053 "Statement of Consent" to be notarized at an embassy or consulate?

In certain countries, a DS-3053 must be notarized at a  U.S. embassy or consulate  and cannot be notarized by a local notary public. Currently, these countries include:

Special Passport Fairs

Find a Special Passport Fair  near you!

We're holding special passport fairs all across the United States to help you get your passport more easily. New events are added to our site every week.

Most events are for first-time applicants and children, (who use Form DS-11). If you can use Form DS-82, you can renew by mail at your convenience!

Processing Times

Routine:  6-8 weeks*

Expedited: 2-3 weeks and an extra $60*

*Consider the total time it will take to get a passport when you are booking travel.  Processing times only include the time your application is at a passport agency or center.

• It may take up to 2 weeks for applications to arrive at a passport agency or center. It may take up to 2 weeks for you to receive a completed passport after we print it. 
• Processing times + mailing times = total time to get a passport

Urgent Travel:  See our Get my Passport Fast page. 

How to Apply for your Child's Passport

Watch this video to learn how to apply in person for your child's U.S. passport!

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