What Really Happens on A Short-Term Outreach…

…And Why It’s Worth Our Lives and Committment

I have worked with Mission Adventures for eight years, and I have never been more sure of the importance of this ministry than I am right now. Recently I read through Acts 16 and and I was amazed at the incredible things that happened—it was like one the first ever Mission Adventures ever. God did so much on Paul’s short-term mission, and we can see the same fruit in our Mission Adventures outreaches.

Here’s a short list of the amazing fruit from Acts 16.

1. Expressed Evangelism (v 5,10,15,30-31,33)  Kids get opportunities to speak to others about Jesus.
2. Individual Lives Impacted (v 14,18,30,34) God touches individual lives in different ways, for different God specific reasons.
3. Ordinary Becomes the Extraordinary (v 13) Paul and Lydia were doing the ordinary routine of going to the river, then God turned it to an extraordinary encounter with Him.
4. Group Strengthened (v 15, 40) Entire groups of people were strengthened and encouraged from this outreach.
5. Hear the Holy Spirit (v 6-8) Kids are put in positions where they have to hear from God.  For many it may be their first time hearing God’s voice.
6. The Miraculous (v26)  Miracles happen, plain and simple.  Some big, some small—but they always happen.
7. Character Refinement (v22-24) Through tough trials, the character of the kids are tested and refined to be more Christ-like.
8. Puzzle Pieces (v14, 16-24) Kids begin to see their part in God’s bigger picture or “puzzle”, and how they fit into it.  Lydia’s conversion spread the Gospel to modern day Europe, just because she sold fabric!
9. Cities Turned Inside Out (v20) The spiritual and physical atmosphere of the cities we send kids to changes…plain and simple.
10. God is Worshiped (25)  This is the conclusion of what a short term missions trip is all about for the lives of our kids.

So there you have it… The events recorded in Acts 16 inspire me to create outreaches for youth groups that are strategic and meaningful. If you’re a youth worker and you want your students’ lives to be transformed, consider a short-term outreach—you won’t regret it!

Tim Walter
Mission Adventures North American Leadership Team Chair
Youth With A Mission - Salem