England (Downtown)

Vision 

What is the Goal of the Trip? 

The team will go out into the community to start conversations with people and explore if they are spiritually open. The goer is on staff at a local church and they do a lot of training in evangelism with the church members and in the workplace. The team would be helpful in making new contacts for them in the city. 

How Does The Trip Serve the Ministry Partner?

The established church, as phenomenal as it is, lacks many resources and works hard with limited members. There are people from all over the world that live in the part of England that the ministry partner lives in and it’s strategic to have a short-term trip team go out and find people in common areas to have spiritual conversations and then connect any interested people to the ministry partner to do follow up long-term. 

What Heart Posture is Needed for the Trip?

As team members are learning from and engaging with others, team members should have a heart posture of humility and remember that culture does not make people, people make the culture.You are part of the long-term team and are expected to participate in all their team-wide activities, events, fasts, meals, prayer meetings, work meetings, etc. Be ready to be flexible, as activities are often subject to change due to various factors (e.g. last minute invite to someone’s home).    

Other expectations include: 

• In light of our value to hear and obey the Holy Spirit, we expect all team members to spend individual time in the Word and prayer outside of group prayer meetings. This may sound far too obvious, but this can be a hard discipline to carry out, especially when on a village trip. We can’t emphasize enough the need to daily abide in the Lord!
• Come ready and eager to learn, as life and ministry here are most likely different from what you’re accustomed to.
• Be aware of your personal needs to maintain spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically health. If you need something, ask. 

What to Expect

What Does Time with the Ministry Partner Look Like? 

• Most of the trip is self-managed by the team itself. There will be time with the ministry partner, but it is an evangelism heavy trip where you will be out in the harvest without the ministry partner. 
• The ministry partner will do an initial orientation and take the team out to outreach areas to model spiritual conversations in the beginning of the trip. 
• The team hosts a house church once a week in the evening that the team will be a part of. 

What’s a Typical Day Look Like? 

• Prayer and debrief in the mornings, early afternoon outreach, lunch, afternoon/early evening outreach, dinner and bed.
• Sunday morning, the team will go to a local church with the ministry partner. 
• The team will be with the ministry partner in the morning for prayer and training and then in the afternoon/evening their time out in community will be self managed. The ministry partner will direct the team in what areas to go out and share in. 

What are Accommodations Like?

• Rooms will be same gendered unless there are married couples on the trip. 
• Because of where the ministry partner lives, the lodging will be between 15 and 30 minutes away from the ministry partner’s place. 
• The lodging in England has ACs in the bedrooms but it’s rare to have them in common areas. 

What’s the Location Like?

• Summers in the city are hot.   
• The ministry partner lives in a city that has a lot of public transportation. Teams will either be taking public transportation or walking between lodging, the ministry partner's location, and outreach areas. 
• It is very uncommon to have central AC in any buildings so most buildings in the city do not have AC or if they do, they are room units that are not as strong as the AC people from Austin are used to. 
• Traveling usually only has 1 lay over. Teams usually leave Austin in the late morning/early afternoon and then land in England the morning of the next day. 
• The ministry partner lives in a city with lots of food options so food allergies are easy to accommodate. 
• Trip participants can engage in English and engage in similar contexts as you would find yourselves back home in Austin. 

What All is Covered in the Trip Cost? 

Everything you need for your trip is included in the trip cost. These costs include flights, lodging, food, transportation, ministry costs, health insurance, etc. These amounts are based on preparation costs and costs given to us by the ministry partner.

Trainings

Trainings are essential for preparing well for the ministry your team will be participating in. Therefore, trainings are mandatory and if you need to miss, you will work with your trip leaders and Mission Lead to make up the content. 

The Heart Behind Training

We desire you to pursue Jesus in your daily life and grow to be more like Him. We will provide trainings that walk through abiding and resting in Jesus (John 15), ministry overview and expectations, culture, and logistics. While we can’t perfectly prepare you for everything you might encounter, we do our best to train you with everything you’d need for your trip. 

What is Covered in Trainings? 

• The vision and practicals of how to support raise. 
• The importance of gospel conversations and prayer coming from a place of overflow from your relationship with the Lord. 
• How to engage in spiritual conversations. 
• How to care for people through prayer. 
• How to engage in prayer walking.   
• What the culture of  location you are going to is like. 
• Practical ways to serve the community you are going to. 
• A call with the ministry partner to prepare well for the trip. 

Trip Leaders

What Are the Expectations of a Trip Leader? 

Being a short-term mission trip leader is a rewarding experience. It makes you a part of the Great Commission, letting you respond to God’s call to the nations in a sacrificial way while also shepherding a group of people. Check out the benefits and expectations here. If you are interested in being a trip leader, you apply through the application and complete the "Trip Leader" question section. 

What does Training for Trip Leaders Look Like? 

Once confirmed as a trip leader, the trip leaders will meet with the Mission Lead from their congregation regularly for ongoing connection and support as well as equipping you on how to lead your team well!

Prerequisites

• Must have a valid passport through the end of 2027 – If yours is expired, you’ll have to get it renewed. 
• Minimum Age Requirement - (for family trips)

Financial Notes

• Budget: The cost of the trip is based on traveling to and from Austin and includes all trip insurance, transportation, supplies, lodging, and meals for the duration of the event. 
• IRS Guidelines: Gifts to the For The Nations Fund are used to support the church's global mission initiatives. You may preference the use of your gift, and we will endeavor to use the funds as you desire, but in order for the contribution to be tax deductible, the church must have ultimate control/discretion as to how the money is spent. This means that any financial gifts towards trips are non refundable. 
• If a trip is canceled due to unforeseeable circumstances, refunds will not be issued in compliance with the IRS guidelines. In some cases, it may be determined to allow raised funds to be applied to future trips.