Southeast Asia (West)

Vision

What is the Goal of the Trip? 

This short-term trip will be strategically focused on evangelism, practicing Disciple-Making Movement principles, and will grow you in your ability to live and communicate cross-culturally. To partner with the ministry partner to share the gospel in the villages around where the ministry partner lives. Their team’s long term goal is to plant the gospel among unreached people groups in Southeast Asia.

How Does The Trip Serve the Ministry Partner?

The remoteness of the villages they serve makes it difficult to gain access to our target people groups. However, the cultural tourism model allows them to enter into these remote villages, stay in their homes, and live life-on-life with them. These short term teams are able to love on their host families by sharing testimonies, praying for sick family members, and exchanging gifts. Short-term teams help with their long-term multiplicative discipleship among unreached people groups.  They need short-term teams and interns to help provide access to unreached areas through village trips. Villages will open up to teams who come to learn about their culture.

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.

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What to Expect

What Does Time with the Ministry Partner Look Like? 

The team will do everything with the ministry partners, who will serve as support as well as translators. Teams will pray together and eat all meals together with the ministry partner. Because of the ministry partners’ business visa, the team will have the option to participate in relevant activities, such as intro to scuba diving, cultural nights in the village, etc. 

What Does a Typical Day Look Like? 

During the beginning of the trip, team members will receive training in ministry strategy, disciple making, culture, village trips, and language. On this trip, you can expect to engage with locals, learn about their culture, serve them, offer to pray with them, and seek to share the gospel with them! Due to the culture and pioneer work amongst unreached people groups, ministry will feel more slow paced because most of the tasks involve building relationships and spending time with locals. 

• Practice training in Disciple-Making Movement principles to prepare you for community trips
• Stay overnight in authentic village homes where you’ll experience their lifestyle
• Grow in your ability to live and communicate cross-culturally 
• Experience a frontier mission field where you can interact directly with unreached people groups
• Live in a dynamic missional community for accountability, fellowship, expand your global vision, and increase your witness
• Use your unique gifts and talents to bless others

Potential Schedule 

• Arrival
• Day 1: Orientation
• Day 2: Village trip briefing, questions, & prayer
• Day 3-5: Village trip
• Day 6: Village trip debrief, rest
• Day 7: Village trip (day trip)
• Day 8: Activity day
• Day 9: Travel back to the US

What are Accommodations Like?

• You will stay at the ministry compound guesthouse with 2-6 people in a room.
• The majority of the time, the team will be housed in the staff house at the team compound. There will be 2-6 people per room. During a couple of the days on the trip, the team will have the opportunity to stay in a village where the ministry partner is working. During the village trips week, team members will stay overnight with members of the same gender and have a same gendered ministry partner team member there.

What’s the Location Like?

• Weather - The temperature is hot with very high humidity. Hot! 
• City vs. rural - It is a rural location. 
• AC - There is AC where you will be staying, but not in all areas.
• Public transportation/walking: All transportation is in the vehicles the ministry partner owns. 
• Traveling there - There are generally 3 layovers while traveling to Southeast Asia with a chance of an overnight stay in an airport hotel. Travelhotel Travel to this area is long and there are several flights involved. You will most likely have an overnight layover in a larger city. 
• Food:  Due to the high number of short-term teams and remoteness of the village that the partner hosts, they are likely unable to accommodate food allergies. But if you have food allergies, please reach out to your Mission Lead to see what options there are.  

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. 
• Gospel sharing tools. 
• How to care for people through prayer. 
• How to engage in prayer walking.   
• What the culture of  location you are going to is like.
• Practice going out and engaging in spiritual conversations with strangers. 
• 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 and the For the Nations staff 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. 

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.