Not a bad answer! This applicant was starting the short-term process by anticipating long-term results. That is an excellent attitude to have. Allow God to use your preparation time, the trip itself, and your re-entry, as one means to grow in your faith, and you can see dramatic long-term changes in your life, too.

Your arrival back home should be just the beginning of a whole new way of looking at the world. Therefore, as you take the first steps of this journey, ask God how He wants to use this trip to transform you. Also, realize this trip is not an event in your life; rather, it is a tool that God wants to use to refine you in great ways.

A cross-cultural trip, whether a few miles from home, or across the globe, will expand your understanding of both God’s love for you and your purpose in this world. You are an integral part of God’s plan - a plan that will unfold one step at time as you navigate through the preparation process and ultimately serve others with unconditional love.

The better your spiritual, emotional, physical, and practical preparation is, the more effective and fulfilling your trip experience will be. Commit now to submit yourself to God for growth and development throughout this process. Commit to submit to your team leadership (Heb. 13: 17) and to your teammates (Eph. 5: 21). Commit to being a dependable, contributing member of your team, fulfilling your responsibilities with a joyful heart. Then watch as God uses this trip to bring love, truth, and hope to a hurting world.

Please take the time to read, process and pray through this Go Guide. The more you put into it, the more you will be prepared for your trip. We’re excited to see how God will use you on your trip. If you have additional questions after working through this Go Guide, contact your Trip Leader for assistance. And please, don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s any additional training or resources we can provide to help your trip be successful.

Thank you for serving with FCA!