Processing Your Summer Mission Trip

It takes a lot of emotional energy to process through your summer mission trip. Here are three practical ways that we’ve found to be useful.

1. Make a plan for answering the question, “How was your trip?”

Don’t be surprised if, after answering this question, you’re left with the feeling of, “They just don’t get it.” Before all of the inquiries begin, spend some time in prayer, debrief with your team members and talk honestly about your experience to trusted friends. Through these sacred discussions, you will begin to form an honest, yet digestible, answer to give when friends and family want to know about your summer mission trip.

2. Create tangible reminders of your mission trip.

There are several different ways you can do this. Some of our favorites are: writing in your journal, blogging, sharing photos and stories online via social media, making souvenirs, printing photos and writing poetry.

3. Stay connected.

If your mission trip project impacted your life, you may want to stay connected with the people and places you served. Here are a few ways this can be done:

• Organize fundraisers in your community to benefit the mission trip project.
• Stay in touch with the missionaries you served with.
• Read country-specific nonfiction and/or fiction books.
• Begin planning your next trip back!