Mission Trip Checkup: A Prescription for Spiritual HealthParaugs

Pack Vitamins

A partner who regularly orders vitamins from our organization and distributes them all around the world once excitedly told us, “If you think about it, vitamins are like salvation. They are a free gift available to everyone who comes, and whoever receives it benefits.”

Don’t forget to pack the vitamins of a receivable gospel message!

How are you planning to connect and share with the people you meet? Just as a child will need chewable vitamins and an expectant mother will need iron-fortified vitamins, each person receives the same nourishment of the gospel in a different way.

Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” We must never change the message of the gospel, but we must consider each individual when we deliver this free gift. A medical outreach will minister to an ailing patient more than, say, a drama performance. But to a healthy child or adult, a performance may be the very thing that touches their heart. 

When you minister to others, ask yourself what they need that you can offer. Be ready with the vitamins of the gospel, and also be ready to give them the cup of water to best receive it.

Practical considerations:

• Be ready to serve in a variety of ways, committing to doing whatever is needed to best share the gospel. 
• Prepare your testimony in a way that translates easily in only a few minutes. 
• Pack small, lightweight gifts that you can hand out and which can help you start conversations with those you serve.