Can You Handle It?

I was speaking at a conference this past fall, and after sharing about Royal Servants I was mobbed by students interested in learning more about our mission trips. As I talked to them I kept hearing the same thing: “this sounds really cool and something I’d really like to do. But what if I can’t? What if it becomes too hard; raising support, being away from my family, the new culture, food, language I’m not sure if I’ll be able to handle all of that.”

Can you handle it?

That’s a good question. These are long trips to intense countries that cost a few thousand dollars. Many of us like the idea of a mission trip and get really excited when we watch a video. But the more we think about it we start to doubt if we have what it takes to see it through. Here’s the bad news: you don’t have what it takes to see it through. The good news is that you aren’t in this alone. Even if you are thinking about going on a trip where you don’t know anyone, you’re not in this alone.

Our God has promised to walk with you every step of the way. He will give you exactly what you need the moment you need it. Maybe it will be an encouraging Facebook message from a friend, a text, or an email. Going on a mission trip may be hard, thinking about what you’ll miss at home might be challenging. But when you hold the hand of a leper in a remote village in Nepal, feel God’s presence on the Irish Coast, or dance with the children at an orphanage in India, it will all be worth it. Can you handle it? ABSOLUTELY! God is going to walk with you every step of the way. So take a deep breath, say a prayer, and commit your summer to God for a life-changing experience.