Have you ever been on a mission trip before? Do you want to go on a mission trip at least once in your lifetime?

I'm going on my first ever mission trip this June for a week! My best friends are coming along with me!! I'm going to Chicago to help kids in need by doing a 5-hour-long daycare program each day of our trip.

This is especially great because one of my friends isn't a Christian, but he's going to help the kids, and the trip might transform him into a Christian.

The other friend of mine that's going is a Christian who wants to come closer to God. The trip will really help her with that

They both (as well as me) had to fill out a testimony paper. Both of their testimonies are awesome, but the first friend I mentioned in this post didn't make it true. He doesn't want people to think he's an Atheist, and that's understandable. I'd be uncomfortable to reveal that to a youth group too. I've been an Atheist before, and the only people I've told about that were my parents, after I became a Christian again.

My Christian friend admitted in her testimony that she's grown apart from Jesus, so I think she's going to take a step of courage and come closer to him again. Hopefully I can help her with that since I'm currently doing the same Hopefully I can help my other friend with that too if he becomes a Christian.

Depending what you mean as a mission trip? I thought that is what the damn Mormons, Jehovas witnesses and the like do. If you just go help out an volunteer to do stuff, aint that just a good Christian thing to do. Atheists do that as well. It is not like you have to be a Christian to help out.

Brigand : We aren't just helping out. We're trying to help those kids to know about God's grace and love so they have better lives.

I've been to a couple of short term mission trips. I have seen many examples of how faithful God's work is through Christians as well as feeling challenged by the brokenness and fall that I've seen or experienced. These trips are quite an experience to not only help those in need and share and live the gospel to them, but they also help me grow spiritually in my life.

Also, I don't want to sound like a downer (really, I don't), but it is a little concerning to have someone who is not a Christian to go along with the mission trip, especially if the focus of the mission trip is faithful to its purpose. You are there to show Christ's love and share Christ's love and gospel to others, so you are there as a light to the world. He may feel uncomfortable about the whole thing and mission trips are not really meant for helping the those in the group to come to faith in Christ himself. Not to mention that he lied about a testimony, which is not something they should be placed in that position for.

I've been on a few missions, including the one when I was 16 and really accepted Christ in my heart.  While I never was an atheist, I was for a long time the kind of Christian who accepted Jesus with my mind, but didn't yet have a transformative experience where I knew Christ in my heart. I didn't even know that sort of level with Christ existed before the trip, and it is still the most important and best part of my life. 

So, as for your atheist friend going along on the trip- perhaps this will be a mission for them to find their place with Christ.  They totally wouldn't have signed up if they didn't have something in them pushing them in this direction.  If that something is Christ, keep an eye out on them!  They'll be glad to have a friend with them for the experience!

PacmanandMariofan :

play4fun : Yes, you're right about that. I should've thought that over before inviting him. Since he likes younger kids and he's good at working with them, my family and I thought it would be a good idea, even though I've told them he isn't a Christian.

I'm so glad for you and your trip! Hopefully your friend can see Christ in others during the trip and come to know Him. 

I'm going on my first mission trip next month, to Japan. I've been to Japan before for six weeks, but that was to study Japanese, not a mission trip. I'm very excited, and I hope that not only will I experience fellowship with Christians around the world, but also to come closer to God myself.

play4fun :

Dfsg : Thankfully, it was a good idea to invite him on the mission trip. I could tell that he was impacted at least a little from it, and he's better with kids. My Christian friend and I were greatly impacted as well, and we were all sad to leave because we really enjoyed it.

Dragonlord Stephi : Wow, that's amazing! I hope and pray that you will come closer to God, like I have from my trip.