MISSIONS TRIPS TEACH INVALUABLE LESSONS THAT YOUTH NEED & CRAVE

Avatar By Minister Susan Bai, J.D., M.Div.

In today’s world, where change happens as fast as a new cellphone model on the market, how are we as parents of the next generation going to instill, disciple, or raise them with life skills, values, and character that transcend the latest trend or sound bite? How are we to raise children of God? A mission trip for your child is a good place to start!

We baby boomers, once the largest generation numerically, need to wake up and recognize nearly half the world’s population is under the age of 21. As the Christ Church Director of Missions ( CC GLOBAL Missions Ministry) I want to share observations of Dr. Tim Elmore, an expert on this rising generation. In his book, Generation iY: Secrets to Connecting with Today’s Teens & Young Adults in the Digital Age ( 2015), Dr. Elmore makes several observations that may be new to us.

Dr. Elmore, the founder of a nonprofit organization called Growing Leaders, calls the subset of the millennial generation (those born between 1984–2000), Gen iY because they were born after 1990 and only know life with the Internet, hence Generation iY. He describes this generation as: “Overwhelmed” (all that is available to them via the Internet), “Overconnected” (via social media), “Overprotected” (due to all the random violence and insidious sex crimes), and “Overserved” (target of advertising and marketing/entertainment). I think this is quite self-explanatory.

However, the result of our efforts in caring for our children has been a world in which Speed, Convenience, Entertainment, Nurture, and Entitlement has come to rule the day. Consequently, they inadvertently have learned that anything slow, hard, boring, risky, or labor-intensive is bad. Yet these are the traditional biblical values that we grew up with and are considered signs of maturity.

My husband and I care for our yard and garden on our 2.5 acres ourselves. Even with machinery like leaf blowers, a riding lawn mower and such, it is enough of a work out caring for our property that we canceled our gym membership. Oh, the natural ways of building muscles are just so much better. Mechanical gyms have become necessary due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Much the same way, the life skills and values that we once naturally learned through interaction with family and friends as we grew up must now intentionally be instilled in our children. So how can we do this naturally rather than mechanically? We start with looking at what Gen iY wants, and Dr. Elmore makes seven observations regarding this:

#1 - They want to belong before they believe. Their basis for making decisions is relational than logical.

#2 – They want an experience before an explanation They want experience, participation, image-rich connection.

#3 – They want a cause before they want a course. A good example of this is Angelina Jolie’s role as the UN Ambassador for the Refugee Agency.

#4 - They want a guide on the side before they want a sage on the stage. They are looking for authentic mentors.

#5 – They want to play before they pay. They want quick results so we need to grab their attention up front with relevant content.

#6 – They want to use their abilities but not be used by others. They want to have a voice and be in control. We have to create environments where they can come up with their own ideas and implement them.

#7 – They want a transformation, not merely a touch. They want experiences that literally transform them in the process.

After I read this portion of the book, I smiled from ear to ear because a well-planned and prepared mission trip provides all of the above wants. My 24-year-old daughter went on her first mission trip at the age of nine. The visual imagery of poverty was overwhelming for her and made such an impression that for her 8th-grade paper she wrote about solving poverty without creating capitalistic dependency.

She was also able to see how the children in such poverty still had relational and social capital—something that is sorely lacking in the western world. In addition, she gained confidence in the gifts that God planted in her. Her ability to problem-solve, organize, and lead people were even a surprise to her.

Dr. Elmore very simply outlines how the social and emotional muscles of our children’s generation needs to be developed. I quote verbatim from Page 21:

  • It is in waiting that I build patience
  • It is in face-to-face collaboration that I build interpersonal skills
  • It is in attempting risky ventures that I build courage
  • It is in struggling that I build perseverance
  • It is in boredom that I have margins to imagine and think creatively
  • It is in challenging labor that I build appreciation for work ethic

I strongly propose to you that if you want your child to grow in life skills, biblical values, and character to be an influencer in society and not be influenced by society, having them go on a mission trip is a great start. The above values will at least be introduced to him/her, as he/she will be without technology but present with people of all ages and backgrounds, in a safe environment. He/She will be challenged to solve problems, to wait, to manage conflict, and to sweat a bit. That is a beautiful and healthy thing for our children.

ABOUT REV. SUSAN BAI
Rev. Susan Bai, J.D., M.Div. is the Director of Missions at Christ Church in Montclair and Rockaway, New Jersey, providing leadership and overseeing the CC Global Missions Ministry. The Missions team is passionate about fulfilling The Great Commission and spreading the Gospel to every corner of the world. Learn more about CC Global at ChristChurchUSA.org/Missions.