Top 10 things to NEVER bring on a mission trip

We send out packing lists to all of our teams preparing for a mission trip. They include the items we suggest are useful for your time on the field. Last week, we wrote about the top 10 things to bring on a mission trip. This week, we would like to suggest some things you should leave at home.

Top ten things to NEVER bring on a mission trip:

1. A bad attitude – Your attitude will have a lot to do with your experience on your missions trip. People who view inconveniences and discomforts as part of the adventure will enjoy their trip far more, and more importantly, be a better asset to the team than those who focus on the negative.
2. Your cell phone – If you are like most of us today, your cell phone has become an appendage. It might be time for an amputation. Your full effort is required of you on a mission trip. Any connection to home will 1. Be a distraction from what you’re there to do. 2. Could potentially make you homesick. 3. Could rack up a ton of international roaming charges. 4. Could get stolen. Unless you plan to turn it on airplane mode and use it as a camera, leave it at home.
3. Your entire closet –You will need less than you think you need. Hand washing might seem like something from the beginning of last century, but it is a handy way to ensure you can pack light and still have clean clothes. Just bring a bar of soap or travel detergent. Pack light – unless you want to haul a huge suitcase down a muddy dirt road when the van we are traveling in breaks down.
4. Short shorts and your belly shirt – Many cultures are very traditional. We don’t want anything to get in the way of your message. For some, seeing you in immodest clothing may cause them to discredit you and what you are saying. The other reason is, if you are talking to a member of the opposite sex, we want them hear your words, not be distracted by your body.
5. A closed mind – You may have to do things you have never done before. Be open to new things and new ideas. There is no one right way to do ministry.
6. Your American filter – Another culture is not bad; it’s different. Leave judgments on culture at home. Adapt.
7. An expired passport – You may think you are set with your passport from ten years ago. Most countries require that passports are valid six months after your return date. So even if your passport is valid the dates of the trip, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to renew it.
8. Your Gameboy 350 – You are going to be busy. No time for games.
9. Your ego – Come as a servant. Put others first. It’s not about you.
10. Expectations – No matter how many details you are provided before your short-term trip, it will still be different than you expected. Try to resist the temptation to come with an idea of what it will be like. Expectations tend to spoil a trip when things don’t line up how you thought they would. The only thing to expect is for God will show up and move.

There are some things that don’t belong in ministry. Don’t bring the above on your mission trip this summer.