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Posted: 26 February 2007 at 8:32am | IP Logged

We are planning on taking a group of families to a children’s home in Mexico for the third straight year this Fall.  Our group is just for families, so it is a little different than others.

We love taking the whole family along as we want the whole family to share in the experience.  We took 5 families with a total of 24 people.  They all get to see and experience new things and we believe the impact will be longer as the families can “relive” and remember their time over the years.  It impacts the whole family – as families experience this together.  It also makes going thru airports and any sightseeing trips a breeze as the parents are responsible for their own kids.  

The Children’s home we go to (www.josiahandbethany.org) is right across the Texas border and is great to work with.  They make things so easy.  We arrive in Texas and they will even come across the border and pick us up, which means we don’t have to drive in Mexico.  We serve the kids and adults at the children’s home and also have worked with some churches and ministered to those living in the city dumps.

Another factor for this trip was the cost.  Our trip was from Tuesday-Monday and our total cost for the trip was around $550 per person.  This included everything (flight, travel, hotel, food) except souvenirs.  It was a good length of stay and it was far enough, without being too far, for families not to be too worried or concerned about safety.

This is a trip I hope to continue to make yearly for many years to come.

Posted: 26 February 2007 at 9:13am | IP Logged

Hi, Family Missions Trippers,

   I think this is a really great way to do mission!  Bravo!

   I am collecting materials for working with kids that are either in Spanish, or are bilingual.  Let me know if you'd like a bibliiography.

   Also, I'd love to share your story with others when I do workshops at missions and Christian Ed conferences.  May I do so?

   Do you know about God's Kids?  A great website to check out: www.GodsKids.org.  Thanks. Nancy Tichy

Posted: 26 February 2007 at 11:43pm | IP Logged

We started a new group last year for our 4th & 5th graders called "Go M.A.D."(Make a Difference).  Our goal is to expose kids to all different kids of people so that they will begin to see all people as Gods people.  We have four events each year (Serving at the Ronald McDonald House (sick kids & families), working a booth at the special olympics (kids who are different then them), making valentines for people in resthomes (serving the elderly) and ending it this  year with an overnight parent/child stay at our local rescue mission. We will start by bringing our stuff to the mission, setting up our camp (outside but protected) and then proceeding to put on a church service, making the meal, cleaning up and then hearing from the chaplain and some of the guys there what it's like to be homeless.  Last years kids were quick to sign up for these events and some of our familes that participated last year have signed up to go on longer family short term missions projects to Mexico, New Orleans, or Nicaragua.  We are super excited to see what you all came up with!

Posted: 27 February 2007 at 8:36am | IP Logged

I love the connection of kids with missions and allowing them the opportunity to see the whole process - we're doing our first family missions trip this summer (couples and singles included) to a camp for inner city kids - we're going for 3 days - we're early in the planning stage - the families are excited to be working TOGETHER side by side w/their kids - we don't have an age limit, so young kids are coming as well as the older ones.  If anyone has done anything like this before and has any helpful suggestions, they'd be welcome!  This is new territory for us! Thanks!

Posted: 27 February 2007 at 9:46am | IP Logged

Hello,

   Is there some way we could form a little "sub working group" on families doing mission together.  It's something I've been interested in and talking about for a few years, now.  Looks to me like there's more going on than we knew.  Definitely, there is more interest than we ever dreamed of.

   I think it will take a few "practionerrs" willing to spend time sharing insights and getting this all together in one place that can be easily accessed.

Let me know what you think.  Thanks.  Nancy

Posted: 28 February 2007 at 8:57am | IP Logged

I think its a great idea! I would also love to hear what missions groups or missionaries are doing to effectively reach children in the field. Our Awana group is supporting a Compassion International child but I would also love to find a good solid missionary whose major thrust is reachign children that we could give a small support too.

I am all about the family missions trips as well. This really gets my blood flowing whne i think about it.

Posted: 28 February 2007 at 9:03pm | IP Logged

I'd also love to be a part of this.  I'm in So Cal, so just let me know.

Tammie

Posted: 01 March 2007 at 8:48am | IP Logged

Hi everyone,

I am a children's pastor from Long Island, New York and I have developed a curriculum called Kids in Missions where we train 5th - 7th graders in the area of missions. I take kids with me on outreaches where we do Kids krusades. They do the drama & puppets and I am more of an MC. I am also a ventriloquist. Check out my website www.kidsinmissions.org

Thanks! Dave Harff-Children's Pastor-Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle

Posted: 02 March 2007 at 8:45am | IP Logged

Hi, Dave,

 I would so love to sit down with you and share info and encouragement.  What you've been doing sounds so much like Pete Hohmann's "Bridgebuilders."  And, a gal out here on the West Coast does a summer program that has many of the components and results of yours. Another church I'm connected to does a year of discipleship training with 6th graders that ends in a missions trip.   Probably, there are others I don't know about.

   Anyway, I think it points out the need for some kind of directory where people can find each other.  Training kids well for short term mission experiences/discipleship training for tweens is only one of a number of areas where people are doing great things and need to be discovered.

   I'm asking the Lord to give us the man and woman power out here in So. California/Western AZ to develop something where we can meet and encourage one another.  I once tried launching something I called MERT - Mission Educators' Round Table, but life got in the way and I dropped it.  At least for the time being.  Who knows what God has for us in the future.

  Great that you are sharing your training materials.  Pete Hohmann does, too.

  Hope we can keep in touch.

  Nancy Tichy - Riverside, CA

   Also, I'd love to know what youur definition of a "missionary" is.  Love the fact that you bring in servanthood in your curriculum.

Posted: 02 March 2007 at 8:57am | IP Logged

TO: Spencer and Danetto.

  Please contact me at Ftichy@aol.com .  Thanks.

  Nancy Tichy

Posted: 06 March 2007 at 10:56am | IP Logged

Hi Nancy,

Please email me at kidsinmissions@yahoo.com

Maybe we can set up a phone appointment. I would love to hear your ideas. Sometimes here on the east coast there are not very many children's pastors.

Dave Harff

Posted: 16 March 2007 at 11:43am | IP Logged

FamilyFEST is one opportunity for kids and their parents to go on a mission trip together. This summer, they have trips planned to El Paso and Jacksonville. It's for kids in first grade and above, with their parents.

http://www.wmu.com/VolunteerConnection/volunteer/projects.asp