5 Reasons to Take a Short-Term Mission Trip to Missionary Acres

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Are you interested in taking a short-term mission trip to serve God? Have you considered coming to Missionary Acres?  Individuals, families, and church mission teams help to make the work at Missionary Acres possible. They are at the heart of the ministry.

For instance, over the summer and fall of 2020, volunteer groups to Missionary Acres:

• Built a shed for one of the homes
• Installed siding
• Maintained vehicles and equipment
• Removed a dead tree
• Helped remodel an apartment for a retiring couple
• Cleaned things
• Encouraged the residents
• And more

God has given you skills that can be a blessing to this special place. Are you willing and able to use those skills for Him?

As you’re considering where to go on your short-term mission trip, here are five reasons to come to Missionary Acres.

1. Missionary Acres Is Domestic

Not everyone can or desires to travel overseas. The good news? You don’t have to go to a foreign country to take a short-term mission trip. God can use you here, in the United States.

Missionary Acres is located near Silva, Missouri. It’s a couple of hours south of St. Louis, and has a nice highway running all the way down. It’s very accessible. There’s even a decent phone signal there (better if you have AT&T, but we had at least a decent connection on almost the entire property with Verizon.)

When you stay in the states on a mission trip, there aren’t nearly as many logistics. You don’t have to worry about getting everyone on your team special vaccinations or international insurance. Of course, there will still be things to plan – there always are. But, it’s not as overwhelming, especially if this is your first time completing a mission trip.

2. There Are So Many Ways to Serve at Missionary Acres

If you think God can’t use you in missions, you are wrong. There is always a way to serve. And you’ll find plenty of opportunities to put your skills to work for God at the Acres.

If you have a construction background, that’s awesome. If you don’t, no worries. There’s plenty of work for everyone, especially if you are willing to try new things and learn.

You read a few of ways that short-term missionary teams helped this summer at the start of this post. To show you that everyone can be used, here are even more ways that these teams have been a blessing in the past:

• Painting houses or apartments
• Cleaning road signs
• Mowing the lawn
• Helping with VBS at the on-site church
• Framing new projects
• Wiring a house
• Sweeping the sidewalks in the picnic area
• Organizing supplies
• Weeding the paths
• Picking up large rocks on the roads
• Removing any tripping hazards from the sidewalks
• Driving residents to the store or to an appointment
• Setting up scaffolding
• Preparing for the Missionary Acres yard sale
• Cleaning the gazebo area

There is absolutely something for you to do at Missionary Acres. You just have to be willing. Your attitude will make a huge difference. It’s important to go with a heart of service and flexibility. Things might not go exactly as you planned, but you will definitely be working for God, no matter what you are doing.

3. You Will Grow Spiritually

Short-term mission trips are a wonderful way to promote spiritual growth. They take you out of your regularly scheduled life, and the distractions you can sometimes face. When you get out of your comfort zone like this, you learn to depend more upon God.

You might feel scared about going. Or nervous about what the experience will be like. But, you can trust that God will see you through it. He will give you the strength you need. And leaning on Him is something we can all do a little more of.

Also, as you serve God, you grow closer to Him. You learn about His will for your life and discover more about how you can use your talents to be a blessing.

At Missionary Acres, you’ll be surrounded by others who love Christ. As you fellowship together, you’ll come away encouraged.

Then, when you go back home and share your experiences with others, you will have your own stories to tell about the work God is doing. It can be an encouragement to others, and may even inspire someone else to go on a short-term mission trip of their own.

4. Your Heart Will Grow Towards Missions

Where you spend your time and money, your heart will go. When you go and serve God, you never know how He will use that experience in your own life. Some people who go on short-term mission trips are called to be full-time missionaries. Others develop a heart that is knit towards missions, and begin giving more faithfully to the work of Christ.

Going on a short-term mission trip will also open your eyes to the things you can pray for for missions. You will care more deeply about the people and missionaries you work with. The opportunity can turn you into a prayer warrior for missions.

Since Missionary Acres is a family friendly ministry, it’s an excellent place to go to help your kids learn the importance of missions. Perhaps it will be the event in their life that they look back on as the catalyst God used to submit to serving God vocationally in their own future.

You can work hard to cultivate a culture for missions in your family. You might read missionary stories or collect missionary prayer cards. But, there’s nothing like actually getting out and serving for a few days or weeks to help turn your family’s heart towards missions.

If you’re able, we highly recommend taking a mission trip together. And Missionary Acres would make a wonderful mission field for you to start with.

5. You Will Come Away Blessed

When you go on a short term mission trip, the goal is to be a blessing to others. But, it’s inevitable that you will walk away feeling blessed.

Missionary Acres is a friendly place. Everyone there loves the Lord. The residents at Missionary Acres dedicated their lives to serving Him. They have so many encouraging stories of His love, protection, and care. If you spend just a few minutes talking to any of them, you will see their joy rests fully in the Lord. And that is a blessing.

Being able to serve these respected heroes of the faith is an honor and a blessing. It’s giving back a small portion of what God has given you to help the previous generation.

And you never know – this short term mission trip may be the start of something more. You may decide to come back again. And again.

Or, you may realize that God is calling you into full-time service.

It can be a life-changing experience.

Interested in a Short-Term Mission Trip to Missionary Acres?

Is it time for you to plan your first (or next) short-term mission trip? If you’re interested in serving at Missionary Acres, please contact the director, Ron Hemsworth. You can reach him by phone at (573) 224-3710 or by email at director@missionaryacres.com.

It’s a decision you won’t regret.

We’d love to meet you! We look forward to working with you in the future!