What’s the number one rule for your attitude on a short-term trip, according to Global Outreach Minister Bruce McDowell?

“Go as a learner,” he says, “rather than thinking you’ll accomplish great things. You have to make yourself available to God for him to use you for his purpose.”

As the application deadline for short-term trips approaches on Friday, that’s the main idea of the training team members will receive at the workshop on Saturday, May 3. Although the teams to Colombia and Greece have discrete purposes for their trips, each member of the team has basic training. Here are some of the highlights.

Be flexible! Even the best-laid plans can get diverted. Keep in mind that you’re there to serve the people there, rather than them catering to you. It is often an enormous strain on national hosts and career partners, so do your best to look out for them and at least have a good attitude.

In a more extreme case, a few years ago, a coup interrupted a Tenth trip. The workshop will explain how teams should act in those situations and less serious ones.

Be concerned for the welfare of the long-term workers. You might be there for two weeks, but they’re working year-round. How can you assist them without hindering their work? Sometimes the simplest things are best, whether it’s an encouraging word to a tired teammate, or a glass of water for a parched clinic worker.

The trip will be AWESOME! You may grow tired, stretched, and challenged, but God will effect his Kingdom. You’ll get to see how he is using our global partners in the world, and you get to be a part of it!

If you’re still considering how God might use you on a short-term trip, apply here by Friday. The short-term trips committee will interview you in time for the May 3 workshop. The workshop includes breakfast and lunch, so team members should come prepared to dive in and learn how God can use them in Colombia and Greece.