I think we all would agree that we desire to see change happen in the lives of the participants who are assigned to our teams. In fact, for most of you, this is the reason that you lead teams: to see transformation in the participants.

Here is a guarantee: 95% of the participants will go through serious spiritual transformation during the trip- because God is good and because of YOU! (I say 95% because there is always the chance that someone will not make it through the trip and/or that individual who chooses to shut down their hearts and say no to Jesus…we all do this at some point in our lives and regretfully it happens on some of the teams as well.)

Here is a problem: if the first time your students here a challenge do something radical with that personal transformation in the world for the rest of their lives is at debrief in Atlanta then it will be way less likely that the transformation will continue on more than a month beyond their missions experience.

Here is a question: So how can you begin leading now to better insure that your participants experience transformation that leads to life long change? I will suggest a few thoughts here, but I am REQUIRING YOU TO RESPOND WITH A TIP OR A COMMENT ABOUT ANOTHER LEADER'S TIP BY FRIDAY!!

1. Get your students to start vocalizing the desires they have for their lives and what God is calling them to NOW. Why is this important? Because we cannot assume that everyone wants to be a full-time missionary or pastor or something "ministry" related. The more you know what makes your students tick and what they think God is calling them will help you connect the experiences they have on the trip to their futures.
2. Challenge your participants to consider now full-time call or more missions or something that may look radical that starts after the trip. Young people usually have never been called to some greater than normal life and the routine of American living. Put the thought in their heart and continue to water it. Talk about how your life has been transformed by following God and missions to get them excited.
3. Consider a prayer commitment or some type of fast leading up to the trip that has a focus beyond the trip.
4. Plan into your teaching and daily debrief times an application that goes beyond the trip. A major frustration many participants experience when they get home is they cannot connect the experiences of the trip to their lives at home. Sometimes this is because their lives at home need to change, but it is also because no one helped them begin to process what God was doing in their lives while on the trip.

Okay- so these are some basics. It is your chance to pipe in…