Short-term missions guidanceWhy we call our short-term mission team members "Missioners."
A missionary is a person whose avocation of serving others has become a full-time occupation, and often is accompanied by promotion of a specific religious creed and dogma, with a purpose of introducing a religious perspective in order to recruit new believers. We do not send missionaries to Africa or anywhere else in the world. We send teams of people who wish to serve for a limited number of hours as part of our 25-year effort to strengthen and empower families and communities in order to help children in the poorest communities and most vulnerable populations. While we are inspired by Christian values, as set forth by The United Methodist Church, and our work is motivated by the shared traditions of many faiths, HCW is not a church, and our goal is not to influence others to change how or if they worship, but rather to honor God's heart for children, and to inspire others to see the reflection of the divine spirit in the work. Many of our program partners and our supporting partners are religious institutions and many of our missioners are religious leaders, and they are often invited to preach by a local church, or share time as part of a pastors collaboration on serving impoverished communities, recognizing the contribution that a rich spiritual life has on resiliency, so that families are thereby strengthened. Many of our partners are churches, and their leaders have found that engaging in mission with HCW revitalizes the spiritual identity of their church, confirms their purpose, and inculcates compassion in their congregation. It is our great hope that your experience as an HCW missioner will transform your life, and help you return to your life with renewed spiritual passion and an even deeper sense of compassion for those who struggle. It is that spiritual impact that we "preach" in our work, that you will receive more blessings than you give, in the act of giving. We share resources with our church partners and religious leaders to enrich their congregational life. But, we want you to understand, that HCW's mission is not be be the church, and we absolutely do not make decisions based on whether or not it will impact or alter people's religious beliefs. |
Should you stay or should you go...to Bo?Maybe you feel a call or an itch to travel on one of our advertised mission trips, but you aren't quite sure if that's a good idea. That's completely okay - we've all been there!
If you ever wondered if you should go on a mission trip, we have lots of information, experience and advice to share? Take all the time you need to decide. Take all the time you need, read up on the experience and talk to others in your community who have traveled or worked with HCW. Our teams work hard. Our teams go trained and prepared. Our teams experience something new every time, and some of the same shared experiences. Mission travel can be challenging and is not for everyone, so how do you decide if this type of trip is right for you? Doing mission work for the right reasons is important, so we've put together a list of reasons to apply for a team, and some reasons not to apply. Read the document below to help you discern your calling for a mission trip. For more information on the application process, email Yasmine Vaughan at mission@helpingchildrenworldwide.org 
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Helping Children Worldwide endorses a resource from Faith to Action which will help our missioners and volunteers become more effective advocates for the Child Reintegration Centre, Mercy Hospital, and other local mission program partners.
Faith to Action sought recommendations and input from more than 50 stakeholders, including practitioners engaged in sending and receiving short-term missions, pastors, mission leaders, faith-based organizations, and academic leaders, to create this resource.
Read or download Faith To Action's resource.
Faith to Action sought recommendations and input from more than 50 stakeholders, including practitioners engaged in sending and receiving short-term missions, pastors, mission leaders, faith-based organizations, and academic leaders, to create this resource.
Read or download Faith To Action's resource.
Helping Children Worldwide
Mission Team Application
Managed Missions
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Helping Children Worldwide uses Managed Missions for their team information. All deadlines, tasks, and team training information can be found here. You will have to make an account with Managed Missions to use the software. Click on the Managed Missions logo and follow the link to their website, then select "Start Now" to begin the process.
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Recommended & required reading
Missioners are required to read the following book before embarking on their mission trip:
- Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence by David A. Livermore
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Suggested reading about global missions:
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Suggested reading about Sierra Leone:
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For books on Christian Medical Missions, please check out: healthforallnations.com/resources-history-of-health
We participate in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. We earn a small percentage of the sale when you buy books through the links above. Thank you for using these links when you shop, you are helping fund the mission of Helping Children Worldwide!
Webinar on Ethical Missions
HCW Director of Mission Advance and Global Partnerships presented on a panel of experts at the Faith to Action webinar on ethical missions! One of Helping Children Worldwide's favorite topic hosted by one of our favorite faith-based NGOs.
