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If you have an overseas missions trip in your future you will have a lot of planning to do in order to get ready and be properly prepared for the experience. There are sponsers to be obtained, money to be made and donated as well as thinking about everything you will need to be taking along in as little space as possible. If you are going with a group sometimes it is easier to raise the money together, if you are going alone you will need some creative ways to finance your trip.
Consider yourself lucky if you have a group to work with that can offer the support. In a group sitting usually there are organized fundraisers and ideas to help you raise the money you need to take your trip including airfare and accomodations. You also need to think about taking along extra money or ideally travelers checks to have on hand in case of emergency. One effective form of finding people to sponser your trip is a form letter. Type a professional letter stating where you will be going and the nature of the visit. Tell people your vision and plans for your trip such as street witnessing, visiting churches, outdoor dramas or whatever you plan on doing while there. You will have to be upfront in asking them for donations, no need to beat around the bush, just find an appropriate way of letting them know that their support would be appreciated. You may want to follow up with letters periodically telling them what stage you are at financially.
There are plenty of fundraiser ideas out there, find one that is partial to helping christian organizations such as selling candy or cards. You may also want to do a little of your own personal fundraising, think of things that you can do for people like odd jobs. You may want to have a bake sale at your church. Talk to your pastor and see if he will make an announcement about your trip. Alot of churches will take up a special offering for missions.
Once you have the funds allocated, you will need to think about the items you will be taking. If you are with a group or orgainzation that will all be traveling together, they will most likely limit your bags to just a couple. This is where your creativity must come into play. In order to fit the maximum amount of clothes in a suitcase, the best bet is to roll items. You will be amazed at the amount you can fit this way. Try and take only the essentials such as one or two pair of shoes. Think about grooming products, will you be using the same things on the mission field as you would be at home? Most likely not. Many times you have to think about the customs and beliefs of the country you will be going to. Do not forget that you will be wanting to bring home more things than you came with, after all who can resist all the wonderful items a foreign country has to offer? A neat way to make space for your collected souveniers is to take clothes that really do not mean alot to you. In other words, things that you are willing to leave behind. You can give away your things to someone who is not so fortunate and would be thrilled to have your seconds. This is a great way to make extra space in your suitcase.
Now that you have the fundraising down and you know how to pack, make sure you make a list of everything you will be needing to take. Keep checking it up until you leave and make sure everything is in order. Most countries will require you to have a passport and or visa. If you do not already have one on hand you should make it a priority to get it done as soon as possible. Do not forget to take along some writing utensils to send progress reports to your loved ones and the people who supported you. This can be a very hectic time before you leave for your missions trip but try and make it as carefree as possible by planning ahead.
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