How can you prepare for a short-term missions trip? What are the hazards to avoid and the opportunities to embrace? Veteran trip leaders Mack and Leeann Stiles offer practical advice, hard-won lessons, and hilarious stories to help you know what to expect as you get ready to see God in action in new ways.

Going on a short-term missions trip can be a life-transforming experience, but it can also involve weeks of physical and spiritual challenges. In this revised and expanded ten-week course, you will find a concise summary of crosscultural principles, help in facing spiritual warfare, tips on avoiding a tourist mentality, spiritual preparation through individual or group Bible study, and discussion and reflection questions.

With careful biblical exposition and keen cross-cultural awareness, Duane Elmer offers principles and guidance for avoiding misunderstandings and building relationships in ways that honor people in other cultures.

Short-term missions expert J. Mack Stiles believes we can't separate who we are and how we live from what we say as we interact with people about the good news of Jesus. We need to live out the reconciling forgiveness of God as opposed to loving in the world's way. And when we leave things out of the gospel, not only is the message distorted but so are we as messengers. In this book Stiles shows us an integrated approach to knowing the gospel, living the gospel and speaking the gospel makes us whole, healthy evangelists.

The gospel really is the best news anyone will ever receive. So why do Christians shy away from talking about Jesus outside of church? And, when they do speak of Jesus, why do they often get a disinterested or scornful reponse? Mack Stiles offers a wealth of answers, ideas and stories in this heads-up, hands-on evangelism handbook. His creative strategies for reaching an ethnically, culturally, economically, educationally, geographically and ideologically diverse world with the best news ever are drawn directly from his own work as an evangelist in today's student world. In Speaking of Jesus he shows readers how to keep their eyes open for "divine appointments," how to approach others with a servant spirit, how to cross relational barriers, how to simply tell one's own story of faith, and how to answer questions with honesty and confidence. Speaking of Jesus may well be an Out of the Saltshaker for the 1990s and beyond. With contagious enthusiasm, Stiles stresses that evangelism isn't about exhibiting superhuman courage or perfecting specialized techniques or exercising extraordinary gifts. Instead, he shows that people of faith can use everyday situations and everyday language to pass on the simple--and simply wonderful--news about Jesus.

Can I drink the water? But I don't speak the language. You want me to sleep where? They eat what? How am I going to raise that much money? Is it really God's will for me to go? I don't know how to share the gospel. Are you ready? More than one million people will go into all the world on short-term missions trips this year. Are you ready to be one of them? Anne-Geri' and Greg have been in the field and led teams there-and back. They will help you prep and pack for the trip, put their arms around you while you're gone, and offer perspective as you reenter "normal" life. How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions will help you: Pack your suitcase and prepare your heart Build genuine relationships with the locals Understand cultural differences Deal with physical fatigue Combat stretched emotions There's even a chapter for clammy-handed parents! With humor and experience, Anne-Geri' and Greg ask questions you can't hide from and help you focus on your true mission.

What happens when a broken world slams into your comfortable life? Wrecked is about the life we are afraid to live. It’s about radical sacrifice and selfless service—how we find purpose in the midst of pain. It's a look at how we discover fulfillment in the least likely of places. It's about living like we mean it. It’s a guide to growing up and giving your life away, helping you live in the tension between the next adventure and the daily mundane. This book is for us—a generation intent on pursuing our life's work in a way that leaves us without regrets. Author Jeff Goins shares his own experience of struggling as a missionary and twentysomething who understands the call to live radically while dealing with the everyday responsibilities of life. Wrecked is a manifesto for a generation dissatisfied with the status quo and wanting to make a difference.