MissionTripTools.com Helping Christian short term mission teams return and debrief

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Team Return and Re-Entry

Re-entry studies

Coming home can be a very difficult time for your team. They can feel overwhelmed, grieved over the separation from new friends in the target country, frustrated and angry at their home culture, and like their lives at home are meaningless. This is called reverse culture shock.
Here's my recommended minimum to help your team with return, evaluation and follow-up issues.
1. Our Team Member Discipleship Book provides you with studies to help equip your team to face the often very difficult readjustment period on their return.
2. I just discovered DualReach's tools for follow-up. The provide an excellent follow up and debriefing approach that will enrich the experience for your team and help conserve the results of the trip. I will be using their material in my own teams in the future
3. DEEPER ROOTS PUBLICATIONS has renamed "Fishers of Men" to "Coming Home." (This is what we used for re-entry before we developed our own materials). They also just released "Coming Home Again" for those who are coming back home a 2nd or 3rd time. Get at least one copy for yourself (the team leader).
Emmaus Road International (Neal Pirolo) has a video about re-entry.

Report back service Sample Report back service
Mission trip evaluation by the team Sample Evaluation
Picture and address sharing meeting.

Share the pictures from your trip. (This is when you realize what a bargain a digital camera is!)
Compile a master address list of friends and contacts from the field.
Our Trip Journal has a page for keeping track of addresses and contacts.

Evaluation by leader based on the trip goals (set in the Trip Prep stage).
Mission Trip Follow Up
1. Keep in contact with persons on the field.
2. Continuing financial and prayer support and contact for the missionary.
3. Refine your mission trip philosophy.
  1. ACMC's bookstore has many resources which you will find inspiring and helpful in your pursuit when they finally become operational.
  2. YWAM's bookstore has many resources on general missions which you may find mind expanding.
  3. YWAM's bookstore has many resources on short term missions which you may want to use to supplement what you have learned here.
  4. DualReach offers tools for a distinctive follow-up approach.
  5. MisLinks has online resources which can help you refine your thinking.
  6. Wander around on Professor Howard Culbertson's site- lots of great content.
  7. The Perspectives Course from the US Center for World Missions is a great follow up for your church to a short term trip. The course can be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit or just audited.
4. Guide your team into using their new boldness, skills, and experience at home.
5. Our Team Member Discipleship Book provides you with two tools for this, as well.

If you are experienced in mission trips and want help with a short term trip inside the 10/40 Window or to an unreached people group, you need to talk to Innovative Mission Opportunities Inc. Missiontriptools.com will still be glad to help you any way we can.

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