question
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the benefits of your trips over other trips?
1. We go to English speaking locations. Although any cross cultural experience can be
good, there is nothing like leading someone to Christ yourself.
2. The emphasis is on pro-active ministry vs. a building project. If the Great Commission is
ever to be reached, it will not be by us waiting for unbelievers to come into our churches, nor
will it be reached by the clergy alone. We must follow Jesus' example and go to the unbelievers
and it must be the people, not just the clergy.
3. We attempt to provide a variety of experiences so when you return you will have more
experience from which to draw applications. Enclosed is a schedule
of one recent trip.
4. We attempt to discover Jesus' method of reaching the world through discipleship. Every
Christian is commanded to make disciples. It doesn't make any sense that Jesus would command
us to do something that is impossible for us to do. We explore what discipleship is and how we
can personally be involved.
5. We spend time asking, "How can we apply what we have learned when we return home?"
The greatest benefit of these trips is not what takes place while in Jamaica, but rather how our
lives and actions are affected when we return home.
6. Discipleship is often better caught than taught. We have found that often people will
have their perspective changed in such a way as to be worth years of normal spiritual growth. In
fact, we notice most people re-evaluate their entire priority system in life. I am committed to
these trips because I know of no other place where I can have as significant an impact on a
persons life in as short a period of time.
Why do we have to leave the country, why not do it here?
The best way I know to explain this question is two fold. First, when people are in another
culture, they tend to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit working in their lives. Second, the
phone is not ringing, the kids do not need to be delivered to soccer practice and normal concerns
of making a living are left behind. This contributes greatly to the Lord getting 100% of our
attention. In addition, this is one of the only ways I know to create a small group atmosphere of
being together similar to what disciples had.
What do we do while we are in Jamaica?
A schedule of a recent trip is included
at this site.
What are the living facilities and food like?
Our philosophy is we want people to experience the third world culture but not to the extent that
it detracts from the ministry. Therefore, we look for medium range living facilities. We will
normally stay in a Villa (normally with air conditioning and a pool). The water is all chlorinated
in the cities and safe for drinking and the food is normally very good. There is lots of rice and
chicken and the food is a little on the spicy side.
What about transportation?
Transportation is one of our largest expenses. We normally rent 15 passenger vans for our travel
on the lsland.
Who do we work with in Jamaica?
We normally work as closely as possible with local churches so that they take over the follow up
of anyone who indicates a decision for Christ. Local Jamaicans help to organize our
schedule.
What about finances?
The actual cost of a trip is impossible to pin down until dates are selected and airline reservations
and housing are secured. However, most trips run about $750 plus airfare for 10 days. The
cost includes everything except souvenirs, snacks, and extra entertainment like snorkeling, scuba
diving, parasailing, etc. Each group is asked to provide the expenses for one tour conductor
(normally the cost of one person) and actual expenses for the trip. Also, approximately $500 for
each trip is given to local Jamaican ministries to cover materials and set up costs. We also cover
meals for Jamaicans that might eat with us while we are there. Even with the additional costs of
ministry expenses and transportation, the cost of a trip with Outreach Adventures is lower that
almost any discount trip you can get for a similar time period. If money is left over from a trip it
goes to the general fund of Outreach Adventures and is used to advance the ministry. Our heart
is for this to be a ministry to groups that come. However, as I am sure you are aware, it takes
financing to fulfill the Great Commission. With your permission, we would appreciate the
opportunity to share with those who come on the trip our financial needs and give them the
opportunity to be involved, if the Lord should lay that upon their heart. (We normally do this in
one of our meetings and give people a card that they may return to us if they desire.) If, when we
return, you feel this is a valuable ministry, we would appreciate the opportunity to make a
presentation to your missions committee. Our conviction is that the Lord will meet our needs
and it is His responsibility to lay on the hearts of others to participate. We do not desire to
pressure anyone, only to let the need be known and give people the opportunity. As I
mentioned, our first priority is to minister to you and your church and being involved financially
is by no means a requirement to participate in our trips.
How do individuals get the financing to come on a trip?
Some people are capable of financing their own trip but we find that most people will need to
trust the Lord to raise some or all of what they need. Watching the Lord raise your finances can
be one of the most exciting parts of the trip as you see Him put His confirmation on your going.
We have found the most effective way to do this is to send a letter to everyone they know that
would be potential givers. Checks would be made out to the church and would be tax deductible
to the giver. As the people of the church begin to have a vision for the trip, if the leadership
keeps the need before them, they will be anxious to be involved. To date, I have not seen one
person who put up a deposit for a trip not be able to go because of finances.
How long are the trips?
We are glad to adjust trip lengths to fit your schedule. We find the most effective time is about
10 days.
How many people can we bring?
From a financial point of view, a minimum of 10 people are needed unless we combine with
another church, which often is a possibility. Fifteen to twenty-five is a good size for relationship
building. However, by taking different approaches to the trips we can handle almost any
size.
What ages can come on a trip?
We have found Junior high school and above is best. We are excited about youth groups,
however, we find that the impact of the trip on your church is much greater when it is primarily
an adult trip. We have also found that a mixture works great. We have had many families on our
trips and we have seen eight year old children lead numerous others to Christ.
Who does the teaching on the trips?
This certainly is a negotiable item and we want you involved to whatever extent you wish. Most
of the time we have provided the content for discussion so that the leadership coming on the trip
can concentrate on spending time with their people. Others have told us that often a third party
provides a valuable new perspective. Content relates to training and discipleship and does not
deal with doctrinal issues. We do ask that groups coming can agree theologically with the 4
Spiritual Laws, put out by Campus Crusade for Christ.
Where is Jamaica anyway?
Jamaica is about 600 miles (one hour and fifteen minute flight) south of Miami.
What is the climate like?
The climate is normally in the 80's. In the mountains, a sweater is needed in the evenings but on
the coast it is comfortably warm.
What about getting into the country?
A state certified (not hospital) birth certificate, picture I.D., and a return airline ticket is all that is
needed for entry into Jamaica. No shots or passports are needed with the above
documents..
What do I need to do to prepare?
We ask each person to prepare a 3 to 4 minute testimony of how they became a Christian. We
have materials we can provide to help with this. Preparing a personal testimony often times is a
difficult but very rewarding experience. Once completed, it is a very natural way to start a
conversation about Christ. Apart from the testimony, all other training is done after arriving in
Jamaica. An important part of the trip in Jamaica is sharing our testimonies with each other, so
please do not have people share their testimonies with each other before the trip.