Mission Trips & the effects of COVID-19
Are mission trips safe in 2021 and beyond?
As you consider returning to the mission field in the future, you probably have a lot of questions about how the future of missions will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Is it possible to travel for a mission trip right now?
- How will participants and communities stay safe on a mission trip?
- Should I just wait to do a mission trip until COVID-19 is over?
- What if I give money and time toward a mission trip and it gets canceled?
At Adventures in Missions, we are still deeply committed to the mission God has given us to reach the world for Christ. Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges and focus to how we walk out our mission. With over 30 years of experience in mobilizing missionaries, we are committed to adhering to the guidelines that allow us to care for not only our participants, but those we are called to serve on a mission trip.
Mission trips are still happening!
Many of our long-term missionaries have continued to safely serve at each of our international missions bases. World Race, World Race: Gap Year, and Semesters by World Race teams have also been serving internationally since early 2021.
Through careful planning, Adventures Short Term Mission trips for adults, groups, and families are also still happening!
If you are interested in talking with us about taking your church group on a mission trip, we are here for you. Please give us a call or email us to schedule a time to chat with one of our experts. We love partnering with churches and can’t wait to connect with you!
Planning Safe Mission Trips in 2021-2022
At Adventures in Missions, we are committed to navigating mission trips and this global pandemic in a wise manner. As we plan for the future of short-term mission trips, we are focusing on keeping local communities and volunteers as safe as possible.
We acknowledge that there is additional risk; it is just not possible to avoid it completely. However, we assure you that operating in wisdom is a top priority for us and our risk management and mission trip planning teams.
COVID-19 TESTING
Adventures is committed to following state and local guidelines. Currently, a negative COVID test is not required to register on our Georgia campus. After arriving on our campus, participants will complete temperature checks and a symptom screening assessment. For Adventures Short Term trips, participants are required to fill out a health and safety questionnaire before traveling to their destination.
SAFE MISSION TRIPS
Our COVID-19 Management team meets regularly to assess situations and ensure alignment with current regulations, health professionals, and Adventures’ leadership. Additionally, our experienced risk management and mission trip planning teams are constantly monitoring political, health, weather, and other risks in the regions where we serve, as well as the advice of international health organizations and putting safety measures in place to ensure all our teams are abiding by CDC guidelines.
COVID-19 GUIDELINES
We are committed to complying with any government regulations that exist for all our mission trips and programs. This includes guidelines about masks and social distancing as outlined by the CDC. Participants are also doing daily health screenings with temperature checks and following isolation and quarantine protocols when needed.
When you are ready to go on a mission trip, we are ready to partner with each and every team who takes on this challenge with us. God is going to do incredible things in and through each mission trip this year, and we would love for you to join us!
FAQs
We are committed to complying with any government regulations that exist throughout your mission trip. This could include entry requirements, curfews, in-country travel restrictions or more. We are also committed to having field policies in line with best practices for our mission trips and gap year program. We will continue to work closely with our ministry partners to monitor the advice of international health organizations and local regulations.
Our internal risk management team and our external consultants will continue to monitor the COVID-19 implications for international travel. If quick action does become necessary, we have experience navigating that situation. In March 2020, borders began to close without much notice, and we safely brought home 570 missionaries from 26 international squads over the course of 6 days. While we cannot completely predict what every future situation would look like, we do have an experienced team that is ready to work around the clock to get our participants home, if necessary.
Yes! And this is a change from what was originally announced. Adventures in Missions has been able to negotiate this addition to our original plan for all mission trips and the gap year program. This is at no additional cost to the racer. More specific information can be found here or in your profile. If you’ve personally worked with MissionSafe to purchase individual COVID-19 coverage, you can contact them to cancel.
We have an experienced risk management team. They monitor political, health, weather, and other risks in the regions where we serve. We continue to confidently plan impactful mission trips and adjust when necessary. We won’t launch a mission trip that isn’t up to our standards of safety. In 2020, we canceled our international mission trips due to safety and travel restrictions with COVID-19 and gave options to our participants to join us domestically or defer to a later date. We currently feel confident launching future mission trips. If we have to cancel your mission trip, or you don’t feel comfortable going, the money you’ve raised can be applied to a different or future trip within the next calendar year. Our team will be happy to work with you to find the best option for your situation.
Testimonials
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