Seven Things To Do When You Arrive Home From Your Mission Trip

It’s been two weeks since our family arrived home from our trip to Guatemala.  Returning home isn’t always easy.  On one hand, we were all excited to be back in the comforts of our own home and back with our friends.  On the other hand, we also craved a continuation of our experience in Guatemala.  We miss the friends, the scenery, and the pace of life in Guatemala.

When you come home from a short-term mission trip, there are several important steps to help you get the most out of your experience.  Jumping right back into the swing of things at home without taking these seven actions will minimize the overall effectiveness of your trip.

Seven Things To Do When You Arrive Home From Your Mission Trip

1. Unpack.  You can’t leave your suitcase full of dirty clothes and souvenirs forever.  Empty your suitcase.  Do the laundry.  And take the souvenirs out of the bags.
2. Take time to process your experience.  Coming back from a short-term mission trip is different for everyone.  There is little doubt you saw and experienced things that were very different, eye-opening, and challenging.  Don’t waste this experience.  Write down your thoughts and feelings.  In a way, this is simply a continuation of step one.  You need to take time to unpack your trip from a mental, emotional, and spiritual perspective.  This may take a few days, a few weeks, or even longer.  Part of the reason I blog about my trips to Guatemala is because it gives me time to process what I just experienced.
3. Get re-acclimated to life at home.  When you arrive home, you have to remember the responsibilities waiting for you.  For example, I had to get back to work, and I had to pay bills.  The transition isn’t always easy, but it’s an important part of returning home.  Unless you are planning to become a full-time missionary, you have to get back into the swing of things.  Give yourself time for this as well.  It took me a solid week to feel like I had my energy and rhythm back after we returned from Guatemala.
4. Determine how you will live differently as a result of your experience.  How did your short-term mission trip impact you?  Don’t let it go to waste.  Our family eats rice and beans once a week to remind us of our experience, our Guatemalan friends, and the people we served in Guatemala.  Our prayer life has changed as well.  We now include Dave Sgro, GO! Ministries, German & Susie Espana, and multiple families and individuals in our conversations with God.  More than likely, you will be challenged to reconsider your priorities when you come home from a mission trip.  Don’t wait to long to make these changes.  If you wait too long, you will slip back into life as you knew it before the trip.  One of the biggest things a short-term missions trip will do for you is to help you establish a mission mindset right where you are.  By going someplace else to serve God and others, your eyes will be opened to the spiritual and physical needs right where you live.
5. Tell others about your trip.  I have had so many opportunities to share with others about our trip.  Show off your pictures.  Tell your stories.  I’ve been able to share a lot about my trip through Facebook, my blog, and just by talking to people.  You will be surprised by the number of people who really are interested to hear what you have to say.
6. Start planning for the next trip.  A short-term missions trip doesn’t have to be a once and done experience.  Going on a short-term missions trip on a regular basis has many benefits.  First, you get to help other people.  This is the goal of most people when they go on mission trips.  Second, it changes you positively over time.  We live in a big, big world, and it’s important to see life outside our little boxes.  Finally, there is a recalibration that takes place when you decide to go on mission trips on a regular basis.  This is healthy.  It’s also a great way to leave a legacy.
7. Invite others to join you on your next trip.  Sometimes your friends, family, and co-workers simply need a little encouragement from you to take a step of faith and to sign up for a mission trip.  Your story and your invitation will always be the most effective way to get others involved.  Simply ask.  So here’s my question:  Will you join me on my next trip to Guatemala? (More details to follow.)

Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip?  What was your experience like when you arrived home?

In Response To Ann Coulter

I don’t write about politics here on the blog (or on Facebook), but I couldn’t help but respond to Ann Coulter’s recent blog post, “EBOLA DOC’S CONDITION DOWNGRADED TO ‘IDIOTIC'”, which appeared on her blog August 6th.  I don’t read her blog as a general rule, but I was pointed to this post by a missionary friend of mine, Caleb Suko.  (For Caleb’s thoughts on Ann’s post, click here.)

Ann’s blog is not open to comments, so I figured the best way for me to respond might be through my own blog.  While I seriously doubt Ann will read my post, I’m hoping you will read her post and develop your own opinion.  Here’s mine:

For the record, Ann Coulter does not represent the opinions of all conservatives or all Christ followers.

Having just returned from a trip to Guatemala where I know we made a difference for at least two families, I can state certainly that our trip outside the US to Guatemala was exactly what and where we were called. And the trip may have made a difference in Guatemala, but it is making just as big of a difference here at home in Pennsylvania and the United States.

I agree that America is a mission field, but so is the entire world.

Wake up! Get your head out of your…., and go to a third world country. Your perspective will be altered, Ann Coulter. Maybe you will see that God created the whole world and not just the USA (although I am deeply grateful for my country). Maybe you will come home with a mission mindset far deeper than you ever imagined.

While I don’t know the whole story of Dr. Kent Brantly, I think it’s pretty bold for Ann Coulter to presume that Kent Brantly wasn’t following God’s calling for his life by going to Liberia.

Ann, I pray your eyes and your heart will be opened. Thank you for your compassion on those hurting inside our borders, but don’t forget the rest of the world.

Also, you might be a little surprised that God’s “rules of economics” don’t match up with your “rules of economics.”

Am I off target?  What do you think?  If you could speak with Ann Coulter about this post what would you say?

Shower Time – Is Comfort Really The Right Target?

I’m nearly six feet six inches tall.

I kind of stick out in Guatemala.

I’ve learned that many things in Guatemala are not made for someone of my height.  For example, last year, I slept on a bed that was 18 inches too short for me.  When I sit in the passenger seat of many Guatemalan cars and trucks, I literally have my knees in my chin.  And some of the bathroom facilities don’t actually fit my frame either.

This is the shower we used this year in Guatemala.  It is essentially a concrete box, and it is six feet tall from the floor to the ceiling.  There is just enough room in this little compartment to turn around.  The pipe at the top of the shower is connected to a shower head better known as the widow maker.  The shower head is wired to power which sometimes gives you a hot shower.  The key word is sometimes.  Most of the time you get a rather cold shower.

To save water and to avoid prolonged exposure to the cold water, I took military style showers while we were in Guatemala.  This means I would turn the water on and get wet.  Then I’d turn the water off and soap up.  Finally, I would turn the water back on and rinse off as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t ideal, and it wasn’t all that comfortable, but I actually didn’t mind it so much as the week went along.

Being in the mission field isn’t about comfort.

You get dirty.  You sleep in unfamiliar conditions with strange sounds.  You drive on bumpy roads.  You eat foreign food.  Even going to the bathroom and taking a shower is a weird experience.

We live in a world and culture where comfort is king.

There is something healthy about being uncomfortable.  The mission field teaches missionaries about sacrifice – it teaches that it just might be worth getting uncomfortable for something far more valuable.

Our trip to Guatemala reminded us that there is more to life than the pursuit of comfort.

I would challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone – to stretch yourself – by planning to go on a missions trip in the next year.

What have you learned by stepping into the uncomfortable?  When was the last time you were really uncomfortable?

Language Barrier

“Yes.  I’m fluent in Spanish.  I just don’t comprehend it.”

These were Isaac’s words one afternoon last week while we were in Guatemala.  It made me chuckle.  Going someplace foreign where they don’t speak your native language can be overwhelming, confusing, and a little crazy.  One of my goals over the next year is to start learning some more Spanish.  I had it for three years in junior high and three years in high school, but I have a lot of work to do to better comprehend the conversations in Guatemala next time.

Do you know any languages beside English?  Which ones?

The Start Of Hope And Change

We’re back from Guatemala.

It was the adventure of a lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who guest posted while I was away.  I haven’t had an opportunity to jump into the discussions yet, but I hope these conversations stretched you.  Thank you also for your prayers for our family.

As you can imagine, I have a lot to process as I reenter life here in the States.  It could take me a little while to get through it.  I hope you’ll be patient, and I hope my pondering will stretch you.

Here are some thoughts from my journal.  I wrote them on Friday afternoon after visiting the small mountain-top village of San Antonio:

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.  Isaiah 40:28-31

Today, we drove up the mountain to the small village of San Antonio.  We came here last year, so our family knew to expect an extreme level of poverty.  Kids at the school were hungry, and some were quite dirty.  Many children were coughing – fighting some type of respiratory illness.

It was sad to see children living in these conditions.  But I saw some glimmers of hope.  GO! Ministries has continued to serve food to the children five times a week.  This simple meal of rice, beans, and tortillas provides some nutrition which would otherwise be absent.  GO! Ministries built their first widow home here in March providing a much improved place of living for a widow and her children.  Another organization, Mission Firefly, has also been building better housing and a new cafeteria for the school in this small community.

“Hope and Change” is a phrase that has become so cliché.  Politicians run on promises of bringing hope and change.  So often, our hope is shallow.  “We hope you like this.”  “We hope we get a raise or a new job.”  “We hope to win the lottery or to strike it rich someday.”  And so often, the change we desire is misdirected toward the wrong targets.

I’m so thankful to see small changes in San Antonio.  It would be nice to see these changes taking place more quickly, but I’m learning (again) to operate on a different clock.  Guatemala Time is not the same as United States of America Time.  We live in a culture where we expect and demand promptness.  People are supposed to arrive on time or early.  But in Guatemala, it’s different.  If someone says 3 o’clock, it might mean 3 o’clock, but it probably means sometime after 3 – maybe closer to 4 or 5 o’clock.  Guatemala Time is slower, less hurried, and more relaxed.  It’s hard for Americans from the United States to understand time in Guatemala.

Similarly, I think we fail to understand God’s Time.  He operates differently than we want or expect.  If we pay attention and if we start taking notes, we’ll see that God always knows best.  He works upstream far in front of our short-sighted vision.  And he honors those who pursue and follow Him.

And so, it’s important to have hopes and dreams.  It’s important to work towards change and future vision realizations.   But it’s all for nothing if it doesn’t align with God.  So our number one pursuit should be to know God and to see His wisdom.  God’s wisdom will not fail – never!

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

If you want to win – if you want to succeed – if you want to see hopes for change realized, you must seek God with all you have.

What are you waiting for?  What is stopping you from seeking God with everything you have?

Ten Things To Pack On Your International Short-Term Missions Trip

It’s time for me to start packing for our trip to Guatemala.  We can take up to 50 pounds in our suitcases.  We must plan appropriately to make sure we are bringing the necessary items.  Here is a list of things you should consider if you are traveling internationally for a short-term missions trip:

10 Things To Pack On Your International Short-Term Missions Trip

1. Long pants or long dresses.  Short shorts are not the norm in most of the world.  In fact, uncovered upper legs are quite offensive in most cultures.  We will be wearing pants and long shorts, and the girls will also be wearing long dresses and capris.  If you are traveling overseas, make sure you dress appropriately.
2. Clothes to leave behind.  The past two years, I have come home with less than half of the clothing I brought.  I can always get more t-shirts and shoes at home in America.  My shirts and shoes are treasured possessions for our friends in Guatemala.  If you are planning to go to a third world country, plan to come home with lighter or fewer suitcases.
3. Camera.  You don’t have to or want to bring an expensive camera, but you want to bring something to capture the faces and places you will be visiting. Our pictures from last summer of some of my most prize “possessions.”  I treasure the beautiful people and memories represented through these pictures.  (Plan to leave many of the other devices at home.  For one, you probably won’t have access to internet.  Secondly, our devices could cause us to stick out like a sore thumb to a pick-pocket or thief.)
4. Snacks.  You will want to try some of the food in the foreign land you are visiting, but there are times when you need a little snack or just a taste of home.  Pack granola bars, nuts, gum, or trail mix just in case.  These will come in handy when you are in the middle of a busy day far away from safe food and water.
5. Water bottle.  We drank a lot of bottled water during our trip last year.  This water was safe to drink, and it kept us hydrated during our travels.  Make sure your water source is safe before you drink it.  Once you find a safe water source, be sure to fill your water bottle as often as possible.
6. Rain gear and light weight jackets.  It is the rainy season in Guatemala while we are there, and it also gets cool at night.  Rain gear will help you stay dry during the random rain showers, and a jacket or sweatshirt will keep you warm in the cool evenings.  People often think we will be really hot in Guatemala, but we will actually be hanging out at 7,500 feet above sea level.  It’s much cooler at this elevation.  Find out what the weather is like where you are traveling, so you can plan and dress appropriately.
7. Hand sanitizer.  I can’t guarantee there will be soap and water around when you get dirty.  Make sure you have some type of hand cleaner on hand just in case.  You’ll need it.
8. Bible and journal.  I would probably recommend a small travel Bible to safe space.  You will want this while you are in the mission field.  God will speak to you in amazing ways, and His Word should be an important part of your listening.  You will also want to have a journal so you can capture your thoughts along the way.
9. Spending money.  Don’t go overboard here.  You don’t need a lot of money.  You can exchange it at the airport or at a local bank.  You need just enough for snacks, a few souvenirs, and a small gift for your hosts.  We brought $100 per person which seemed to be the right about for a week-long trip.  I would guess that we spend most of this on souvenirs for those at home and for a gift to our host family.  Carrying around lots of money is a recipe for trouble.
10. Cipro. Cipro is short for a longer pharmaceutical name.  This medicine is crucial for traveling overseas to third world countries.  Despite your best efforts, you will most likely be exposed to bacteria and germs your body is not used to having around.  Travel diarrhea is not fun.  In fact, it can be pretty hard on your body.  Make sure you have Cipro around just in case.  (Malaria is not a problem where we are going, but this is something you should be aware of depending on what part of the world you are visiting.  Depending on where you are heading in Guatemala, you may or may not need to take medicine for malaria.  Malaria medication typically must be taken before, during, and after your trip, so plan ahead.)

One more thing:  Don’t forget your passport!  You might need this to get into and out of a country.

What am I missing?  What questions to you have about packing for an international short-term missions trip?  What else would you want to bring on your trip?

Short-Term Missions – Amazing, Diverse, Life-Changing

Short-term missions trips are amazing experiences, but they are all a little different.

I can remember going on week-long missions trips with my high school youth group.  Without fail, every year was not the same.  There were some elements that seemed to follow us from year to year.  For example, if memory serves me correctly, 4 out of 5 years which I went on this trip there was some type of blow-up on Thursday night.  This is probably not that unusual when you take 20-30 teenagers for a week away from home.  They get sleep deprived and homesick, and something is bound to snap.  Besides this though, these trips were all different.  We served different people in different locations.  There were different themes that emerged from each trip, and we came home with different stories from our experiences.

In less than one week, our family will be returning to Santo Domingo Xenacoj for the third summer in a row.  We have ideas about what we will experience and about what our serving opportunities will look like based on our previous experiences.  But here’s the reality:  this trip will be different from the previous trips.

Different can be a little scary, but it can also be very exciting.

If you haven’t been on a short-term missions trip, I would encourage you to go.  The experience will change your life.

Here are 3 simple ways to find out more about taking your first short-term missions trip:

1. Find out if your local church has any plans to take a short-term missions trip in the near future.  Ask your pastor.  Ask other church goers.  If they are, attend an informational meeting about the trip.  Going to an informational meeting doesn’t mean you are going, but it’s a great way to get information about short-term missions.
2. Attend a missions night at your church.  After I returned from short-term missions trips with my high school youth group, our group had the opportunity to share about our experiences with the congregation.  I think this was a healthy discipline for our youth group and for our church.  These missions nights gave teenagers an opportunity to keep processing their experience.  It also gave the church an opportunity to learn more, to be encouraged to keep sending teenagers to serve others, and to be inspired to go serve themselves.  This is a great reminder for us as we embark on our trip to Guatemala.  When we return, we should have some type of missions night either at our church or at our home.  People at home need to hear our story.
3. Talk to a friend who has gone on short-term missions trips before.  A great way to learn more about missions trips is to ask someone who has gone before.  People’s experiences will all be very different, so talk to multiple people.  You will get a different flavor and different information depending on who you speak with.  (Here’s the deal though:  they won’t fully be able to relay their experience to you.  At some point, you will have to go and experience it for yourself.)  If you have any questions about going on your first short-term missions trip, you can reach out to me.  I’d be glad to help you learn more.

If you have been on a short-term missions trip, I would encourage you to go on another trip.  The experience of going again will change your perspective on many things including short-term missions.

To give you a taste of our past trips to Guatemala, here are two videos recapping each trip.  You’ll see that our experience was very different each time we went.

Have you ever gone on a short-term missions trip?  Tell me about your experience.

Have you been on more than one missions trip?  How were the trips different for you?

What A Difference A Bed Makes!

Where do you sleep?  What kind of bed do you have?

If you are like most Americans, you have a pretty comfortable bed.  You probably have a bed frame with a box spring.  You probably have a pretty decent mattress with pillows, sheets, and a bed spread.

I sleep on a king size bed in a house protected from the elements.  These past few days, we’ve had the air conditioner on which makes sleeping conditions pretty nice during the hot summer nights.

When I was in Guatemala two summers ago, I slept on a collapsed folding table on top of a roof protected by a plastic roof.  It wasn’t ideal, but I still managed to get some sleep after hard days of working in the village of Xenacoj.  Last summer, I upgraded to a small bunk bed.  The bed was probably two feet too short for me (I’m six feet six inches tall), but it was still better than sleeping on the ground (or on the roof).  I’m not sure what our sleeping conditions will be like this year, but I’m not too worried.

This is the bed we saw last summer where a widow sleeps with her three children. The picture is dark and so is the room itself.  It was made up of a sheet of plywood on top of a few overturned five gallon buckets.  Pieces of fabric serve as a “mattress” and sheets/blankets for this family.

While we were serving in Guatemala last summer, we visited the home of widow in the small village of San Antonio.  She lived in a very small house with her three kids.  The house had a dirt floor and corn-stalk walls.  The roof was made of sheets of metal.  The inside of the roof was covered in black soot caused by the open fire used for cooking.  Inside the walls of the house, there were four overturned five gallon buckets on which rested a sheet of plywood which was covered with scraps of fabric.  This is where the widow slept with all three of her children.  This was their bed.

Earlier this year, a team from the United States went down to Guatemala to help widows and orphans.  During their trip, they build a new house for this family.  They now live in a house with a concrete floor, wooden walls, a solid metal roof, and electricity.  The team was also able to provide bunk beds for this family, so each person has a bed with a mattress, sheets, pillows, and blankets.  Can you imagine the difference this made for this family?

In just over two weeks, our family will be heading down to Guatemala where we will build two houses.  One house will be the home for a widow and two family members, and the other house will become the home for a widow and five of her family members.  Thanks to generous donors, we will be able to build both of these houses.  This alone will change the life of these families.

But what if we could do more?  What if we could find a way to provide beds as well?

Yesterday, our missionary friend, David Sgro, posted the following on his Facebook timeline:

I’ll be visiting Guatemala later this month and we’ll be working with the Jon Stolpe family to build two houses for two widows and their families. The cost for each house is approx $2,000. That money has been raised. The widows and their children also need bedding and a bed and mattress cost $100. We need a total of 9 beds. If you’d like to donate towards buying a widow or an orphan a bed please visit www.goministries.info, scroll down and click on “Paypal Option 1” to donate. You can add a note saying “Widow/Orphan Bedding” and those funds will be used to buy the beds! Thanks a lot. If you buy a bed I’ll send you a picture so you can see the family enjoying their bed.

This was not a cost we were aware of when we set up our trip and fundraising budget.  I suppose it’s not essential, but it would be a great way to put a bow on the gift we are providing to these families.  I know it’s a big ask, but would you consider helping out?  Maybe you can get together with your family or a group of friends and pay for one bed.  If we get nine people to do this, we would be set.  (Or if we get eighteen people to pay for half of a bed, we would be set.  You get the idea.  Any amount would be appreciated.)

How do you think a new bed might change the life of one these families?

What is the nicest bed you’ve ever slept on?  What is the worst sleeping condition you’ve ever endured?

The second half of the video below shows the home of the widow mentioned above before her house was rebuilt.

And this video highlights the construction of her new home.  This will give you a small glimpse into what we will be experiencing in a couple of weeks while we are in Guatemala.  (Go to the 9 minute mark to fast forward to the house construction and completion.)

Guatemala Update – 47 Days To Go!

In 47 days, our family will be flying to Guatemala for a week of serving orphans and widows in the village of Xenacoj.  Here’s an update on our upcoming trip:

• We’ve raised enough money to build two houses and to do some extra things for the widows and orphans in the village.  There is a possibility that we will be able to get the widows started with a jewelry business.  This would be pretty cool, because Hannah used her jewelry making skills to raise funds for the past two trips.  It would also be exciting to help give the widows another skill to help them provide for themselves and their families.
• We booked our plane tickets.  We will be flying out of Newark, NJ into Guatemala City.  This is the most expensive part of the trip, so it’s a blessing to have this step behind us.
• We purchased travel insurance.  After having to cancel our trip to Kenya four years ago due to health issues, we learned about the importance of having travel insurance.  Travel insurance covers replacement of travel costs in the event of a trip cancellation for any reason.  It also provides some protection for loss of luggage, and it covers some medical expenses in the event of a health emergency during the trip.
• Next, we will be finalizing payment for costs while we are on the ground in Guatemala.  This includes food, lodging, transportation, and translators.  It also covers the cost of the houses we will be building.  These houses cost $1,500 each which provides a significant upgrade in living conditions for the recipients.  One of my goals is to build 100 houses in Guatemala.  This will make it number three.  If we raise additional funds, we may use it towards more houses.
• Isaac is getting close to earning his Eagle Rank in the Boy Scouts of America.  He needs to earn three merit badges and complete his Eagle project.  He has decided to incorporate Guatemala into his project.  He is finalizing the details now.  It’s exciting to see our children hungry to serve and help others.

Going on a short-term missions trip is a big undertaking.  Some would argue that it’s not worth it.  Why would someone pay so much money to go overseas for one week when they could use the same money to serve more people close to home for a longer period of time?  I’ve heard the question before in regards to my past trips to Guatemala.  After making a return visit to Guatemala last year, I was able to see the impact of our first trip.  I’ve also seen how a short-term missions can change a community, and I’ve seen how it can change the short-term missionary.

This week Relevant Magazine published an article about short-term missions trips.  I would encourage you to check out the article (Things No One Tells You About Going on Short-Term Mission Trips) and jump in on the conversation.

What do you think you’ll be doing in 47 days?  What questions do you have about short-term missions?

Finding Fun In Fundraising – 5 Ways To Find Fun In Fundraising

I’m not a big fan of fundraising.

I remember when I was young, and my parents would watch the Peter, Paul, and Mary special during the PBS Fund Drive.  My brothers and I would cringe when they broke from the program to take a break for fundraising.  Hosts would offer viewers the Peter, Paul, and Mary Special Box Set free for a generous donation of $500 or more to keep quality publicly funded television on the air for the next year.  The whole experience was pure torture.

When you hear the word fundraising what comes to mind?

Fun is not typically the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word.

Honestly, fundraising makes me feel a bit awkward.  It takes a lot of humility to ask others to help raise funds to send us to Guatemala.  But I’ve also learned over the past three years of fundraising for trips to Guatemala that fundraising is important.  Obviously, it’s important for raising the financial resources necessary for a trip.  Just as important, fundraising provides an opportunity to get others involved with ministry to a foreign land.  Many of the donors have commented that they are thrilled that they get to help do something life changing for people in Guatemala.  They can’t imagine going there themselves, but they are happy to make a difference through their financial support.

Yesterday, our family capped off fundraising for our missions trip to Guatemala this summer where we will be building two homes and sharing the gospel with widows and orphans in the village of Xenacoj.  Yesterday’s Guatemala Jewelery and Cupcake Fundraiser was a huge success and will make this year’s trip possible.

The afternoon was actually pretty fun.  We spent time with Amy and Mark Sullens at their cake shop, Cake Art by Amy.  They were such gracious hosts for this event.  And we had the honor of hanging out with visitors for three hours as patrons came in to purchase cupcakes and handmade jewelry.

So how can you put the fun in fundraising?

This is a great question.  Here are some suggestions to get you thinking:

5 Ways to Find Fun In Fundraising

1. Be creative.  Hoagie sales and car washes are okay, but what if you could do something different?  This year our family raised funds for our trip by hosting a benefit recital in March and the jewelry and cupcake event yesterday.  These are not your typical fundraising events.  They were a bit different which was a good thing.
2. Involve the whole family (or team).  Our kids were key members of the fundraising for our family.  Isaac utilized his musical talents at the recital, and Hannah made all the jewelry.  It was work, but it was also fun.  Isaac loves to perform, and the recital was just the right venue for him to contribute.  And Hannah has amazing talent when it comes to making jewelry.  She enjoys makes something beautiful out of beads and pieces of metal.
3. Have a positive attitude.  Trust me this helps.  I love to share about our past trips and our upcoming trip.  Telling people about the fundraisers gives me a great opportunity to talk about the trips.
4. Celebrate when you meet your goals.  There is something satisfying about reaching your goals.  High five.  Cheer.  And tell people when your fundraising goals are met.  Thanks to the generosity of others we will build two homes for people in need, and we will get to do some amazing things for people in the village of Xenacoj.  This is a reason to celebrate!
5. Keep it all in perspective.  Fundraising has tremendous power to transform the lives of who you are helping, and it has amazing power to change the lives of the donors.  Even though fundraising may be a difficult task, it is worth it.  Remember this.  I’m excited to see lives changed in Xenacoj, and I’m excited to share stories with supporters here at home.

Maybe there is some fun to be found in fundraising.

What is your experience with fundraising?  How have you found fun in your fundraising experiences?