Trip Preparation
Are you planning to go on a Youth 4 the Kingdom trip but do not know what to expect? These tips will give you a glimpse of what a week with a Y4K team is like.
Since our work fields are in restricted nations, when flying to the appointed airport, we ask that you do not wear any Christian tags to avoid putting the team in danger or suspicion. As you travel from the gate city to the destination, you will have time to get to know your team members. Upon arriving at the destination, you will have an orientation meeting with the team leader and country host.
The clinics can be held in hospitals, churches, or schools. Often the patients will wait in line for hours to see a healthcare professional. Some even arrive at 3 or 4 a.m. to wait in line. Non-medical volunteers (servants) can spend time speaking with and ministering to the patients as they wait. The local church will often have a crusade in the evenings to allow the team members to experience worship with the local believers and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Although we cannot meet every physical need, we offer the love of Jesus to each patient, knowing that is the essential thing—sometimes prayer and time spent listening to them is the medicine they need for their weary souls.
Many teams have a surgical component, offering minor surgeries. The dental clinic is often the most visited area in a local clinic. Imagine having a toothache for a year and finally getting relief through a Y4K volunteer dentist. Pharmacists and assistants are needed to distribute medications to the hundreds or thousands of patients seen.
It doesn’t take long to become a team of friends that will last a lifetime!
Before going on any trip, you have lots of preparations. We prepare in many ways—making a list of items to pack, taking care of travel arrangements, and arranging other details before leaving home. But the most important thing you can do for a short-term or long-term mission trip with Y4K is to prepare yourself spiritually.
Y4K offers a variety of resources to help you as you prepare for your trip.