If you are feeling a tug on your heart it may be a calling for a short term mission.  The cost is likely about $3500. that must be spent or raised to cover each team member.  So far I have not seen the money stop anyone from going.  As God is in the decision to go, His resources are also there.  At times it seems he provides by making us willing to forgo some less worthy personal pleasure for a time.  On other occasions God uses other people to supply the need.  Some folks do a combination of personal gathering from their own budgets and sending out letters to allow others to help with financial support.  If your heart is there the $ will be also.

A note to prospective team members and families:

1. We love youth and college age. When that youth or college age is personally motivated, hungry for being on the mission.  (Parents, please don't pressure you kids to come with us, they know who is calling and God is big enough to do His part. You are welcome to pass on the info. Then step back and see the better way if it is His timing.)
2. We love technical, professional folks, skilled trades men and women.  About half the folks that go on our missions fit in this category in some way.  We are often able to use those skills and training in great ways to advance the work of ministry in Kenya.
3. Of course if half fit the above category, the other half are regular non specifically skilled, trained or professional folks like you and me.  The truth is we could usually use twice as many just willing to do whatever is needed folks on every team.  The most important thing every team member brings is a humble heart willing to serve the team as a group and one on one in putting others first, while also serving the local people we are in ministry to and with.
4. There is no great hardship in physical terms.  We don't major in tourism or comfort and pampering, yet we have had folks in their 80's and others as young as 8 years old traveling along with Mom and Dad on the mission.  Age doesn't stop ministry from happening.
5. We are a Christian organization.  We teach and preach and work in the name of Jesus Christ with no apology.  At the same time we do not require every team member to belong to a particular denomination or church.  We often have folks come on our mission who believe some things very differently than the leadership of this mission.  At times we have those who do not claim to be Christian at all.  We do require that no one intentionally seeks to influence others in another direction or does anything contrary to our work or teaching.  Where there is any question on moral or ethical issues we expect that during the mission every team member will take the most conservative approach and follow the direction of the team leaders.  Why do we include those who may not be 100% like us in faith and practice?   Because we have had great ministry happen with just such a variety of people, seen God's blessings flow, and at times we have seen folks who came with us find a new relationship with Christ in the midst of being with a group of Christians on a mission.  Without compromising our faith, values and testimony we hope to be about the business of being involved in people's lives and allowing them to be fully involved in our own so that together we may find a closer walk with Him.  I think Jesus himself got in trouble eating with those the Pharisees called sinners.  The truth is every one of us needs the Savior and those who have been forgiven need to remember the greater calling than any physical or educational work we may do is the relational that leads another to a closer place with Him.  On every mission we try to do it all but hopefully we specialize in the most important of all.

        God's best to you as you consider what in is stirring within you today.  Brad W.