Southeast Asia SDP

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Trip Information

Vision

Join us this summer as we serve alongside long-term workers in Southeast Asia! This mid-term trip will be strategically focused on prayer, demonstrating the gospel through service, and personal evangelism. On this trip, you can expect to engage with locals, learn about their culture, serve them, offer to pray with them, and seek to share the gospel with them!

  • Receive orientation on the fascinating province that has 10 unreached people groups
  • Practice training in Disciple-Making Movement principles to prepare you for community trips
  • Stay overnight in authentic village homes where you’ll experience their lifestyle, work, and play
  • Grow in your ability to live and communicate cross-culturally and see if missions are for you long-term
  • Experience a frontier mission field where you can interact directly with unreached people groups
  • Live in a dynamic missional community for accountability, fellowship, expand your global vision, and increase your witness
  • Use your unique gifts and talents to bless others
  • Enjoy God’s amazing creation on the sea and land

What's Expected

As team members are learning from and engaging with others, they should have a heart posture of humility and remember that culture does not make people, people make the culture. Team members will be part of the long-term team and are expected to participate in all activities, events, fasts, meals, prayer meetings, work meetings, etc. Be ready to be flexible, as activities are often subject to change due to various factors (e.g. last-minute invite to a village event).  

Other expectations include:

  • In light of our value to hear and obey the Holy Spirit, we expect all team members to spend individual time in the Word and prayer outside of group prayer meetings. This may sound obvious, but this can be a hard discipline to carry out—especially when on a village trip. We can’t emphasize enough the need to daily abide in the Lord!
  • Come ready and eager to learn—life and ministry here are most likely different from what you’re accustomed to.
  • Be aware of your personal needs to maintain spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health. If you need something, ask.

What could ministry look like?

  • During the first week of the trip, team members will receive training in ministry strategy, disciple making, culture, village trips, and language.
  • Teams will pray together and eat all meals together with the ministry partner.
  • English is not a common language in the area, so all ministry is done in groups with the ministry partner.
  • Due to the culture and pioneer work amongst unreached people groups, ministry will feel more slow paced because most of the tasks involve building relationships and spending time with locals.
  • Because of the ministry partners’ business visa, the team will have the option to participate in relevant activities, such as intro to scuba diving, cultural nights in the village, etc.

Trainings

We desire you to pursue Jesus in your daily life and grow to be more like Him. We will provide training that walks through abiding and resting in Jesus (John 15), ministry overview and expectations, culture, and logistics. While we can’t perfectly prepare you for everything you might encounter, we do our best to train you with everything you’d need for your trip.

Logistics

  • The majority of the time, the team will be housed in the staff house at the team compound. There will be 2-6 people per room. During a couple of the weeks on the trip, the team will have the opportunity to stay in a village where the long-term team is working. During this week, team members will stay overnight with members of the same gender and have a same gendered long-term team member there.
  • All transportation is in the vehicles the ministry partner owns.

Budget

Everything you need for your trip is included in the trip cost, which can be viewed here. These amounts are based on preparation costs and costs given to us by the field partner.

Meetings

Requirements

Prerequisites

  1. Word: Commit to hearing from the Word in this decision
  2. Prayer: Commit to pray regularly about this decision asking God to give you wisdom.
  3. Community: Get advice and feedback from Godly people around you.
  4. Count the Cost: Make a list of pros and cons asking yourself which opportunity in front of you will best equip you to be a disciple who is making disciples.
  5. Trust: Based on your time in the Word, in prayer, in discussion with others who know you, and time spent counting the costs, trust God and make a decision.

Responsibilities

  1. Build relationships with locals.
  2. Have a listener's heart posture.
  3. Engage with people from other cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
  4. Pray for people.
  5. Host event(s) as a team to gather people and provide space for spiritual conversations.
  6. Share the gospel.

Restrictions

  1. 18 years or older
  2. Because of the high number of teams the ministry partner receives and the remoteness of the team, food adjustments for allergies are not able to be made. Most meals are buffet style with broths, meat such as chicken or fish, vegetables, and fruit. Gluten is frequently present in the sauces used for meats. Cross contamination cannot be avoided. If you have questions on what this looks like for you, please reach out to trips@austinstone.org.
  3. Must have a valid passport through the end of 2024. If yours is expired, you’ll have to get it renewed.
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