GO Team Trip List

The primary purpose in going on a short-term team is to learn and, secondarily, to serve.  Serving is the best means of showing the love of Christ in any culture, but learning is the goal…resulting in a reshaped life. Our GO Teams practice:

• learning to see the world more as God sees it
• learning to pray and bond with brothers and sisters of other cultures
• learning to see the diverse ways God can use you for His glory
• learning that our cultural worldview is not the only one out there
• learning to discern if God is calling you into cross-cultural service.

Our goal is not just to get people “involved” or to have “programs” but rather to make lifelong, mature disciples of Jesus with a heart for the world. In summary, this means learning to trust God in all things.

During the preparation process, the answer is simple: procrastination. Delay in asking questions, delay in making a decision to go, delay in sending out support letters, delay in beginning daily prayer for the Lord to bless your faithfulness, delay, delay, delay. The Enemy is never threatened by someone who will neutralize themselves by putting off important decisions. On the field, team members miss out on blessing (or cause other people to miss blessings) by being inflexible or proud. You are responsible for positioning yourself to receive the blessings that come from giving your best to the Lord in this process and being both flexible and humble in the field.

One of the stated goals of GO teams is to discern whether or not an individual is called to cross-cultural missions work. The methodology Compassion Christian uses for preparing teams for a short trip imitates the one most full-time missionaries use. There are distinct phases of the process: hearing God’s call, building a support team, preparing one’s heart and mind for the task, and then going. We believe building a prayer/financial support team is a critical element to this process. Even if you are in a situation of being able to pay for your entire trip, building your prayer & support team is critical. Not all of us are able to go on a short term trip, but we are ALL called to participate in God’s global mission. For some of us, this means participating as a sender by praying or giving financially to someone else’s trip. Asking for support can feel uncomfortable, but we should not allow our pride to keep us from giving others the opportunity to be obedient to God’s invitation to send. Often team members find that the support raising process is the most tangible way they see God ‘show up’ in the preparation process and confirm His calling for them to the field.

Our goal is to have as many Compassion Christians as possible experience the blessing of serving on a GO Team. There are several factors in determining whether a person should receive assistance with the funding of their trip. These factors include the financial status of the team overall, the willingness of the individual to do what is asked of them (provide a copy of the support letter), and submit to the process of preparation – namely attend the team formations and work to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming experience. Only active Compassion Christian members will be considered for assistance.

Anyone receiving financial assistance for a trip is required to be fully funded the following year. In anticipation of this, there may be a longer time of preparation required based on circumstances.  However, we are willing to evaluate each situation individually.

If you choose to withdraw from a team, your funding with the exception of your deposit and any funds already issued to our partners or other vendors (like airlines or hotels etc.) will be placed in a restricted account and be available for your use on a future trip within the next 12 months. It is imperative that you communicate your change in plans to the Outreach Team as soon as possible so that as much of your funding as possible is recovered. It is also your responsibility to communicate your change in plans to your entire support team – donors give in good faith that their gifts will be used for the trip you described in your support letter and deserve to be notified if they will not be used as intended.

If due to COVID related restrictions Compassion Outreach postpones or cancels a GO Team you will be given the opportunity to hold on to the funds raised in your name for a future trip within the next 12 months or until the original team’s travel is rescheduled. Alternatively, you may request a refund of any funds you personally gave toward your trip. If you choose to receive a refund your supporters will be notified so that they can make their own requests for refunds if they choose or give their donation to the local and global efforts of Compassion Outreach in the field.

The purpose of Campus-specific teams is to provide opportunities for deeper community and discipleship with your Campus family and staff. For this reason, we will give each Campus the opportunity to fill their team with people from their Campus. However, if a Campus is not able to fill their team, any open spots will open to applicants from other Campuses 120 days prior to departure for international teams and 90 days prior to departure for domestic teams. You can apply at any time to be put on the wait list for a team from another campus by selecting your campus in the application and then ‘Wait list for another Campus’ trip’ and we will notify you if a spot becomes available.

Restrictions and requirements for travel as a result of COVID are likely to fluctuate throughout your team’s preparation process. You may be required to be tested for COVID prior to travel, wear masks during your trip, or take other precautions depending on the current protocol enforced both in the US and your team’s host country. As the time of your travel approaches, we will work with our partners in the field and your team leaders to determine the necessary steps to ensure that both you and our partners communities are safe. While we will not send teams anywhere that we believe has an unreasonable risk of exposure, all travel does come with some assumed risk. Please communicate immediately with your Team Leader if you are high risk for infection, live in close proximity with someone who is high risk, or work in an environment with increased risk of exposure.