A Life-Changing Adventure!

Steve B. Posted on 27 July 2010.

AM-CCSM have been taking teams into China for almost twenty years. We are now offering churches the opportunity to take a group from their own church on a mission trip to China led by an experienced team leader.

We will take your church group at a time to suit you and for a length of time to suit you. We will provide a team leader and draw up an itinerary that we believe will be best for you. Read the report below from one pastor who recently took a team of young people to China to visit our projects:

The suggestion came 20 months previously. Catherine, who was 14 at the time, was inspired by the talk she'd heard at our youth event and asked, "Why don't we go on a mission trip to China?" The seed was planted and over the next few weeks and months others also expressed enthusiasm and began to seriously pray about the possibility.

After months of fundraising and preparation (including a fantastic weekend with AM-CCSM's international director Ross Paterson and his wife Christine), we boarded our plane for Hong Kong. There were fourteen on our team, ten of whom were under thirty years old. We were joined in Hong Kong by Gordon, our Australian team leader, and soon crossed the border to enter mainland China.

Officially we were an Intercessory Team, but the plan was to expose us to a variety of experiences so as to grasp an understanding of Kingdom activity in China, and to learn the challenges presently facing the Chinese Church.

We visited two cities and a rural project. One evening was spent at a café outreach to a minority group helping students practice their English. Another was spent in the town square dancing in a minority people's style (or trying to!) followed by a meal at KFC. Some of the team were very grateful by this stage for some familiar tasting food.

Ploughing a field with a tractor was an experience we shall never forget. This was during the three days we spent with a project helping people in a rural community improve their potato crop. There was a chance to work alongside locals, and some of our more active team members shared in a game of basketball with some local youth. The team met a local believer who shared his testimony with us and gave us an insight into the challenges Christians face in their community.

During our time in China, we prayed much, interceding for the cities and towns we visited. In several places we went to significant spots so as to intercede on behalf of the city. We also spent time with several China-based workers and were able to hear stories of their work. We were privileged to share with many in prayer and worship. Several team members used new spiritual gifts for the first time, something they will never forget.

One evening we were able to meet with a couple of house church leaders for a meal. They shared openly with us about the things happening in their church. This was an amazing privilege. Some of our team were also able to spend time helping play with some young children from a new foster home. They were very moved by this experience.

The value of taking such a team has been immense. I believe there will be a lasting legacy in our home town as a result of the things God was doing within us during our trip. Our vision of the world has changed and some have returned with a heart for the great nation of China, and for aspects of the work we encountered. The team shared in these experiences together, and so the memories are continuing to live on.

It was fantastic to create an itinerary tailor built to suit our particular needs, although I must warn anyone else interested in taking a team that, in the weeks leading up to the trip, the itinerary changed almost daily. Flexibility is the word in China!

It was also extremely beneficial to be led by an ‘outsider'. As well as the benefit of years of experience of leading such teams, the fact that most of the team hadn't met Gordon before meant he was able to bring new things to our group. Many of the group made giant leaps in their own spiritual journeys.

AM-CCSM gave us the necessary support to organise such a trip and I would strongly recommend them to any group considering going. For many of our group, it was a life-changing adventure!

If you are interested in having a group from your church go on a mission trip to China, please contact your local AM-CCSM office. All you need is a group of ten or more people and we will do the rest.