Short-Term FAQs

Q: How am I going to come up with the money for the trip?

A: Most of your support will come from ministry partners, individuals whom you ask to be part of your support team. Churches and fellowship groups may also have funds budgeted for members going on short-term projects such as ours. We have a sample support-raising letter to help you get started.

Q: What does the ministry look like?

A: You will spend a lot of your time meeting new people, sharing your faith and depending on the length of your project, doing basic follow-up with students. In most cases, ministry is very relational. After students trust Christ, you can get them connected with local long-term workers to help them develop their relationship with God.

Q: Where will I stay and how will I get around on a project?

A: In most cases, project participants are housed in college dorms or guesthouses, or modest, local hotels. Typically, public transportation is used to travel to schools and outings in the project country. At times, vehicles may be rented for some group outings. Security in housing and safety in travel are our primary considerations.

Q: How do I communicate between where we are and home?

A: Email has changed the world and in most locations, you can access email services. There are also phone cards that enable you to communicate at substantially lower costs than normal national rates. Although you will have occasional communication with friends and family at home, your free time is limited. Your main focus is the project and the task that God has called you to.

Q: If I end up not making the trip, can I get a refund?

A: Note that the application fee is not refundable.

Q: Is it safe?

A: We want to make it clear that our first priority is to be sure that everyone goes and comes back safely. Over the many years that we have been leading projects we have grown in experience and knowledge. For developing Asian countries, we constantly monitor all travel advisories issued by the U.S. State Department and are in frequent communication with local contacts in the towns where we will be working. We have been working with our network for several years now and have come to expect safe and healthy food, housing, transportation and ministry locations. If, in the unlikely event that during the preparation process any of our ministry locations become unsafe, it will be immediately cancelled and the project will be assigned to another country.

Q: Will there be an orientation and debriefing?

A: Orientation materials will be sent out and an orientation meeting for the entire team will take place in the U.S. before departure. Towards the end of the trip, there will also be a debriefing session.

Q: I might be open to long term work overseas; how can this trip help me in the discovery process?

A: You may have traveled to China or Central Asia before and you may have even gone on a vision trip before. GLS short term programs will allow you the opportunity to do more soul searching, to better discern what God’s calling is for you, to deepen your understanding of the local people and their culture, to serve the people, to receive prayer support from a team and from an organization that will help you process your thoughts and experiences as they pertain to long-term work and living, and to help guide you through your next steps.