Short-Term Mission Trips
We offer short-term mission trips throughout the year for teams and individuals to join! If you are interested in going during the fall or winter months, please contact us to set something up for your team.
We look forward to working with you! The first step to signing up and bringing a team is choosing the best trip for you!
You can choose by date and country. Contact the Students International Service Center with questions or to find out the most recent availability on our trips.
We are excited to serve and walk alongside you as you embark on leading a short-term team with us! See what communities look like and get a feel for the occupation ministry sites available in each country.
After you have contacted the Students International Service Center to reserve space on a trip, the next steps are to recruit and prepare your team. We will help by providing materials for you and your team members, including team training materials and fundraising ideas.
Because these trips are short-term, we want you to have every opportunity to invest in the lives of your team members, instead of worrying about the details. Our staff on the field will take care of transportation, lodging, meals, devotions, and morning worship so you can spend time preparing your team before you go, and spending time with them while on the trip.
Don’t have a team to go with? No problem! We will help you find a trip and walk you through the process of preparing to go, fundraising, and what to expect while on the trip. The first step is to choose the trip that works best for you; click Apply Today to check out the dates.
Contact the Students International Service Center with questions or to find out the most recent availability on our trips.
See what communities look like and get a feel for the occupation ministry sites available in each
country.
Once you have chosen a trip that works for you, you will need to fill out the online application and waiver. After we have received your signed waiver, you will be contacted by our office with more details about your trip.
We will supply you with materials to help you prepare both spiritually and logistically for the trip. You will receive a manual with guidelines for travel, a fundraising packet, pre-field devotionals, a mentor packet and we will help with the details of airfare and travel insurance. We are here to help you through the process!
Vision Trips
Come see what Students International is all about before taking a team! Our vision trips are a great way for team leaders to see the ministry first-hand and what it looks like to take a team on a short-term outreach. The cost for a vision trip is just airfare and Students International will cover all of your in-country costs while on the vision trip.
Contact us for more information about our next vision trip.
We offer short-term mission trips throughout the year for teams and individuals to join! If you are interested in going during the fall or winter months, please contact us to set something up for your team.
Outreach Dates for 2023 & 2024
Guatemala 2023
| Start | End | Type | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18 | Nov 25 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
Costa Rica 2024
| Start | End | Type | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18 | Mar 1 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 2 | Mar 9 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 10 | Mar 17 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 23 | Mar 30 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 20 | Jun 1 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 3 | Jun 15 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 15 | Jun 23 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 22 | Jun 30 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 29 | Jul 7 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 6 | Jul 14 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 15 | Jul 27 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 28 | Aug 4 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
Dominican Republic (Jarabacoa) 2024
| Start | End | Type | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17 | Feb 24 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 2 | Mar 9 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 9 | Mar 17 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 6 | May 18 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 27 | Jun 8 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 24 | Jul 6 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 8 | Jul 20 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 21 | Jul 28 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 28 | Aug 4 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
Dominican Republic (Santiago) 2024
| Start | End | Type | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17 | Feb 24 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 27 | Jun 8 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 10 | Jun 22 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 24 | Jul 6 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 8 | Jul 20 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 21 | Jul 28 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 28 | Aug 4 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
Guatemala 2024
| Start | End | Type | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 3 | Feb 10 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Feb 19 | Mar 2 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 9 | Mar 16 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 17 | Mar 24 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 25 | Jun 2 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 3 | Jun 15 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 22 | Jun 29 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 30 | Jul 7 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 13 | Jul 20 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 20 | Jul 27 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 28 | Aug 4 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
Nicaragua 2024
| Start | End | Type | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8 | Jan 14 | 7 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 9 | Mar 16 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 17 | Mar 24 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Mar 30 | Apr 7 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Apr 27 | May 5 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 11 | May 19 | 9 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| May 20 | Jun 1 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 3 | Jun 15 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jun 17 | Jun 29 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 1 | Jul 13 | 13 Day | $1,395+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 20 | Jul 27 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
| Jul 28 | Aug 4 | 8 Day | $995+Airfare & Travel Expenses |
Our staff members are currently ministering in and around:
• Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic
• Santiago, Dominican Republic
• Antigua, Guatemala
• San Jose, Costa Rica
• Masaya, Nicaragua.
The Dominican Republic is about 600 miles southeast of Florida in the Caribbean Ocean. Santiago is the second largest city in the country’s north-central part. Jarabacoa is in the central highlands of the Dominican Republic, a 45-minute drive from Santiago.
Guatemala is south of Mexico. Magdalena is 45 minutes west of Guatemala City, over 4,000 feet above sea level.
Costa Rica is in Central America, north of Panama and south of Nicaragua. San Jose is the capital city located in Costa Rica’s central valley.
Nicaragua is also in Central America, south of Honduras, and north of Costa Rica. Masaya is located about 45 minutes south of Managua.
You’ll have a hands-on missions experience serving real needs through the ministry site of your choice. Each day you’ll head out first thing in the morning to meet up with your site leader on the field. Every day, and every site is a unique experience. You’ll have siesta in the middle of the day, then join the rest of your team for dinner and an evening activity.
Students partner with our multi-cultural staff to share the Gospel with those in the community. We have over 100 full-time bilingual staff in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.
Our staff lives in and around the communities in which we minister and are committed long-term to offering opportunities for students and the poor to encounter God and discover their true identity and vocation in Christ.
Students must be at least 14 years of age at the time of the outreach to go to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.
Most of the team should have a growing relationship with Christ. A small portion of the team can be non-Christians. These should be people the team leader or a co-leader knows well and who are searching. They must be very aware of the purpose of the trip (to serve the poor and to draw closer to God), and they must be willing to follow all of the rules of conduct diligently.
In the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, we have a ministry base where the entire team will sleep, eat, have meetings, worship together, and relax.
In Guatemala and Costa Rica, students stay with a local family with one or two other students. They eat breakfast with their host family and then gather with the other students for the morning devotions. After the day at ministry sites, all the team members eat dinner together and then return to their host families.
We take food preparation very seriously and take as much precaution as possible to ensure safe, enjoyable, and nutritious meals. We have cooks whose sole responsibility is buying, cleaning, and preparing our meals.
In countries with home stays, we train and monitor our host families to ensure proper food safety.
Students will enjoy discovering delicious Guatemalan, Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, or Dominican dishes.
We acknowledge that there are safety risks when traveling internationally and encourage you to be well-informed and aware of the risks wherever your students are, whether at home or abroad.
It is important to keep a good perspective when safety is concerned. It is our tendency to have an unfounded fear of the unknown or unfamiliar. Thus, when we hear about tragic events, our assumption is to think the places with which we are unfamiliar are unsafe. However, we watch news reports about tragic events in our hometowns and think of them as isolated incidents. Often a situation like this sways our emotions and fuels our fears beyond what is reasonable. We must keep these tragic events in a proper perspective.
It is important to remember that thousands of Americans and other foreigners reside in Guatemala, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, and thousands of others visit these countries each month without incident.
We have procedures in place to reduce the risks associated with international travel in an effort to make our outreaches as safe as possible. Some of the precautions we take are:
- We are in communication with the US Embassies in Guatemala, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua.
- We have a strong network with other mission organizations to help us stay well-informed.
- We monitor information released by the US State Department.
- We have chosen locations to work in that are usually low in crime and are characterized by their quietness, tranquility, and hospitality to foreigners.
- We give an extensive orientation to the students when they arrive, instructing them on important safety issues and policies.
- We have national staff who have grown up in the areas where we minister and know local customs to advise and orient students on safety issues.
- We have excellent relations with the medical community and live nearby well-equipped local hospitals.
While no one can guarantee complete safety, we believe we have set up a program and followed certain policies that make this time abroad as safe as if we were wisely traveling within the United States.
We also believe that the safest place for any student is in the center of God’s will, whether in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, or their hometown.
We will assist you in developing an effective fundraising strategy for yourself or your team. We have numerous fundraising ideas and resources to assist you in raising the money needed for your outreach.
An example of how a student might raise funds for their outreach is:
Goal: $2,500 for a 13-day outreach
- $300 – saving $50 a month for 6 months
- $300 – from parents matching what their students saved
- $300 – $400 – from team fundraising activities
- $100 – $300 from a student’s church
- $700 – $1200 from a support letter
Sat. | Travel to Country |
Sun. | Orientation, Infield Training, Cultural Instruction, and Church |
Mon. – Fri. | Students ministering at their ministry sites |
Sat. | Excursions to see different aspects of the country and culture |
Sun. | Return Home |
| Mon. | Travel to Country |
| Tues. | Orientation, Infield Training, Cultural Instruction |
| Wed. – Fri. | Students ministering at their ministry sites |
| Sat. | Excursions to see different aspects of the country and culture |
| Sun. | Church and Rest |
| Mon. – Fri. | Students ministering at their ministry sites |
| Sat. | Return Home |
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