Students International

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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!

Students International Vision Trip scaled 9 + 13 Day Outreach

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 RepublicCosta 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 GuatemalaCosta 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 GuatemalaCosta 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 RepublicCosta RicaNicaragua, 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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