From now through February, you’ll see many advertisements suggesting luxurious accommodations at tropical resorts and on cruise ships. ‘Tis the season to think of such things. What are you dreaming? Alaskan glaciers? Caribbean sands? Mediterranean islands? European edifices?

Sometimes we’re so burned out from the rat race, the same surroundings, or even that “missionary spirit,” that we find it more difficult to work ahead and catch up, than take the vacation time we’ve earned. Self-employed people often find it impossible to pick up and leave town. No one needs to be told the benefits of rest, fresh air, exercise, and recreation. I recently took my first vacation in two and a half years, and was it ever a blessing!

I’ll only say this once, because it’s another ministry’s name, but think: Vacation With a Purpose. Although it seems I’ve always known of short-term mission trips, I first heard about VWAP 20 years ago, when I was doing single adult ministry. Ten years later, we read in travel articles that people were choosing “extreme vacations,” “adventure vacations,” or “eco-vacations,” meaning that they were doing Andes or Himalayan mountain climbing, shooting dangerous rapids, or visiting rainforests to spy on endangered fauna. I spent three weeks in Jordan, excavating an archaeology site with a paintbrush and dustpan, and I experienced some primitive accommodation, but I have indelible memories. My aunt and uncle, recently retired from Lutheran ministry, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and have built houses with President Jimmy Carter, and spent warm winters driving nails while their own Wisconsin home grew icicles.

Think of this as your invitation for adventures of a lifetime.

Going on a Quiet Hour short-term evangelism trip is not luxurious. Although The Quiet Hour’s supporters are able to help each team leader with $750, you will still pay for airfare, accommodation, and other expenses. You may need inoculations, a new passport, or a visa. You may sleep on the floor of a private home, or stay in a no-star hotel for several weeks. Your menu will reflect the native fruits and veggies of the area you’ve chosen. The weather may be hot and humid, or cool and dry. The river you cool off in may be teeming with creatures you’d rather not know about until you’re safely dry again. Local transportation and traffic may keep your guardian angel busy. Technology at the evangelism site may “crash,” or the rain and wind may delay the programs. Sometimes, there will be physical demands.

But the contrast with your lifestyle back home will leave you refreshed and rejuvenated. Your e-mails home, sent from an Internet café, will be rich and full of life. You’ll have hundreds of pictures to treasure. You’ll have personal experience with physical healing and people set free from evil spirits. You’ll see human need you never knew existed, and discover the deep well of the Holy Spirit’s power as He works through you. You’ll see immediate and dramatic answers to prayer. You’ll see hope dawn for the first time in a child’s eyes, and the joyous smile of a newly-minted Christian coming from the baptismal waters. Like some of our committed volunteer evangelists, you may help to build a congregation one year, and go back the next year to build a chapel to house your brothers and sisters in Christ. You’ll see what’s really important in life.

Quiet Hour volunteer evangelists come in all ages and backgrounds. Most are not pastors. They’re men and women, accountants, musicians, home-school moms and kids, nurses, dentists, business executives and retirees… you name it! Singles, couples, and families, a 12 year-old preacher, a 10 year-old “sterilization tech,” a little girl who sorts donated eyeglasses and prays for hospitalized children, and a pair of widowed octogenarians. A small group from your church. High school and college-age “kids” who go for the adventure and come home dedicated to Jesus.

Heather, a 15-year-old from Alberta, Canada, said, “This was the best ten days I have ever spent in my life! Thank you for the deep spiritual focus. I am so much closer to Jesus now. I can't wait to go on another project with The Quiet Hour!”

Brandon, a 17-year-old from Loma Linda, California, said, “This is the most fun vacation… no, the most enjoyable vacation I have ever spent. Where are we going next year?”

Jonathan, a 16-year-old from Pennsylvania, gave a moving testimony. “Before I came on this trip, I thought I was just going to build a church, or help with translating. But God really changed my life while here in Peru. I have never cried much in my life, but my heart of stone was touched by God. It is now soft. I found myself crying for these people. I have found out that it takes a real man to cry for God!”

So the question now is, where are you going on vacation? Perhaps you’ll sponsor a portion of someone else’s ministry. Start dreaming. Put yourself in the picture. Treat yourself to an adventure-extreme-eco-purposeful vacation!