Thank you for your interest in the 2019 Student Missions journeys. We encourage you and your family to be in prayer as you consider applying to participate for one of our teams. Hint: Use the short link benttree.org/student-missions to access this page quickly in the future.
Application
When applying, please use the "Filter by trip type" button to see the trips available for your campus and grade. Apply for your first choice of trip; in the application you can select other trip options you are available for.
Please also note that applications are now saved if you exit out. There is a $100 deposit, which will be due after you are placed on a team.
Mission Journey Guide
Please download the Mission Journey Guide. This resource has all the 2019 Student Missions information you will need and will be a great informational tool for your student.
Additional Resources
Click on the links to watch walk-through videos for additional help on the application process.
- Students 13+ using their own email address
- Students under 13, or using a parent's email address
- Leaders
- Parents
- Trip Participants
Frequently Asked Questions
Online applications must be fully completed and submitted no later than Sunday, January 6, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. Please note that any late or incomplete applications will be put on a waiting list for placement on our summer trips.
The review team will use the following information when making an acceptance decision:
- Applicant is a Christian
- Applicant is consistently involved in Bent Tree student ministries or serves regularly at Bent Tree
- Applicant fulfilled mission team commitment from last year, including financial commitment
- Applicant maintains a Christ-like character
- Applicant demonstrates maturity and readiness for trip applied for
- Applicant works well as part of a team
- Applicant adheres to the zero-tolerance policy regarding substance abuse
The review team will then work to place students on teams, taking the following into consideration: availability, first preference, readiness, gender, team dynamics, and space availability.
Part of the mission trip process is making yourself available to God’s plan and letting go of individual plans. Please pray for God to reveal to you how he wants to use your student on this trip. This is helping develop the understanding of our plans vs. God’s plans.
Yes, the student is expected to attend all Mission Journey meetings. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, any more than one absence will result in the removal of a student from their team. We provide a list of meeting dates when summer trips are announced. Please inform the Student Missions team prior to application day if scheduling conflicts arise.
Fundraising is only part of the letter-writing process. We are primarily asking for prayer support for the mission trip and team-building process. Many friends and family members are happy to help participate in a mission trip by giving. The responses to support letters are often a means for our students to experience God providing for them through his body.
Learn more about support letters
If you are uncomfortable asking for financing, you may pay for the trip. However, writing prayer letters is mandatory for every team member not raising financial support.
You will be responsible to either pay the balance due on the trip, or meet with church staff to discuss the amount you are able to pay and a possible payment schedule or scholarship. Scholarship requests are only granted if there are available funds.
You must do the following:
- Notify Student Missions immediately stating the reason the student is no longer able to participate in the trip.
- Applicant must send a letter to supporters informing them of their decision not to go on the trip.
- Cancellation for June trips must occur before February 1 for no additional costs to be incurred. Cancellation for all other trips must occur before March 1.
*Please note: If cancellation occurs after these dates, the applicant must pay the difference between the cost of the mission trip and the amount of support raised.
If a team would like to do a fundraiser (for example, a garage sale), approval must be given by the Student Missions Coordinator. The eldership of Bent Tree has asked us to do one large fundraiser as opposed to asking the body multiple times for support through fundraising events (separate from letters).
Simply put, a phone is a distraction. Trips are a catalyst for growth, and a phone call or text to someone from home impedes the learning process. It is important for a student to be removed from their familiar environment to enjoy all of the experiences these trips are designed to facilitate. Also, phone calls from home can often initiate homesickness, and takes focus away from the mission. If, in the event of an emergency, your student needs to call home or you need to contact your student, our ministry partners all have phones and our adult leaders are equipped with all contact information.