RGVBaptist.com - Independent Baptist Missionaries to the Hispanic people of the Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Vision - Short Term Missions

GENERAL INFORMATION: As part of our ministry in southern Texas, we are blessed to be able to host short-term mission trips. These trips benefit both us as missionaries and you as a church. For our part, we gain practical hands-on assistance in the work to which we have been called. As a church, you will be challenged as you experience first hand both the blessings and difficulties of ministering in a cross-cultural setting. If you are considering a short-term mission trip for your church, we ask that you thoroughly review the following material. We want to make sure that you are aware of our expectations of you as an incoming mission group, and that you are further aware of the resources that we have in place to assist you with this mission trip. It is our desire to be a blessing to you during your time with us, while also ensuring that our core ministry of evangelism and church planting is not negatively affected in any way. After reviewing the material in this pamphlet I would be happy to speak with you further regarding the possibility of scheduling a time for your mission trip to southern Texas. You may contact me by any of the means given above. I look forward to hearing from you, and of working with you in reaching the people of Starr County, Texas! OUR EXPECTIONS: Our ministry is one of evangelism and church-planting among the people of Starr County, Texas. It is our expectation that your presence and abilities will be used in an effort to assist in accomplishing these primary tasks. Our specific needs for assistance change regularly, but shown below are some of the varied types of assistance that your group can typically expect to provide. Physical labor on the main mission property Physical labor as part of our benevolence ministry Door-to-door literature distribution and witnessing Helping with meal preparation/cleaning for your group Children’s VBS programs Adult “special-topic” programs Vehicle Maintenance/Repair *Whatever else is needed!* Please bear in mind that the primary language spoken in our area is Spanish, and therefore your opportunities for direct person-to-person evangelism will be somewhat limited if you do not know the Spanish language. However, there are certainly many things that you can be involved with, so please do not let that limitation keep you from considering working with us on a short-term trip! It is also our desire that you get to know more about the culture and climate of southern Texas during your stay with us. Therefore, we typically will plan on 1 day of your visit being a “cultural” day. We are presently recommending visits to the World Birding Center at Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park and the Museum of South Texas History, with a lunch at a local taqueria. These outings will give you a much better understanding of this area and it’s rich history, which will in turn help you to better relate to the people that now call this place home! It is also our desire that through this missions trip your group would have an increased burden for souls, establish a closer walk with God and a closer relationship with one another. We help facilitate these goals with daily devotions, as well as scheduled times of “relaxation” and fellowship. HOUSING/FACILITIES: We have a “casita” available, which besides being used as housing, also handles our weekly Bible studies and is expected to become our first “home church.” This building has two separate rooms and a single bathroom with a shower and is recommended for sleeping up to 11 people total in two nearly even groups. Air mattresses, pillows, linens and all towels/washcloths are provided. A washer/dryer is also available for your use during your stay. MEALS: Unless you elect otherwise, all of your meals are included in the cost of your trip (excluding meals while traveling to/from our facilities). If you elect the taqueria option that will be the only meal at a restaurant during your stay. Breakfasts/lunches will be lighter meals and all meals generally feature a healthier array of options. Those on special diets or with special requirements need to notify us as soon as possible to make arrangements, and may be asked to bring their own necessary supplements. TRANSPORTATION: If arriving by air, we will pick you up from either the McAllen airport (MFE) or the Laredo Airport (LRD), provide all of your transportation during your stay and then return you to the airport for your departing flight. If your group contains 10 or more people we recommend that you contact Travel With Us (www.eo.travelwithus.com). They can generally arrange your airfare at a noticeable discount over publicly posted rates. Our bus limit us to groups of 14 or less. QUALIFICATIONS: We welcome groups from Independent Baptist churches that are in agreement with our doctrinal statement, irregardless of whether they are one of our regular supporting churches. We can accommodate mixed groups of men, women and children. We do ask that all members be able to tolerate a somewhat trying environment (sleeping on the air mattresses, some physical labor and extreme temperatures often over 100 degrees in the summer), and therefore limit participation to those 13 years of age and older. Exceptions to this requirement can be made, upon request. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Although it is a blessing to us to be able to accommodate incoming mission groups, the cost involved is not covered in our regular support. Therefore, we do ask incoming groups to provide a small donation to cover the expenses associated with your visit. We have provided the following “worksheet” to assist you in planning for your visit to southern Texas. Please count your arrival/departure days as 1 day combined. Please skip any items you do not wish to include in your trip, such as sightseeing expenses, t-shirts, etc. This is an estimate only, please contact for more information.
PER PERSON DAILY EXPENSES:
FOOD/LODGING:	$10.00
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION:	$5.00
SUB-TOTAL:	$15.00
x # OF DAYS:
[A] TOTAL PER PERSON DAILY EXPENSES:

PER PERSON 1 TIME EXPENSES:
AIRFARE/TRAVEL:
HISTORY MUSEUM VISIT:	$6.00
TAQUERIA LUNCH:	$10.00
BENTSEN STATE PARK VISIT:	$5.00
T-SHIRT:	$13.00
SPENDING MONEY:
SUB-TOTAL:
[B] TOTAL PER PERSON 1 TIME EXPENSES:

[A] + [B] = TOTAL PER PERSON EXPENSES:
x # OF PEOPLE IN GROUP:
TOTAL COST OF TRIP:


I would also be pleased to speak with you in greater detail about scheduling a time for your trip. Please feel free to contact me via any of the methods on our Contact Info page.