Global Partners NEXT Week Trips: Discerning the Call
“God revealed to me the deep value of showing respect physically and emotionally, the power of sharing stories and the importance of asking questions — especially as I discern what role missions will play in my life,” Alex Henkle, a Southern Wesleyan University student said, reflecting on his NEXT Week experience.
NEXT Week is a week-long immersive experience on a Global Partners field where teams learn about local culture and history while serving in supportive roles to established, long-term missionaries in their region.
This May, two NEXT Week teams stepped out of their comfort zone with one traveling to Cambodia, and the other to Central Europe to grow and learn about global missions.
Global Partners’ Christy Van Steenburg led seven Southern Wesleyan University students, including Alex, on the trip to Cambodia, where they assisted Global Partners missionaries Andrew and Lexi Collins. The team visited churches, taught English and participated in local sports programs.
Based in Phnom Penh, the team learned about Cambodia’s history and culture while working in a country where Christians make up less than one percent of the population.
The team went on many prayer walks, often near Buddhist temples, praying for God to speak into the hearts of the people. They overcame challenges with travel and transportation, language barriers and spiritual warfare.
The group also had the opportunity to meet with missionaries from other organizations to understand the cooperation and depth of ministry efforts in Cambodia.
While there can be skepticism about short-term missions, Christy emphasized the importance of approaching
these trips with the right mindset.
“We need to recognize and acknowledge ahead of time that we can’t solve long-term problems,” Christy said. She stressed avoiding cultural imperialism, adding, “We are not the saviors. Going in, we need to take a posture of learning and not knowing. We need to ask, ‘What can I do in one week?’ and ‘Who can we partner with?'”
Additionally, Christy said that around 90 percent of current missionaries felt the call to serve while on short-term mission trips. “It silences some of our normal noises and puts us out of our comfort zone,” she said. “It allows us to sense His call in a new way.”
Global Partners mobilizer Cindy Austin led the other team to central Europe, where they assisted with English conversation classes and workshops.
“The immediate feedback was great,” Cindy said. “Once someone goes to the field and sees the team and their work, it’s encouraging and gives insight into mission work.”
Cindy also emphasized the lasting impact of short-term participants on Global Partners’ long-term strategy.
“After serving in Europe for 21 years and seeing many of those participants join the mission field or become partners, short-term teams have made a significant impact on our ministry,” Cindy said.
Additionally, Cindy noted that NEXT trips provide a great opportunity for churches to engage with the Great Commission.
The NEXT program remains pivotal to Global Partners’ work, bringing in more missionaries every year. These trips have provided young adults with the opportunity to discern God’s call and see His work firsthand.
Global Partners offers multiple NEXT trips across the globe each year. If you’re interested in taking one of these trips, visit gponline.org/next or contact mobilization@gponline.org.