Mission Trips

Orphanos exists to impact children’s lives for Christ by effectively using the resources God provides. So to the glory of God and for the advancement of His Kingdom, we commit ourselves to providing short-term mission opportunities that (1) are facilitated with excellence during the process trilogy, (2) provide mutually beneficial relationships within the participant trilogy that engages them to actively pursue kingdom purposes, and (3) accomplish meaningful ministry on-field for the children of the world. Through this process we hope to ultimately inspire lasting change in the mindset and worldview creating servant leaders of all participants.

It is easy to approach mission trips with an unbalanced perspective, focusing solely on team members or solely on the host. We believe there is a better, more balanced way to approach missions, which takes into consideration ALL participants of a short term mission trip. We also put special emphasis on each phase of the trip. While the highlight is the trip itself, we utilize the time before and after in order to train and incorporate these experiences into the team members’ lives. Our goal is changed lives, not just change for a week.

Our approach is embodied in the U.S. Standards of Excellence in Short Term Missions. These seven standards compel us to do short term mission at a higher level: a level worthy of God (3 John 6). Orphanos was the 7th organization to adopt the standards in 2003 when they launched. We’re proud to be members, and work hard to live up to that reputation. Overall, we do our best to disciple team members, while also remaining sensitive to cultural and long term ministry issues with our hosts.

At Orphanos, our trips ultimately become much more about the relationships developed than anything we do on the trip. Following the directive to “visit orphans in their distress” (James 1:27), Orphanos operates four distinct programs that encourage volunteers to actively build relationships with children at our partner homes. The trips can range from two weeks to over two years. For us, “visit” means more than doing something for someone. Visit means being there with someone. As orphans receive guests into their home – guests who are genuinely interested in the unique personalities – their estimation of their own value increases. They are able to relish the attention of “extended family” just as any child would the attention of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Kingdom growth happens in the context of relationships. Therefore, our short-term mission teams are primarily about building relationships with the children and the staff.

To view our programs and opportunities click here.