- Why does KKMC bring children on mission trips?
- What can children do in the area of missions?
- What are the conditions like in Lahu villages?
- How much will it cost per trip?
- Why are parents not allowed on the trips?
- When are the November trips held?
After going through years of lessons on missions, it was a good opportunity for our children to put all that head knowledge into practice. Other than doing missions on a mission trip, the children also learn about the culture of the Thai and Lahu people, have a taste of their lifestyle for several days and gain experiences that cannot be found in Singapore. But most importantly, it is our wish that the children will have a personal encounter with the Lord during the trip and with that, bring their faith to the next level. Let us learn to let go and let God (who loves our children more than we love them) touch, mould and transform them.
For the villages that we visit, our main outreach is to the children there. You will be surprised how children can relate easily with each other even when there is a language barrier. Our children who have gone on past trips can testify to this. Children, through their interaction, laughter, dance, songs, skits, mime, puppetry, art and crafts can reach out to non-Christian children and adults. The great commission given by Jesus is also for our children to accomplish. Through giving, our children will receive much more. Through teaching, our children will learn much more. For it is the Lord who teaches and blesses everyone who has a willing heart.
Living conditions in the Lahu villages are basic. The villages we visit are normally found in the mountain ranges of northern Thailand where the temperatures can go quite low during December. The children will be sleeping on the floor in their own sleeping bags. The meals, however, are quite good because over the years, our Santi brothers and sisters have modified their cooking to suit our Singaporean taste. There is usually a mix of meat and vegetables with rice. Chilli is separated for the individual to add.
The Children's Ministry has been holding funding raising events (e.g., annual bazaar and food fair) over the last few years to build up a fund to subsidize all children going on the mission trips. Currently, all primary six children going on the trip will only have to pay a flat cost of S$500. This will cover airfare, food, accommodation and transportation. The money should be submitted to the church directly where an official receipt will be issued to you. For parents who are facing financial difficulties please approach your child's class teacher or the Children's Ministry Missions Coordinator or the Children's Ministry Chairman directly and additional subsidies will be made available to you. No child should ever be denied of this trip because of money issues. If parents would like to give their child additional pocket money to buy things, it is recommended that a maximum of S$50 will be more than sufficient. Please remember to change your money into bahts before the trip as we normally do not have time to visit money changers or banks when we are in Chiang Mai.
It is our belief that the children will learn and grow better when their parents are not with them. Being on the trip with just their friends, they will be able to form closer bonds, learning to help each other and depend upon each other. Every trip, we will ensure that the ratio of adults to children is at least 1:3 and every child will be assigned to and looked after by a specific adult throughout the trip.
The November trips are held after the PSLE results are released. We will give ample time for you and your child to do the necessary visits and applications to the secondary schools of choice. From the past experiences, the results are usually released on the last week of November. And since we will be traveling by Silkair which flies to Chiang Mai only on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, it is likely that the trips will spill into the first week of December.
Children's Ministry Missions Discovery Programme