Dealing with homesickness

Okay, nearly every child is going to deal with homesickness (to some degree) when it is new for them to be away from home for an extended period of time. The Boy Scouts deal with this very real concern with parents and many thousands of first time campers each year.

See some of their recommendations by following the link below:
Not a Happy Camper

Keep the kids involved

Parents, when you visit this site, please encourage your mission bound kids to read about the trip with you. We want to keep them involved and excited as the mission draws nearer.


Talk to them about what concerns they have about going on the mission trip. Encourage the kids to share their concerns by adding a comment to this post. We will post the comments, without names, so they know they are not alone. This will also help the leaders to know what issues need to be addressed so that our kids feel comfortable going on the mission trip.
You can also encourage them to add comments about the things that excite them about the mission trip.

Sample Fundraising Letter

You may copy and paste this sample fundraising letter into MS Word (or other software) to edit and then mail to your friends and family. Please edit as you feel necessary.

Dear

I'd like to share with you a trip that I am going to take that will hopefully be a life changing experience for the people I come in contact with, as well as me.

This is my first mission trip and I am very excited. Along with about 15 others from New Joy Church, our team will be traveling to the Manassas, VA from June 13th thru the 18th. While we are there we will be completing a number of service projects that will touch the lives of many in the community. Through this we hope to make an impact on those we serve by sharing God’s love.

Now, all I need is the money to get there. We will be involved in fundraisers to earn money; however, I will need sponsors. Any amount that you might be able to give would be greatly appreciated. If you are sending a check, please make it out to:
New Joy Church
35 New Joy Drive
Ephrata, Pa 17522
In the memo line write "KIDZ Mission" and add a note with the check indicating that it is to support me on the mission trip. I believe that with prayer and God's help my financial need will be met.

Please pray for me as I prepare for this mission and while we are there. Pray that people will see the love of Jesus through us and will be touched in some way. My prayer is that this trip proves to be life changing for the people of Manassas even more than for myself.

Thank you for letting me share with you what will be one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. If you cannot help in a financial way, please help support me with your prayers.
You can always visit our NJ KIDZ Mission blog to get more information at    http://njkidz2010.blogspot.com/

In His service,

Helpful?

I hope everyone finds the information posted on the blog useful. Please let me know what else you would like to know by posting a comment to this post.

FQA's about the Mission trip

Click this link for the FAQ's.

So why are we taking the New Joy KIDZ on a mission trip?

I can not explain it any better than this.
Why GROUP Workcamps?

Mission Details

The New Joy KIDZ mission is scheduled for June 13th thru the 18th in Manassas, VA.
Click on the link to see details at the Group Workcamp web site.
Group Work Camp June 13 - 18

Welcome

Welcome to New Joy KIDZ Mission blog. This mission trip will be a first for our 10 -12 year old kids. We are using this site to post information for parents and later post photos during the mission trip. WOW; the trip is just over 4 months away.