For Parents . . . the Details
Specifics regarding the 2008 Brio Missions Trip
"Exceptional organization–every detail covered. Incredible messages, amazing leadership–all around awesome!" -Vicki, Colorado
As a parent, you want your teen to grow spiritually, connect with other Christian teens and have an impact on the world around them—all in a safe, supervised environment you can trust.
Let Focus on the Family® provide your teen with a valuable missions experience unlike any other!
Click here to download a special message to parents
The message is written by Kathy Gowler, Brio Missions Coordinator, and includes a sample day in the life of a Brio Missionary!
About Brio Missions
Brio began taking students on missions trips in 1996 with our first trip to Bolivia. We've taken several thousand teens to Brazil, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. The 2008 return trip to Lima, Peru, promises to be another life-changing experience! It's our prayer that God will work in the lives of our teens to produce eternal changes and even call some of them into full-time ministry.
We use Big World Ventures®, a nonprofit Christian organization that specializes in planning short-term missions trips for teens and churches, to custom-design our trips per our specifications. What are those specifications?
- We take a medical staff with us.
- Every evening we have our own service—teens are not even given an option to visit the city without adult supervision.
- We never use public transportation but, instead, charter our own buses.
- Teens are allowed to bring cell phones and call home.
- Shower and toilet facilities are available.
- We recruit qualified Christian adults to fill the sponsor roles in addition to our Focus on the Family® staff and volunteers.
- We all stay together in one large hotel that will be a safe and comfortable environment.
- We also take a professional counseling staff with us just in case a teen needs to talk about any issues that surface during the trip.
Big World Ventures also handles the details of food and lodging, sight-seeing, international flight reservations, recruiting Christian interpreters and church representatives to follow up on new converts, reserving buses for ministry travel once in the country, scheduling ministry events for each day and arranging a shopping excursion. You can learn more about bigworld.org.
Why return to Lima?
Lima is a city of 9 million people many of whom have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are friendly and extremely open to hearing about the message of salvation. Our two years of experience working with local evangelical churches has laid the ground work for opportunities to continue ministering to the people and areas of the city we have not yet gone into. After the 2008 trip we will be experiencing a different country for a new cultural and ministry experience.
Lodging and Accommodations
In Lima, we’ll be staying at the El Pueblo Conference Center, a reputable hotel and resort that’s ideal for a group the size of ours. It’s secure, spacious, and the food is fabulous—perfect for Brio Missions.
Because of our large group, safety is always our top priority. We spend a little extra money to put everyone in a nice hotel that can hold all of us, has warm water, etc. Yes, this is one reason our trip is a little more expensive than other trips you may find, but in order to house all of us at the same place and meet our standard of safety and security, it requires us to find a nicer hotel. Other trips may be less expensive and allow kids to sleep on floors of churches or put them in small, inexpensive hotels, but again, safety is our top concern.
Meals
In Peru, all meals will be provided by the El Pueblo Conference Center. The food is excellent! For off-site ministry days, we’ll pack lunches to go–everybody loves PB&J! Unfortunately, we cannot arrange meals for vegetarian and special diets.
Transportation
Private chartered transportation will be provided at all times. No public transportation will be utilized.
Medical Counseling Staff
We will have a volunteer medical staff and professional counseling staff with us to meet whatever needs may arise during our trip. If you have any special concerns about your teen, please make note in your application or contact us.
Contacting Your Teen
As time draws closer to the trip, we’ll provide emergency contact information, including phone and fax numbers, for each location where your teen will be staying. We’ll also make frequent posts to our missions Web site so that friends and family can hear how things are going!
Your teen will have access to email. He or she is welcome to bring a cell phone and may call home. In addition, each team leader will have a cell phone with them at all times so our leaders can be in touch with each other. If information is needed from another team or back at our base, we’re only a call away.
Choosing a Missions Organization
Out of all the organizations offering missions trips, how can you select one for your teen?
Many teens have the opportunity to participate on missions trips with their own church or youth group. If your teen has the opportunity to do that, please encourage him or her to do so! Brio would never want to stand in the way of something your own church is doing.
However, many teens who don’t have a youth group missions trip may want to consider a trip with an organization that plans missions endeavors for teens.
We encourage you to use the following list of checkpoint questions when considering the best missions opportunity for your son or daughter.
- "Describe in detail what your training program entails." (The facility where teens stay, the daily schedule, food, etc.) You may learn that the training time is more of a "boot camp" experience than your teen really wants.
- "How many times will my teen be allowed to call home?"
- "What's your denominational background?"
- “How old are your adult sponsors, and how many sponsors will you have?”
- “After paying the designated amount for the trip, what else will my teen be expected to cover financially?”
- “Tell me specifically what kind of place my teen will be staying in once she/he arrives in the country.”(Find out if they’ll have daily access to a shower and toilets. Will they have a bed or use a sleeping bag?)
- “If my teen isn’t able to get all the money in by the deadline, will any of it be returned to her?”
Trip Cost
The cost of the trip is $2,198. In addition, your teen will be responsible for the cost of their flight to and from the Miami International airport and a $45 application fee. *After Jan. 31, the price increases from $2,198 to $2,398.
Application Process
If your teen is between the ages of 13 and 18, they’re eligible to be considered for the Brio Mission Trip! Just help your teen download and complete a Student Application located in the Apply section. Please note: Your teen must be 13 by Jan. 1, 2008.
Your teen will receive an acceptance letter from the Brio staff approximately two weeks after Big World receives the complete application.
If you’re interested in serving as an Adult Leader or Leader in Training (college students) you can download the appropriate application packet found in the Apply section.
Important Application Information for Parents!
Please ensure that your teen sends his or her entire completed application packet with the application fee ($45 for students/$55 for adults) by Jan. 30, 2008, to:
Please DO NOT send this to Brio Magazine in Colorado Springs. And please DO NOT make your check out to Brio. Checks or money orders should be written to Big World Ventures.
This trip will fill up fast! We’ll begin receiving applications in August 2007. Though the application deadline isn’t until Jan.30, we are limited on how many teen participants we can take. The sooner you return your application, the better!
There are a few pages in the application packet that require a notary public stamp and signature. We cannot accept your teen’s application without that. Also, your teen’s application cannot be accepted until we receive their Pastor’s Recommendation form, which is to be sent in by your teen’s Youth Pastor/Sunday School teacher or Bible study leader. All trip participants must have required childhood and travel immunizations as stated on the Health Form.
If you’re accepted for this missions trip and decide not to go, your application is not refundable. If you are not accepted from our end, we will refund your app fee. If you have further questions, please call Kathy Gowler, our missions trip coordinator at: 719-548-4575.