Missional U

Life As a Mission Trip

Dr. Jacob Youmans

2013 • Paperback • 216 pages

In two brand-new, exciting volumes—Missional U: Life As a Mission Trip and Missional Too: The Trip of a Lifetime—Dr. Jacob Youmans shows us, through Scripture and by personal example, that missional living is about viewing the entire world—home, near, far, and everywhere—as the mission field. It is seeing every human encounter and every relationship as an opportunity to share the Gospel. In doing so, we soon discover that when we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, the imprint we leave behind is His, not our own—and that makes all the difference.

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Promotions

Missional U Series • Q&A With Dr. Jacob Youmans

Q. Dr. Youmans, you are a self-professed “mission trip junkie.” What drives your passion for mission work?

People! I love working with all types of people and want to see everyone in heaven! While I have known Jesus as Lord and Savior my whole life, my wife’s family is Christian because of the work of a loving missionary – and that has changed my life as well. Nothing is more fun than seeing people get who Jesus is – everything changes.

Q. How many different mission trips – domestic and foreign – have you participated in so far? And what do you have planned for the next year?

I have honestly been on more trips than I can count, but coming up in the next year I have: Apache, El Salvador, Australia, and Botswana. I also plan to go to Vietnam soon, to visit a missionary there.

Q. You have so many fascinating mission stories to share with your readers. Did you enjoy writing them?

I love telling stories of my time in the mission field. In telling them, I’m also processing them and constantly learning new things about myself and Jesus and my relationship with Him. I hope my stories convey that anyone can do this! Whatever your age/skill set/experience/etc. – just go out and serve!

Q. Which mission experiences were the most challenging? Which were the most humbling?

I think my time spent in North Africa and the Middle East was both the most challenging and the most humbling. There is nothing like working with the persecuted church. It reminds you how much we take for granted. Anyone who is unsure of what it means to live life for Jesus needs to interact with the persecuted church.

Q. What do you mean when you say we should “live life as a mission trip?” Do we have to pick up and move to a foreign country and leave everything familiar behind us in order to be missional?

No, not at all! As you are living your daily life in your home, at work, at school, out at play – how can you be a missionary? It’s all about being intentional and viewing nothing as a coincidence. God can use every interaction we have with those around us – even the simplest gestures – as a step toward connecting them with Him!

Q. Your two daughters, Maile (9) and Leilani (8), just participated in their first mission trip this past March. Did they enjoy it?

They loved it! It was so much fun to watch them serve! Both girls were excited to help the families who came to the food pantry. Even at such a young age, they are already experiencing what it means to live missionally.

Q. What is the most important message you want your readers to understand from these two books—Missional U and Missional Too?

Actually, there are two main messages: Jesus is Lord and we have been called to follow Him in telling the world. These two things do not require us to change jobs or move houses. We can proclaim Him as Lord and serve Him by loving the people that He has placed around us. That’s living life as a mission trip!

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More About Missional U

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

These familiar words of Jesus are often misunderstood. Many questions and reactions come to mind: What is this “power?” What does it mean to be a “witness?” I don’t want to go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth! But in our quest to be missional, do we really need to hop in a van or get on a plane in order to leave an imprint of the Gospel on someone’s life? What if we could learn to see mission not as an event to take part in, but as a lifestyle to embrace?

In two brand-new, exciting volumes—Missional U: Life As a Mission Trip and Missional Too: The Trip of a Lifetime—Dr. Jacob Youmans shows us, through Scripture and by personal example, that missional living is about viewing the entire world—home, near, far, and everywhere—as the mission field. It is seeing every human encounter and every relationship as an opportunity to share the Gospel. In doing so, we soon discover that when we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, the imprint we leave behind is His, not our own—and that makes all the difference.

Dr. Youmans, a self-proclaimed mission trip “junkie” who’s been blessed to serve in missions on every continent but Antarctica, uses real-life stories from his own personal adventures in mission work to show us how to tune into the everyday mission trip opportunities all around us. He explores metaphors for what Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth mean in our daily lives, and challenges us to be on mission in each of these areas. This new series expands our understanding of the “mission field” to be anywhere we happen to be—whether halfway around the world or right in our own neighborhood!

Interspersed throughout both books are personal mission perspectives written by individuals who have served in the mission field in some capacity—from full-time missionaries to participants in short-term mission trips. Also featured is the author’s “Top Ten Ways to Ruin a Mission Trip”—guaranteed to provide you with new insights as you prepare for your next adventure! And for the reluctant among us, the “Top Ten Excuses for Why I Can’t Go on a Mission Trip” will challenge readers to face their hesitations and overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of missional living.

If you’re looking for a new way to travel, then come along! Missional U and Missional Too are your ticket to an exciting and fulfilling spiritual adventure—one that’s sure to last a lifetime! Each book contains 16 devotions and includes questions for reflection and discussion. Both volumes are perfect for individual or group Bible study.