It was a lot for any parent to consider.

These parents had received an invitation for their fifth grade daughter to participate in an international trip to Europe. It sounded like an incredible opportunity. But just one problem—the parents couldn’t go with her. They would have to trust their first-born to someone else’s care for two weeks on another continent.

The parents did their homework on the organization and learned they had been around for 50 years and had impeccable references. That made them feel a lot better–but still–letting their little girl go with strangers across the ocean?

Their concerns quickly dissipated once the monthly pre-trip orientation meetings started.

While the students were getting information and meeting their traveling companions, the parents were getting reassurances by observing the team leaders. “These people really know what they’re doing,” the parents thought, “Our daughter is in good hands.”

This true story is a great illustration of the real value of orientation meetings prior to a missions, humanitarian, or similar trip abroad. While many team leaders view these gatherings as simply a means to disseminate information, their real value lies much deeper. Yes, information is an important part, but the greatest benefit is the trust these meetings develop between participants and leaders, and the relationships that begin to develop between participants. This is true even in situations where it’s not young people but adults who are going.

When participants have a chance to interact with the leaders, catch the leaders’ vision for the trip, and discover that these leaders really know what they are doing, it brings a sense of peace and focus. Plus, it makes the trip go all the better when they have an opportunity to get know other participants. It is great when your group of individuals really becomes a “team” prior to going.

In our next post we’ll focus on the specifics of orientation meetings. In the meantime, remember that your teams need more than just information about where they are going and what they will be doing. They need to connect with each other, and most importantly, they need to develop confidence in the team’s leadership.

We often get so excited when someone says that want to go on our ministry trips that we fail to ask ourselves a fundamental question: Should that person go?

Just because someone is willing does not mean they are a good candidate for your international mission or humanitarian trip. These trips can be very stressful, put people in difficult situations that they are not accustomed to, and may be more physically demanding than the person can handle. Here are seven questions to consider before letting the person go with you.

For women, are they pregnant? Many organizations have policies against pregnant women going, even those early in their pregnancies. This is often due to the risks involved and the lack of quality medical facilities in the area where the team will work.

Is the person healthy enough for the trip? Have there been recent surgeries, sicknesses or a chronic condition that would make it unadvisable for them to go? Will the trip expose them to things that could put their health at risk?

What about minor children? Do you require that they have at least one parent or guardian with them? If not, do you require that there is a designated adult to care for them? Remember that extra paperwork and precautions are needed any time minor children go, especially if they are not traveling with both parents.

What about the maturity level of the person? We’ve seen some pretty immature 40 year olds who probably have no business going on trips like these! Is the person emotionally mature enough to handle working cross culturally? Can they get along well with others while working in less than ideal situations? Are they flexible?

If you are a church or religious organization, are there doctrinal concerns about the person?

If you don’t know them personally, do they have the recommendation of someone you do know and respect? Do you require references of some kind? Do you check the references?

Have they been trouble in the past, either on your trips or someone else’s? Were there behavioral issues or unresolved financial obligations with their previous trips?

While you certainly want everyone possible to share in what you are doing, the fact is that there are some people who just shouldn’t take part. One person can cause a lot of disruption to a team. By thinking through these questions ahead of time, you may save yourself and your team a lot of grief later.