Americans have had to reevaluate their lives, including how they travel, due to the global financial crisis. Americans are shifting away from the rote double-decker bus tour to interactive experiences that focus on family, self improvement, helping the environment, and social responsibility.
This means that there is an increasing demand for this type of information. “voluntourism,”Giving back to the communities you visited. Voluntourism can be anything, from helping to plant flowers or working with children to taking part in human rights tours and conservation safaris. Voluntourism is a growing trend in the travel industry. Companies offering voluntourism packages make money even though there has been a downturn in tourism. The Churches hope to increase interest in missions.
Any age can serve as a Missionary, whether you are a young adult or a retired person. What do they have in common? A desire to improve the world. “Their ministry is not without hardship and sacrifice,”Jerry Rankin is president of the International Mission Board at Southern Baptist Church. “Many of them have left prominent positions of ministry and successful careers in America and embraced a different lifestyle, isolated from family and friends. They persevere and labor faithfully, compelled by a vision of seeing a lost world transformed.”The International Mission Board (IMB), has published a book to help Americans understand missionary work. “Voices of the Faithful: Book Two, Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World.”This book tells the stories of more than 300 IMB missionaries.
“A willingness to go is all they have in common,”Kim P. Davis, the compiling editor, exclaims, referring to her friends around the globe and with whom she collaborated in creating this book — an incredible collection of stories of faithfulness in the face uncertainty.
More information on “Voices of the Faithful: Book Two, Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World,”Visit www.thomasnelson.com.
