Reign Ministries

Don’t forget to write up those post-summer letters to all those who gave towards your mission trip! Telling them thank you and sharing stories from the summer is such a sweet way to show them how their gift invested in you and others this summer!

Let’s return to those verses we went over during debriefing. May they shed new inspiration and encouragement as you continue transitioning home after the summer.

You might be experiencing reverse culture shock if you are feeling:
a. Feeling out of place
b. Feeling lonely
c. Reacting in odd ways – weeping in stores, feeling
overwhelmed by the number of choices in front of you all the
time.
d. Reacting to Western materialism

We do our best to prepare you for this during debriefing but the shock is still that - a shock. We hope reminding you of these 5 tips will help you as you navigate the transition home!

The Story Never Stops Podcast: Launching September 2024!

Head over to Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts, to check out the podcast trailer and subscribe today! We are so excited to share this podcast with you!

Any voices you hope to hear?
Any topics you hope we’ll cover?
Let us know below!

Transitioning home has many sides: home life, school and/or work, friends, family, and church.
For some, going back to church might be the hardest part of coming home.
Look back over your debriefing notes and let’s remember these key steps as we re-enter life in our church community:

1. Be patient - You’ve learned and grown so much this summer. The people in your life at home haven’t had the experiences and lessons you have. Stay humble and give them grace and patience.
2. Be a servant - Many return from the summer and expect that ministry at church will look the same as it did on Royal Servants. Sometimes this difference causes some to feel critical and demanding that changes be made. Ministry at church will look different than it did on Royal Servants, and that’s okay! Keep a servant-hearted attitude and ask “What needs to be done?”
3. Be accountable to others - This time after your summer mission trip is crucial. Don’t neglect accountability and keep meeting with your mentor or youth group leaders or parents. If you didn’t have one pre-summer, now is the time to reach out and find one!
4. Reach out to people - You might not have missed home much, or maybe you did. But your friends and family have missed you a ton. But just because they weren’t on a mission trip doesn’t lessen their summer experience any more than it elevates yours. Give them your attention, and don’t be offended if they show you less than what you give. Don’t forget to reach out to your supporters by sending thank you's and letters telling about your summer. Meet with your pastor and share about your summer. Look for other ways to share about your experience in Bible studies or youth group.

To everyone who prayed for our teams starting back in May and all through the summer, thank you!

Our 7 teams are all home now!

Keep praying for them this month as they all re-adjust to life back at home. Many are preparing for a new school year or going back to work. Some have time to rest and some are jumping back in immediately after the summer.
Pray for:
- Endurance through transition
- Prioritizing Quiet Times
- Time to reflect and remember the summer
- For friends and family to come alongside in support and encouragement

Welcome home, Royal Servant!

From all those team photos, it looked to be a summer you’ll never forget! We hope you grew closer to the Lord, made tons of new friends, and are equipped and ready to share your faith as you adjust to life back at home.

But, this adjustment may be harder for some.

Here’s a few tips we suggest:

- Keep up with your mentor! Tell them all about your summer, the highs and lows.
- Text that teammate, keep the friendship alive!
- Follow along with the Quiet Times that will be sent to your email over the next month.
- Get involved with your church through small groups or youth group.
- Re-read your journal and look over pictures from the summer. Remember what God has done!
- Look forward to what God will continue to do!

And stay tuned! We have an exciting announcement later this month - a resource you aren’t going to want to miss out on!

The Europe team has wrapped up debriefing and is heading back to the states today! We loved exploring Dublin and spending time journaling and reflecting about our summers on the beach in Bray. It’s always bittersweet when the summer comes to an end. Praise the Lord for all He’s done!

Debriefing in Dublin has been sweet! We are soaking our last day together! Enjoy some of these sweet memories from this past week.

The Kenya team started their debriefing process this morning and then were able to say goodbye to the beautiful connections we made at the orphanage! It was bitter sweet, but a great way to end our ministry. The team celebrated their hard work with some pizza and ice cream!

We are looking forward to diving into these past 5 weeks and seeing how much we have grown and how God had used us for His kingdom!

That’s a wrap! The Nepal team is officially done with ministry and headed into debriefing.

We know that this summer only scratched the surface of what God has been doing and is doing in the country of Nepal. We are grateful to have been a part of it and pray that He will continue to use the interactions we had to build His Kingdom and bring Him Glory. We have been faithful to serve and now we must leave the results up to God.

The Kenya team had a long day looking for different wildlife of the African Savannah with a safari! We saw a cheetah, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, impalas, baboons, a buffalo and so much more! We finished the day with an amazing Kenyan meal made by our lovely ministry partners!

Europe has had a full week! We wrapped up ministry in Tirana, spent a day at the jaw dropping Holta Canyon, hosted an America night with the church we partnered with (which included burgers, games, worship, testimonies, and a devo).

Saturday we woke up bright and early at 2am and had a fairly seamless travel day to Ireland where we will be as we debrief the summer!

The Costa Rica team’s last few days in Cachi were full of celebration for our time there and all that God has done.

We had our final church service, visited a waterfall, had a barbecue, and weeped over the parting from the friends we have made here. Praise God for Cachi and our ministry partners, Pastor Alfonso and Grace and their church.

We now move into a time of debriefing our summer. Pray for our team as they transition, that they would be able to process all God has done, and take it home to bring Him glory.

The Nehemiah Team have moved into ministry in Taiwan for the final stretch of the summer! Enjoying spending time with the kids and seeing the Lord provide for what we need every single day. Pray that we can finish strong and with joy!

On Sunday, the Nepal team hiked to Australian Base Camp. On the way down we stopped to do ministry in Dhampus. The team spent the night in the small mountain village and finished hiking down Monday morning.

We have been very busy this week, but the team has done a wonderful job of keeping our spirits high and staying engaged in ministry!

The Ireland team wraps up their last week of ministry doing two kids’ clubs and hosting youth nights! Dundonald has been good to us. See you soon, Dublin! 🇮🇪

The Europe team has spent the last few days exploring Tirana, trying some local food, and performing our dramas and dances in some pretty cool locations here!
More so, they are engaging in some amazing conversations! We are so proud of our team for jumping in and sharing Jesus! Make sure you are getting the blog post updates as there are and will be some stories you won’t want to miss hearing about!

The Kenya team started the day hoping to see elephants, but instead visited authentic models of the of the 23 tribes of Kenya! We saw the different community styles along with the experience of watching some traditional dances. The entire team had so much fun diving into a culture that a large portion of the country still practice!

The Nepal team took a short break from ministry to venture down to Chitwan National Park. Giving the elephants a bath was a highlight for many! We also enjoyed an elephant jungle safari and a canoe ride down the river. We are excited to arrive in Pokhara and jump back into ministry!

On Monday, our ministry shifted from soccer outreach into sharing in schools. It’s stretched us in ways we didn’t expect, but it’s been so encouraging to see the Lord’s faithfulness as we share!

This weekend the Peru team traveled up to Chivay, a town further in the mountains. From ministry opportunities to experiencing the beauty of Colca, our team had an amazing time (despite the cold weather)! We’re exited to launch into our last full week of ministry after getting back to Arequipa!

The Ireland team had a blast in Port Rush this past week getting to explore the coast and work with Boardwalk Collective!

The Kenya team had a really fun day exploring a little bit of local culture by feeding giraffes, visiting an African market, and eating an amazing authentic meal made by our awesome ministry partners! All finished up by watching The Lion King!

With new adventures and challenges each day the Nepal team refuses to give anything but their best! Their enthusiasm to love on and serve the people of Nepal is admirable and unwavering!

Nehemiah has wrapped up their last week of ministry in the Philippines and is preparing to head to Taiwan in a few days! Be praying for safe travels and a smooth transition into another new culture!

Each day in Costa Rica brings us closer to the Lord and to one another as we live this life together.

Our ministry has been full of making new friends through futbol, co****le, and sharing the gospel. We’ve visited so many beautiful and different areas of Costa Rica and made many friends with the locals during our time here.

Please join us in praying for the friends we’ve made here. May the Lord continue to bless them through our work, now and long after we have departed.