Swimming Upstream: A Mission Reflection Journal

Would you rather float DOWNstream on an inner tube with the current, or swim UPstream against the current?

A mission trip can be like swimming UPstream. Someone might say, “You’re doing what? Going where? You must be out of your mind! Is it safe?” And you can find yourself going against the current – like swimming UPstream!

There are always voices tempting us to take the easy way! Go with the flow! Float your way through life – DOWNstream.

But there is another voice we need to hear, the Apostle Paul who writes to the Romans: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking…Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.(Romans 12:2)

As you embark on this new experience, prepare for the swim of your life! Get in the water and be refreshed. Get energized as you exercise your servant muscles. Breathe deeply the Spirit of God trusting that God will always hold you up in the water. Believe that God will bring the best out of you, and even create you into a well-formed, mature swimmer!

Journal 7-10-7 Format

All TalkPoints journals feature the 7-10-7 format:

• 7 days of devotionals before departure; up to 10 days of guided reflection at the mission site; 7 days of devotion after the trip
• Useful for training and orientation before departure
• Provides a guide for daily group debriefing
• Lots of blank, open pages for personal writing and reflection
• 64 pages and spiral bound for easy use and durability in the field
• Only $8.50 (For mission organizations interested in a discount for bulk quantities, contact talkpoints@aol.com.)

View guidelines for using this journal