The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: "To Bling or Not to Bling?" That is the Question.

I feel like many of us would agree that jewelry not only completes our outfit, but also makes a statement about who we are and sometimes what we value. But what is its place on a mission trip? Should we wear earrings or bring bangles for our Sunday attire during a mission trip? Inquiring minds need to know!

I think it's important to step back and look at this topic from a cultural perspective. Many other cultures view Americans as wealthy individuals who have everything. Of course, you and I know that is not true, but look at it from their viewpoint. All they know of our culture before meeting us on our mission trip is what they see on TV, and while it's a poor assumption to suppose we are all like that, can you blame them? We do the same thing before we go to serve in their country sometimes. So when we show up wearing our CZ earrings, they don't know they're not real diamonds -  all they see is a wealthy American. I have seen how quickly something simple like a ring or necklace became a distraction in a conversation that could have led to sharing the gospel.

Besides that, on many of our mission trips we do work projects. A lot of times it is hard labor like mixing concrete or laying block, and it isn't safe to wear some jewelry while doing these things. You might even lose or ruin them.

I mentioned before, though, that some jewelry makes a statement. Like salvation bracelets or promise rings. It's easy to use these items to steer a conversation towards Christ. Conversations almost start themselves!

So is it wrong to wear jewelry on a mission trip? My personal opinion is no, but be careful not to bring jewelry you wouldn't mind losing or items that would hinder your testimony with those you will be serving. If I wear any jewelry at all, it is meaningful and starts up conversations that I know will help me talk with someone about Christ. Best practice: Leave your jewelry at home for the week - your best accessory on a mission trip is an open heart for the culture and people you will be serving.

Bling it up while you are home though!! Be sure to check out my friend Bethany's site to find out about the awesome bracelets she is selling to help support herself as a missionary as well as the Haitian individuals who made them. These bracelets are beautiful and make a statement worth sharing! I wear mine all the time and get a lot of comments on it. :) Check it out here: http://ericandbeth.us/the-apparent-project-haiti/ 

“The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide.” – tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: “What do I wear?” and give you a few tips that we’ve learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!"

Far or Near, You Can Order - Just Click Here!

Friends and family both local and afar! This year's Yankee Candle Fundraiser allows you to purchase from me online. Please consider buying a candle or other scenty thing! (Plus, they make great Christmas gifts!) When you order from me online they will even been shipped to you! Thanks everyone! Here's the link:

Christy's Yankee Candle Fundraiser

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: You Smell Nice...

Another post in our series on mission trip style. Don't miss it!

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: You Smell Nice...

"The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide." - tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: "What do I wear?" and give you a few tips that we've learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!"

29 and Holding? I think not!

I love birthdays. I especially love my birthday. And this year was no different. It's strange to think that next year will be my 30th... It doesn't seem like I'm old enough to almost be 30! And yet here I am at 29. While eating cake, my mother-in-law said to me, "Now your as old as I am; 29 and holding!"

28 was great and came with a lot of changes, challenges, and celebrations. I was privileged to be a part of some pretty epic things like traveling to India for the first time, and returning to South Africa. I spent almost five months out of the country since my last birthday [most of that time I was "suffering" in Jamaica :) ] What an honor to serve the Lord around the globe with Praying Pelican Missions. And all that travel came with some challenges too - jet lag, missing home, culture shock, limited sleep, and let's not forget the bug bites. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

29 and holding? I don't think so! Life is too short to live without giving it your all. I want to make the most of every day of every year that the Lord gives me here on earth. So 29 had better bring it's A game because I'm holding nothing back this year. Here's to a life of pushing myself to the limit for the cause of Christ and truly running the race no matter what the cost, counting all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord, knowing that my righteousness is not my own but Christ's, forgetting my past failures and reaching forward to what lies ahead even if it's out of my comfort zone, and pressing on toward the goal for the prize! (Philippians 3)

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: What Every Missionary Needs - A Chaco Tan Line

Check out our latest post in our mission-ista fashion series! Enjoy!

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: What Every Missionary Needs - A Chaco Tan Line

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Make it a Group Thing - Bandannas and Neon Ts

Everyone knows one of the coolest things about going to summer camp, a retreat, or on a mission trip is the group t-shirt! It's also the one thing we for sure know we should bring to wear. So why not have some fun and take the guess work out of the rest of the week too?! My simple solution is neon Ts and bandannas.

A couple of years ago my youth group took a mission trip to Jamaica and the girls bought a variety of neon shirts to wear throughout the week. Plus, we got the v-neck ones from Michael's Craft Store at a really cheap price. It made packing so easy and we all stood out in our pictures - there was no missing us! If you wanted to you could even paint designs on them - I think for next year I make days of the week t-shirts to make things even more easy!

When we got to Jamaica I surprised all the girls with bandanas. These were great too because they matched our shirts and could be used to keep our hair back and sweat off our heads. Bandannas are great because you can wear them so many different ways no matter your hair types and length. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Wear it as a folded or rolled headband
• Wear it like a pirate
• Wear it across your forehead hippie-style
• Wear it retro with the bow on top or to the side
• Wrap it around your bun
• Tie it in a bow around your ponytail
• And so many more!

Here's a pic of a few styles that literally take seconds to do.

“The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide.” – tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: “What do I wear?” and give you a few tips that we’ve learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!"

Stick It To 'Em

Each week brought new lessons and adventures in Jamaica this summer. Each team that came was unique and awesome. My first group was from Albany, GA. I always say that teens model their leadership and these teens were warm, prepared, open, and flexible, just like their leaders. We had a terrific week that was packed full of fun and lots of learning experiences.

One of the most impacting things from my entire summer was at the end of this first week. To wrap up each week we have one last team meeting where we share our favorite memories from the week and talk about ways we can bring our experiences home. The Youth Pastors of the group brought post-it notes with them for an activity they call "Stick It To Them." It's so easy to get caught up in the negative feedback we receive from people - and the negative seems to stick with us longer than the positive things we hear from people. So, Stick It To Them is a chance for us to be positive towards one another in a way that sticks with us. Each person writes one positive thing on a post-it for each person. It can be a memory from the week, a way you saw them serve in an awesome way, a way you saw God through them, Scripture, you can even draw a picture that pops into your mind when you think of them. I watched my team do this for one another - it wasn't the first time any of them had done this, but it was wonderful for me to watch as they put a lot of thought into their notes. After their notes were written they actually stuck them on each other! Everyone was covered in bright post-it notes.

And then they did this activity for our Praying Pelican Staff. We stood as the students came and stuck post-its all over us. It seems like such a silly thing, but it was so much fun and I couldn't wait to read what was on the notes. Not only was I encouraged then, but I kept those notes and re-read them later in the summer and again since coming home. Each time it was exactly what I needed to hear to help me stay on track with my walk with Christ. Proverbs 18:21 says, "The power of life and death are in the tongue." And when we use our words to encourage we are using it for life. Maybe use this activity at work or in your own youth group this week!

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Miami Mission Trips

New article from one of my fellow missionaries on fashion for a mission trip in Miami. Check it out!

The Ultimate Mission Style Guide: Miami Mission Trips

“The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide.” – tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: “What do I wear?” and give you a few tips that we’ve learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!"

Top 10 Sayings From My Summer in Jamaica

Top 10 Sayings of the Summer:

10. "Schhhhhwwwwweps." with Yanique Cunningham


9. "Nobody can-a cross it!" with Andy Eldemire & AL Johal Dicks

8. "We need justice!" with Jahavid & Moloney

7. "Rude!" with Ames Davis
6. "This is the Board of Power, and you must cherish the Board of Power." with Jabba
5. "You're fired." with Brian Zeschke and Jon Nelson
4. "Please dress appropriately as you come from the showers, we don't want to see your foundation garments." with Moloney
3. "The whities are come!" with all of Jamaica's children :)
2. "Miss Jodi, my stool is loose!" with Michelle ReRe Lee
1. "THIS! TODAY! RIGHT NOW! This is what it's all about!" with BZ and Dave N

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Make Down or Make Up

Here is the latest edition of our mission trip style guide series:

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Make Down or Make Up

"The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide." - tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: "What do I wear?" and give you a few tips that we've learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!"

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Stealing from the Boys

 "The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide." - tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: "What do I wear?" and give you a few tips that we've learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!

Check out the newest installment in The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide! Written by Amanda Buda!

http://amandabuda.com/2013/10/07/the-ultimate-mission-trip-style-guide-stealing-from-the-boys/

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Wet Hair, Don't Care

I took away so many tips and ideas from this entry, and I know you will too. Check it out and stay tuned for more from our series!

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Wet Hair, Don't Care

"The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide." - tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: "What do I wear?" and give you a few tips that we've learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!

The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide: Pretty Little Dresses

Check out this post from one of my fellow PPM missionaries, as we continue our series of managing fashion on the mission field. :)

The Ultimate Mission Style Guide: Pretty Little Dresses

"The Ultimate Mission Trip Style Guide." - tips and tricks from Praying Pelican Missions lady missionaries on how to look good, feel good and take the pressure off of packing your suitcase for a new culture, climate and lifestyle. Our heart is to remove the anxiety and focus from timeless questions like: "What do I wear?" and give you a few tips that we've learned throughout the years. Ultimately, we pray that these posts would be a resource for you as you prepare for your trip. We want to provide you with a few tools that can help you remain focused on what God is teaching you and doing around you during your time abroad, instead of the length of your shorts, the style of your still-wet hair or how much make-up is appropriate. But of course, throughout it all, we must have fun in the process!