Deep Justice Journeys Student Journal: Moving from Mission Trips to Missional Living

by Kara Powell, Brad M. Griffin

So you’re fired up, you want to make a difference, you want to change the world…but how? Signing up for your church’s mission trip or service project is a great first step, and you are definitely going to make a difference in someone’s life. But are you ready for the different cultures you may encounter? How are you going to really connect with the people you serve? And what about when you come home—how do you make sense of all the things you’ve experienced? It’s easy to forget your experiences in the mission field—especially when the people around you haven’t had those same experiences. And it is easy to go back to living your life the way you were before—but if you really want to change the world, you have to change, too. The only way that is going to happen is if you spend some time before, during, and after your service preparing for and processing your justice work. As you use this journal you will start to think about— • the people you are serving • your relationship with your teammates • how God factors in to your service project • the impact your experience has had on you • how you can continue to make a difference in the world around you If you think you’re fired-up for service now, just wait! As you complete the creative and fun exercises included in this journal, you will be energized for justice work, you’ll learn how to apply this to your own life, and nothing will be able to stop you.

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Dr. Kara Powell is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary, and Fuller's Chief of Leadership Formation. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women You Should Know,” Kara serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange, and also speaks regularly at parenting and leadership conferences. Kara is the author or coauthor of a number of books, including 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, Growing Young, Growing With, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith Curriculum, Can I Ask That?, Deep Justice Journeys, Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, and the Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum. Kara lives with her husband Dave and their three teenage and young adult children, Nathan, Krista, and Jessica, in Southern California.