Short Term Mission
Travel overseas, grow in your faith and make a positive difference. Apply to be a team-member of an Integr8 mission trip. We need professionals with skills and experience of working with disabled children, as well as young people (16+) or family members with personal experience of disability.
Professionals
These short-term mission trips offer Christians with experience of working with disabled children and have a heart for inclusion the opportunity to volunteer to pass on skills to local people overseas. You will be part of a small team who can provide training and ideas on the inclusion of disabled children in activities. At the same time you will benefit from the amazing experience of life in another country and a dependence on God. We have had two successful trips with Christian partner organisations in India and Guatemala. This year we will return to Guatemala as well as go to Uganda.
Positive role models 16+
Do you like the idea of travelling overseas? Can you encourage and challenge other young people and adults by talking about your personal experience of disability? Do you want to grow closer to God?
We are looking for young people who like a challenge and want to serve others in a developing country. Abigail (17) travelled to India to speak with and lead activities for young people with physical and learning disabilities and last year Philippa (20) inspired nearly 500 people in 8 workshops. Both Abigail and Philippa talked about growing up, family, school and church from the perspective of being a disabled person. As a result, all those that heard them were inspired and challenged to make a positive difference for disabled children.
Tim texted in this message from Uganda on the 13th August. 'Fantastic team and trip. Four workshops and three seminars so far, including one at mud hut school in a very poor area. Feedback is all positive with really exciting action plans. God is working in us and through us with ...
At 16 years old, James is Through the Roof's youngest fundraiser using the JustGiving donation site, and has successfully raised nearly £1300 for his trip to Uganda as part of an Integr8 team. The team leaves on 5th August and James’ role will be to talk about his ...
Guatemala Team Leader Marie writes: Everything is going very well, we are being well looked after. We did a workshop on Sunday which went down very well and have been to New Life Special school today where we had a very good session with the teachers advising on particular problems. ...
A team of 5 Integr8 volunteers headed off to Guatemala today on their mission to make a difference in local communities through inspiring a spirit of inclusion. The team is lead by Marie, who in 2009 joined the first-ever trip to this, the second poorest country in Latin America. ...
Watch here for news of the mission team trip to Uganda in August.
In Summer 2009 Philippa Woodcroft visited Guatemala as part of an Integr8 International short mission trip. You can find more about her presentation by following this link or more about our short-term mission opportunities by
Philippa and Christina are preparing to travel to Guatemala with an Integr8 team. Follow their journey by following this link to their blog.
Here's a selection of videos from our 2009 Guatemala trip -- all videos are hosted on youtube. Enjoy! An inclusive dance with Philippa and Julie -- part of our Guatemala 2009 education trip A Guatemalan Car Ride On the shores of Lake Atitilan Boat ride on Lake Atitlan Taking a Tuk Tuk ride Sign language in ...
It was 21st May and I had exactly zero team-members for our mission trip to Guatemala. I had been searching for twelve months for suitable volunteers and now was ten days away from my deadline. Even those who had been interested had pulled out. I was out of options and would ...
My name is Philippa and I am 20 years old. I was born blind, with no eyes in my sockets so I wear plastic eyes. This came as a great shock to my family. My parents couldn’t understand how I could be born blind when all their other children had ...
According to the World Health Organisation, “98% of disabled children in developing countries do not receive an education.” Integr8, a programme of the Christian disability charity Through the Roof, wants to address this and aims to see every disabled child in developing countries fulfil their God-given potential. In August the ...
You won’t have heard of Philippa Woodcraft. She is twenty years old and lives in a small village in the Bedfordshire countryside. She works part-time as a secretary in an auction house and attends her local Baptist church. She is the seventh child born into her family. Philippa hasn’t starred on ...
On Sunday 7th December at 4pm, Integr8’s very own Tim Wood and young role model, Abigail Smith, spoke on Premier Radio about Integr8’s trip to India. Listen in London digitally on DAB radio, or 1305, 1332, 1413 MW. In the UK on Sky Digital 0123, Virgin Media 968, Freeview 725 ...
Abigail was a key member of the first-ever integr8 trip to India to train and inspire teachers to include disabled people in education programmes. Abigail gave this talk to teachers on the trip.) Hello, my name is Abigail. I am 17 years old and I’m at college studying health and social ...
Touch down at London Heathrow after a smooth journey home. Glad to see our families. Fantastic trip + excellent team. 480 trained. God was in all we did.
An Indian-themed evening including hot spicy nibbles and radiators on full was how URC Minister Rev Peter Blackband was warmly welcomed into his new pastorate, Adeyfield Free Church (AFC). The evening was organised by two Elders of the church in Hemel Hempstead, both of whom were team-members on an innovative mission ...
Before heading to the airport we took a quick trip to the America Latina school in the city. We saw Jose, a young man with learning disabilities who graduated from the school the previous year, and now has a paid role at the school. His co-workers say he has been ...
Our last day in Guatemala. Attended church service at El Camino. The church has a great ministry to deaf people – around 30 or so were in attendance - and so the lively worship songs were ‘signed’ using American Sign Language. The church treated us to lunch at Pizza Hut, ...
Re-visited the children at Love the Child where Philippa sang to them, and we introduced Parachute games and some worship Action songs.
Delivered training to around 30 disabled children and teachers at a Rehab Centre in Guatemala City. Maria, the Lead teacher, is extremely forward-thinking in how the students are taught, including giving the children chores to emphasise that they all have a contribution to make. In the afternoon we saw a disturbing ...
Leaving Antigua-Guatemala behind and travelling to visit Steve Osborn’s ministry, Love the Child (Amor del Nino), in San Lucas. Met the 48 disabled or disadvantaged children in their orphanage and ate fried chicken at Guatemalan fast food restaurant ‘Pollo Campero’. Slightly more restful day today – and much needed after ...
170 teachers packed into the New Life special school for the training. The students performed their inclusive dance for delegates before 16 year-old Blanky gave a testimony of her school experience as a wheelchair user, coming from very difficult circumstances but graduating from New Life and giving all the glory ...
Delivered training to around 60 parents and a few pastors. Parents were accompanied by their children which added to the number, and the noise level. Delegates enjoyed the inclusive parachute games but my cultural ignorance showed up today as I got things wrong by getting delegates into small groups to ...
Good night’s sleep then breakfast of fried eggs and traditional black beans (frijoles). Judy collected us for 20 minute drive up the volcano to her special school in the village of Santa Maria de Jesus. Great welcome from the 70 disabled kids, who presented an inclusive dance to us, and ...
On Sunday morning we had a ‘chance’ encounter with an American couple at the hotel who were thrilled by our project and prayed for us all as a team in the hotel foyer which was a great blessing. Short Tuk-Tuk ride from the hotel to a church to deliver the ...
Packed bags on Saturday am to travel 3 hours by van with Rolandos, of Love the Child, and Jonathan to the edge of beautiful Lake Atitlan, then 30 minute boat crosing to San Pedro La Laguna. Pizza for lunch overlooking the lake then delivered training to 60 delegates (a mix ...
Breakfast of scrambled eggs then leave at 8.00am for 45 minute drive to America Latina school. During the journey I found a caterpillar on the front seat, and rather than throw him out of the window I held on to him before arriving at the school and putting him on ...
On plane now + all going smoothly. Boarded first because Phillipa needs more time. Planned tomorrow’s training session at the airport. Looking forward to what God has planned. Arrived safely Thursday night and met by Kenny and Carol of America Latina. Stayed at nice Christian B&B.
24 hours until take-off! I’m not quite packed yet but at least I have managed to assemble all my stuff in a pile next to my case! Getting excited but apprehensive about the trip. I received an e-mail from one of our partners to say she has got our training ‘approved’ ...
Monday 18th August 98% of disabled children in developing countries don’t receive an education so the team of six pioneers gather at Heathrow airport for the first-ever Integr8 International trip on a mission to serve and train teachers to include disabled children in education. Yikes! Help us God. 8 hour flight ...
