Trust in the Lord, Lean not on your own understanding From my experience, EM leaves a lot of the responsibility up to the participants, so the trip is kind of what you make of it. If you are a person that needs structure this could be a challenge for you. If you are free flowing and looking for adventure you might enjoy it more. I believe if you are willing and able to turn every day over to the Lord and let him work through you and around you this trip can have a great impact for the communities you visit and your own life—just don’t expect that impact to come through EM or their resources.

Count the Cost. It’s Still Worth It. The Lord used this time to point out areas of my life that needed to change. Being surrounded by imperfect but committed believers in a new environment is a bigger blessing than you can imagine. I hope that if you read this, that you choose to set aside time to break from the rush of American life. It’s worth it. I promise.

Parts of the program are very good Parts of the program are very good, some others need a little polishing. My students and I enjoyed being able to mix them up in the their groups each day as to who was working together. The particular site we were on wasn't extremely organized and there were a few frustrations along the way. I'd spoken with other youth leaders prior who had had very good experiences other places, so might have been a rarity. Admin staff prior to the trip was excellent!

My time serving on an IMMERSIAN team… My time serving on an IMMERSIAN team was the most transformational experience of my life. Taking time to step away from the pace of life in the U.S. and learning that other cultures have a lot to offer, some of which cannot be put into words, changed me for the better. I encourage anyone and who is looking to serve the kingdom, or even just looking for an intercultural experience to do so through EM. You will never be the same. And you’ll never regret it.

Experience Mission is AWESOME Finding a missions organization online that truly fit how I believe missions should be done left me skeptical. But going with EM to Cuba was one of the best decisions I ever made. They are a well run authentic organization that cares for people and the places they serve deeply. Like I did, you could be wondering if its all worth the hype but if your looking for a place that does missions through a culturally competent lens this is your place. EM has amazing values, take care of each trips every detail, and I do not know one person other person who went on a trip at the same time as me who felt any other way.