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.

the GOAT Experience Mission is an incredible, God-centered organization that puts the dignity of ALL God’s people second to none. Their staff is world class, each of them love God and love people to their bones. The training is adequate and eye-opening; and the trip is life-altering. I recommend them for any sort of trip you’re looking to take. From 2 week to gap year, there isn’t another organization that I would suggest over them. I personally did Caribbean immersion and it was a great time of growth in my life. I wish I could relive it often. The relationships I formed will last a lifetime.

People Over Projects When we arrived at La Iglesia Familia, we were greeted by Diane and Ed, who gave us a great overview of what our week might be like. From the very first meeting with them, we knew that God was guiding us in our work for the week. Our group really wanted to be able to make connections within the community. We had been praying for this before and during our trip, and our prayers were answered ten-fold. We had so many opportunities to talk with, pray with, and learn from people in the community. Every day was a different experience and we really got to live out the "people over projects" approach of mission. This, to me, is so important and I'm glad we were able to take part in this mission experience.

I do not recommend EM/IMMERSION I learned and experienced a lot. I was able to witness to many and see Jesus work. However, EM has a lot they need to work on, they have a multitude of areas they need to work on. Their communication with each other and with team members is terrible. Their standard of conduct is not well monitored and kept up. They have no good emergency plans. I could go on but I don't want to include things that may affect other people. I do not recommend this organization and I will never be associated with them again.

I love the perspective and vision EM… I love the perspective and vision EM has for missions. Great people!