A lot of planning and quite a bit of money is required for a missions trip to be successful. The money may be donated, provided for in the church budget, earned through special projects, or provided by the participants themselves. Many trips are scheduled to the partnership mission areas to accomplish all kinds of tasks. Many people, such as farmers, construction workers, librarians, medical personnel, and teachers spend their vacation time and money going to some tough places and doing some hard jobs. Special more extended programs are available, especially for those college aged or older.
Mission trips can be for a more extended period, like the three months of summer.
Here the individual could get extensive experience in a variety of work situations on the mission fields. Some missionary boards use an extended intern or missionary associate where one would go for one year. This has exciting possibilities for some adults that are retiring so early. At Thomas Road Baptist Church the Missions Director gives a report on three missionaries each week as a part of the midweek prayer service. Excerpts from newsletters are sometimes read as a part of this.