Florida
Spring Break Mission Trip
2024 Trip Highlights!
Dates - March 22 - March 29, 2025
Location - Orlando, Florida
Price - $550 (Includes plane flight, housing, Many of your meals and Ground transportation)
Early Bird Discount - Sign up by Feb. 20 at 2pm and get $75 off
(pay at least $50 towards your registration)
USE promo Code: “Early” (Expires at 2pm, Feb. 20th)
**We also have additional scholarship funds available. We don’t want money to be a barrier! Apply Here
You can also lower your cost by raising funds - we will give you instructions on how to do that (see below)
Another option for lowering your cost is if you have the ability to purchase your own plane ticket through points or vouchers that you have. If you purchase your own flight we will arrange a lower cost for you. Contact Chris - cswanson@mit.edu if you want to explore this option. Note: you will need to coordinate arrival and departure times with the group tickets.
What is this Trip about?
First and foremost, this trip is about Jesus and his heart for the world and for people. It’s about growing in our faith and deepening our friendships with one another. It’s about helping the local Cru ministry in Orlando with their outreach on their campuses. It’s about partnering with students to help reach their campus and their city. It’s about sharing the Good News of Jesus with students. It’s about learning to be more confident and prepared to have conversations about the Gospel, whether that be with the students we meet in Florida, friends at MIT or family members. This trip is not just about going to Florida for a vacation, though it will be a nice place to enjoy sunny warm days and the beach. So there is a part of the trip that is actually about fun and rest too, as well as enjoying fellowship with one another. It’s about laughing, trying new things, meeting new people, and getting to know God better. Our hope is that you will leave with a deeper connection to the heart of God. This trip is more about what God will do in your life than what you will do for others.
What will we be doing?
Our ministry focus will be outreach to college students on campuses in Orlando. You will get some great practical experience in communicating your faith with others. We will be giving you some great training and experience in talking to others about Jesus….and it will be stuff you can use for a lifetime. You will gain a vision for God’s heart for people. One desired outcome is that you will become better Gospel conversationalists (both in listening well to others and in communicating the Gospel and asking questions). We will come as learners and listeners. We seek to be relational. Honestly, it’s actually really fun to see how God takes these steps of faith and turns them into great conversations that are meaningful to us and the people we meet.
When we aren’t doing ministry, we will have time to spend with God, learning from His Word, resting, enjoying the warm weather, and spending time together in community. There will be opportunities to head to the beach or explore the fun things in Orlando, like Disney World.
General Schedule for the week:
Saturday - Leave Boston, arrive and settle in, dinner together
Sunday - Visit a local church - prayer walk, explore a little, orientation to the week
Monday-Thursday - ministry days on campus
Friday - day off - rest, or take a trip to Disney World, the Beach, Kennedy Space Center or another attraction
Saturday, head to airport and fly back to Boston
Cost
$550
We are able to offer such a low cost because we are subsidizing the actual cost with donations from Cru alumni. Thank you, Alumni! The actual cost is much higher.
Many students have found that people want to give to trips like this, so you can reduce your cost by raising funds from a home church, family, friends. Last year, one student’s home church covered his entire cost! See below for instructions on how to do this.
We will also be setting aside extra scholarship funds for those who need extra financial assistance. Please don’t be ashamed to ask for help. We want to give away the money! :) Apply here
This is what is included in the cost:
Round trip airfare (if you have airline points or vouchers that you would like to use, please let us know and you can purchase your own flight. We will adjust your cost accordingly. Your flight times will need to fit in a certain window time for arrival and departure.
Lodging for 7 nights
Ground transportation
Some Fun activities
Some of your meals (you will be on your own for most breakfasts and lunches). Most of your dinners will be included.
Housing:
We will be staying in a couple large AirBNB houses. Men and women will be housed separately. Everyone will have a bed to sleep in for the week.
We’ll have pool access. You will alson have access to a local grocery store to buy personal groceries as needed.
How to raise funds to pay for the remaining cost of the trip:
Many of us have raised financial support to help fund this mission trip. Friends, family, and churches have been very enthusiastic about giving to help send students on our Spring Break trips. Basically, this entails sending out letters to people about your trip and asking them to partner with you and send you on the trip. We will give you more information on how to do this.
Here is a sample support letter you can edit and send to people. Sample Letter
Here are instructions on how to go about raising financial support: Support Raising Instructions
If people want to give, have them follow the instructions at www.mitcru.com/give. This is the preferred option for giving, if possible.
They can also send you a check directly - payable to Cru. If that is the case, have them mail you a check and we will help you process those donations.
Scholarship Money:
We do have additional scholarship money set aside to help those in financial need. You can apply for scholarship. Apply here.
