One of the most rewarding parts of our year at Joshua Expeditions is seeing all the ways that our Ministry initiatives help people around the world.  We are humbled to be able to give back to our Mission contacts throughout the year, and our travelers should know that it’s all because of them!  Our student groups not only provide these ministries with short-term service groups, they also give us the ability to provide the ministries with tangible gifts year round.

OUR MINISTRY CYCLE

We have spoken in the past about how JE offers short-term trips to our clients, but that those short-term trips are a part of long-term relationships.  What this means is that we are connected year-round to over 65 different ministry organizations around the world.  When student groups or churches are interested in taking a JE trip, we already know the needs of the areas that they will be visiting, and the specific needs of the ministries in that area.

Our ministry cycle happens in 4 broad steps.

  1. Joshua Expeditions partners with ministries around the world.  We are connected with soup kitchens, distributions centers, orphanages, building programs, urban ministries, and rural ministries.  Every year we have ministries approach us, asking how they can be a part of a Joshua Expeditions trip.
  2. Joshua Expeditions provides full-service travel planning and support to schools and churches. At our heart, JE is a ministry, but to a lot of people, we are a travel company.  It’s what we excel at, and it’s one of the main things that we provide for our clients.  Our Travel Coordinators, Airline Department, Billing Department, and JE Guides provide an exceptional travel experience for everyone from the seasoned traveler to the person who has never been away from home.
  3. Joshua Expeditions schools and churches participate in service and outreach with our partner ministries. This is the fun part.  JE travelers get to participate in hands-on ministry, regardless of what city they are visiting.  We offer ministry or service opportunities for every trip.  Whether it’s a half day at a soup kitchen or a 5-day medical clinic, we love seeing our groups become the hands and feet of the Gospel.
  4. Short-Term opportunities become long-term relationships with in-need ministries. This is where we come full circle. JE groups are so passionate about their ministry time on their trips, that by the end of the trip, we often times have ministries already asking us when the next JE group is coming.  The short-term trip turned into a long-term relationship, and we have the pleasure of starting the cycle again, year after year.

FOOD FOR THE CHILDREN

New this year is our decision to sponsor 50 Ugandan Children.  It is our desire to see these children grow up with a Biblical foundation, a good education, and all the love and support that we can provide for them.  Right now 10 of the children that we are sponsoring are from a Slum Ministry in the heart of Kampala.  The children are all boys that have been rescued from the slums and live in a transitional orphanage home.  This is also the same orphanage that JE’s Food for the Children money is used to feed over 100 boys, three times a week.  15 of our sponsored children are from a Christian Secondary School that has shown to produce very mature Christian teenagers, and also helps them to earn jobs as interpreters.  25 of the children that we sponsor are from a Pro-Life Pregnancy Center that has expanded to become a general clinic for the entire community.  Many of these children were saved from abortions when their mothers were counseled to choose life and accept Jesus as their Savior.  Many of these children are also HIV positive.

All of the organizations are run by Christian Ugandan nationals and have proven to be financially responsible.  We are proud to note that all of the money designated for this program goes directly to fund the children’s programs, with almost 90% allocated for tuition, food, and clothing.

It is our hope that our sponsorship of this program will be the first step in helping to provide support for children and families around the world.

**NEW** IACCS PARTNERSHIP

As part of our continuing ministry in Uganda, we have partnered with IACCS to purchase a number of cows each year for various orphanages. We pray and believe that this provides an essential economic boost to those in need.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS

In addition to these main programs, we also support various smaller programs throughout the year.  These additional services include:

  • Subsidizing the cost of building materials for groups on our construction teams
  • Providing a youth retreat for 100 teens from San Jose, Costa Rica every year
  • Providing student scholarships for JE Tours through our Leave a Legacy Scholarship

Thank you for choosing to partner with Joshua Expeditions for your travel needs.  From the beginning, we have tried to be a completely unique resource in the travel industry, and we believe that even after 20 years, we are just getting started.  We hope that you can see from this report that it is because of our travelers that we have the privilege of being able to pour back into ministries from around the world.  With your help, we truly believe that Student Travel Can Change the World.