All About Praying Pelican Missions

Here is a snapshot of what Praying Pelican Missions is all about!  Feel free to look at their website for more information: www.prayingpelicanmissions.org

Praying Pelican Missions is called to further the kingdom of God and our Lord Jesus Christ by providing missions experiences for people with a heart to serve others for His glory.

Praying Pelican Missions is a short-term international missions organization serving the needs of indigenous local churches, pastors, and communities around the world. We set up and lead mission trips for churches, small groups, families, and individuals from North America, continually expanding and strengthening a network of pastors and communities both abroad and in the United States. Each year as lives are touched and hearts are transformed, there is an increasing number of pastors, churches, and communities inviting mission teams to serve alongside them through Praying Pelican Missions. We are continually amazed to witness and be part of God's movement in the world, from Chicago to Costa Rica to South Africa and everywhere in between.

Through Praying Pelican Missions, more than 12,000 short-term missionaries have served in over 200 different communities throughout Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and parts of the U.S. Teams join us from all over the United States and Canada, making us the largest provider of short-term mission opportunities.

History

The Beginning: Praying Pelican Missions (PPM) began in 2003 serving two communities in Belize. We expanded to Jamaica in 2007, and now annually serve more than 100 communities between the two countries, making us the largest provider of mission trips to Belize and Jamaica in the U.S. Curious about the name? Since pelicans are common in Central America and the Caribbean where our ministries began, the founders decided to incorporate a pelican both to add an element of fun and to make a memorable logo to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ. As the pelican is an ancient symbol of Christian sacrifice, this turned out to be the perfect choice for a mascot: the legend states that a mother pelican, in times when food was scarce, would sacrifice her life by pecking herself to feed her baby. In the same way, Jesus gave His life for us. This has become a great way to share the gospel and communicate our mission wherever we serve.

Now: Praying Pelican Missions is currently serving in many locations throughout the world. Our staff includes more than 100 individuals both in the U.S. and in the local communities where teams serve. We now serve in hundreds of communities all around the world and are continually seeking to add more locations and opportunities as the Lord leads and opens the doors.

Philosophy

From the very beginning, our heart and vision has been to impact the world for Christ - one country, one city, and one community at a time. Praying Pelican Missions' scope of ministry has expanded significantly through God's blessing thanks to a unique, healthy, and dynamic ministry environment. Read on to learn what makes us different from other mission organizations.

Pastoral Vision: Praying Pelican Missions teams serve within the vision of the pastoral leadership of each nation. We believe that healthy ministry is done through the local church; this provides opportunity to learn what God is doing another part of the world, shows us how we can encourage and empower the local pastor and congregation, and inspires us to continue sharing resources and follow up after a trip is completed. We are approved and authorized to serve in all our locations by the local church, and we respect and honor their leadership. This philosophy ensures that our teams are ministering within the overall spiritual vision for each country, determined by those who know it best.

Authentic Partnership: The pastors, Praying Pelican Missions staff, and community you'll be building relationships with are part of a genuine partnership between the local community and Praying Pelican Missions. We have native staff in almost every location we serve who help guide, lead, and direct our teams, in conjunction with our staff from North America.

Your Direction: Nobody knows your mission team better than you. Praying Pelican Missions respects and supports your leadership in ministry, allowing you to continue leading your team on the mission field and choosing the ministry options that best suit your team's gifts. In addition to serving the local community, our goal for your mission trip is to create a safe, healthy environment that will promote personal and spiritual growth for your team at an unprecedented level. We handle all of the logistics so that you can focus on day-to-day relationships and ministry.

Long-term Relationships: After connecting spiritually and socially with a community on a mission trip,Praying Pelican Missions offers you the opportunity to continue those relationships and watch God work year after year. More than half of our teams return to the community they first served in and continue to foster and develop those relationships on deeper levels.