Story number 3 for 3 Jul 2002

(USA)–While the terror attacks on the United States happened nearly 10 months ago, mission organizations are feeling the affects now. Summer time is when many youth groups head overseas on short term mission trips. But, according to Evangelism Explosion’s Sandy Nicolosi, teams were hard to find this summer. “Parents are afraid that the world is too dangerous a place to let their children travel. I think they’re afraid of letting them go to fly. Economically, I think that there are not funds out there like there used to be…like there was last year. The economy is not like is was last summer. We’ve had some people say that they’ve had trouble raising the money.” Nicolosi says many Youth Evangelism Explosion clinics are on hold for now, but she believes next year will be different. “We’ve already talked to many churches. Many youth pastors and youth leaders who are saying they want to do a trip in 2002. I think this is going to be the biggest year ever for foreign mission trips in 2003.”