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Mission Spotlight: Operation Mobilization

George Verwer wanted to do something with his school break in the summer of 1957, so he planned a small trip that would eventually lead to the establishment of a large international ministry organization.

Then a student at Moody Bible Institute, Verwer convinced two friends to accompany him in a truck to transport more than 15,000 Bibles to Mexico in a time when parts of the nation were largely unreached by Christian missionaries. The trip was so successful that they recruited more students to make return visits over the next few Christmas and summer holidays.

By the time they finished school, Verwer and his friends were ready to turn their adventures into a full-fledged missions organization. Because their goal was to mobilize believers and get them into the mission field, they named their ministry Operation Mobilization (OM).

In the half-century since the organization’s founding, OM has grown to become one of the world’s largest missions organizations. More than 6,200 people work in Operation Mobilization missions in 118 countries all across the globe.

With such an expansive network, OM offers a wide array of options to church groups looking to take short-term mission trips. OM works hand-in-hand with local church leaders around the world and encourages mission groups to establish long-term relationships with those churches, which can lead to multiple return trips.

Groups that travel with OM can go to places as far away as Turkey and Southeast Asia or as close as Mexico and Costa Rica. On the ground, they participate in evangelism, discipleship, relief and development, as well as special ministries using sports, the arts, medical care or English classes.

In addition to prepackaged mission trips, OM custom tailors trips to suit the needs of individual churches and youth groups.

Operation Mobilization         |         800.899.0432        |       www.omusa.org

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.