3-Month Mission Trips

What is a 3-month mission trip?

A 3-month mission trip with Experience Mission (EM) is an IMMERSION program in which a small team of young adults ages 18 to 30 lives in one country for about 12 weeks, serving and learning alongside a church or local ministry partners. You apply as an individual, and EM forms the team. EM offers 3-month programs to four different countries: Namibia, Costa Rica, Peru, and South Africa.

Each 3-month program spends the length of the trip in one country, so you are able to deeply invest in the culture, community, and rhythm of daily life. View every upcoming IMMERSION program (ranging from 1-9 months long), or compare these programs with international group mission trips that last about a week and send teams of 6 or more to serve in a variety of ways.

Which 3-month programs are open?

Four IMMERSION programs run for 3 months, launching at different times throughout the year, in January, May, and August. Interest forms are open for each term below, and application deadlines are listed below:

• 3-Month Namibia - May 17 to August 5, 2027; apply by December 18, 2026; $7,550 per person
• 3-Month Costa Rica - August 23 to November 18, 2027 (apply by March 26, 2027) and January 10 to March 30, 2028 (apply by August 13, 2027); $7,550 per person
• 3-Month Peru - August 23 to November 18, 2027; apply by March 26, 2027; $7,550 per person
• 3-Month South Africa - August 23 to November 18, 2027 (apply by March 26, 2027) and January 10 to March 30, 2028 (apply by August 13, 2027); $7,550 per person

Check out each program page for trip details, local partners, and what daily life looks like in each community. If two programs both fit your calendar, the sections below compare what a week looks like in each.

Where do 3-month teams serve in Africa?

Hein and Helene van Wyk, EM's Africa Directors, lead both 3-Month Africa IMMERSION programs. The van Wyks are native Namibians who have lived in South Africa for more than 20 years and have worked with EM since 2011. Where exactly groups serve is assigned closer to departure, so plan to stay flexible about where your team ends up planting roots and getting involved. Teams serve in these places:

• Rehoboth, Namibia - Partnering with the local church, serving at a community center and in local schools, and getting to know host families
• Swakopmund, Namibia - Youth ministry and Sunday morning volunteering at a local church, helping at a baby house that serves as a daycare and preschool, and spending time at the local craft market
• Pretoria East, South Africa - Alongside KAIROS, which serves meals at schools, runs after-school programs, and operates a food and clothing distribution center
• Darling, South Africa - Alongside Pastor Gert and Evelyn Korah of Jeria Sending, who have led the ministry since 2009, in local schools, the Good News Club after-school program, and visits to local farms
• Vastfontein, South Africa - Alongside Wessel and Mathilda Fourie of Vastfontein Community Transformation and Batho Pele Christian School, in the school, the garden, and the church

Local pastors, teachers, and host families carry this work year-round, and each 3-month team has the opportunity to join for a season and build meaningful relationships.

Where do 3-month teams serve in Latin America?

Both Latin America programs begin with language learning before settling into one community for most of the trip. Participants who want to practice Spanish will use it daily in either country! Teams learn and serve in these communities:

• San Jose, Costa Rica - An intensive Spanish program in the first weeks while living with host families in the city
• Shiroles, Costa Rica - A village in the Talamanca region, home to the Bribri and Cabecar peoples, alongside Victor and Sara Mayorga-Molina, longtime EM partners who choose the work projects
• Lima, Peru - Alongside Mark and Anna Burgess, who have served in Lima since 2006 and started Oikos church, and Robert and Rosa Romaina, who have led Oikos since 2023. Team members join Casa de Paz, a free after-school tutoring program at two sites, Oikos church and the Pacifico neighborhood of Lima, that helps students from low-income families and Venezuelan refugee families catch up to grade level

In both countries, long-standing local partners guide the work, so teams spend most of the term learning from their neighbors.

Who are 3-month mission trips for?

3-month programs are for young adults ages 18 to 30 who have the time and space to step away from normal life for a season to serve, learn, and grow. The 3-month length suits a gap semester, a break between school and work, or a summer that runs longer than a typical trip. Minors must wait to be 18 before joining an IMMERSION trip.

An August program covers a fall semester, a January program covers a spring semester, and the May Namibia program covers most summer breaks.

Good fits for IMMERSION are curious about faith and service, ready for physical work, willing to follow local norms and customs, and able to stay flexible when plans change. For Costa Rica and Peru, team members also need a willingness to learn and speak Spanish!

How much does a 3-month mission trip cost?

Current 2027 and 2028 3-month programs in Namibia, Costa Rica, Peru, and South Africa all cost $7,550 per person. Overall, IMMERSION programs run from about $5,000 to $20,000 depending on length and communities.

Program fees cover airfare, food, housing, staffing, training, and EM's travel medical and evacuation insurance. Costs on top of this are minimal, but include any needed gear, immunizations, airfare to the U.S. training location and home from the debrief, personal meals while traveling, a new passport if you need one, and any spending money you desire to bring with you. Each participant must also have access to a personal emergency fund: a credit card with at least $1,500 available plus $300 in reserve cash, which most participants never need to use.

IMMERSION participants raise support with planning help from their IMMERSION Fundraising Coach, EM's IMMERSION Fundraising Guide, and a personal online fundraising profile on EM's website. Donations given through EM, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, are tax-deductible for donors. It is recommended you apply and join a team with several months of planning and fundraising time to spare.

Who arranges visas for a 3-month mission trip?

EM arranges all necessary travel documents for IMMERSION teams, outside of personal passports. This includes any visa a program requires, and visa costs are included in the program fee, so you do not sort out visas on your own before departure. Because each 3-month team stays in one country, you will only need to follow one visa process and entry requirement.

All IMMERSION participants need a valid passport, so apply early if you do not have one! All other trip requirements are part of a comprehensive to-do list provided by EM after you are accepted to the trip.

What does a typical week look like on a 3-month mission trip?

Throughout IMMERSION programs, each week could look different from the last! EM asks participants to come ready to roll with changes to plans and schedules as they arise. Across all four programs, time splits roughly evenly among service, cultural immersion, and relationships with host families and partners. Here is how a week may differ, program to program:

• Namibia - Youth ministry, school and community center visits, and church on Sunday; in Swakopmund the team cooks its own meals and gets around on bicycles that EM Africa staff provide, spending time in local markets and serving at a baby house
• Costa Rica - Spanish classes in San Jose at first, then farm work, construction, and church two or three times a week in Shiroles, with lots of time spent with host families and the local community; weekends are spent at EM's local partners' home with shared meals together
• Peru - Weekdays split between the two Casa de Paz school sites, tutoring and mentoring the same students, with breakfasts and dinners cooked together as a team; EM's local partners teach the team to use public transit, and one weekend is set aside for a team trip to see more of Peru outside of Lima
• South Africa - School service, after-school programs, food distribution, and garden or farm work, and opportunities to share testimonies and faith with students and church groups, depending on whether the team is in Pretoria East, Darling, or Vastfontein

Housing is different in each community. Namibia teams stay with vetted host families in Rehoboth or together at a local church in Swakopmund. Costa Rica participants live with host families, with at least two people of the same gender per household. Peru teams live at Oikos church in gender-separated bunk rooms with a shared bathroom. South Africa teams stay with vetted host families near Pretoria, in a guest house on partner property in Darling, or in a hostel on school grounds in Vastfontein.

How is a 3-month program different from a 1-month or 6-month program?

The main difference is how much of one place you absorb. A 1-month program is a brief introduction, and a 6-month program usually moves across two or three countries. A 3-month program sits between them in these ways:

• Time away - About 12 weeks fits one semester or one summer without a full year off
• Focus - One country, one language environment, and one partner network from start to finish
• Commitment - A mid-range cost and a fundraising window that is manageable for most people

Want a longer stretch or a second country? Read about 6-month mission trips or the 6- and 9-month options on the Christian gap year programs page. If three months is more than you can give right now, explore IMMERSION's 1-month mission trip opportunities in Summer and Fall.

How do I prepare and apply?

Start by submitting an interest form, which connects you with EM staff to talk about program fit and timing. Deadlines fall a few months before departure, so give yourself lots of time to consider, apply, and prepare to go. The path looks like this:

1. Explore upcoming programs and terms - Match a country and launch month to your calendar (check out the IMMERSION Quiz to see if you're ready for something like this!)
2. Submit an interest form - Ask questions through the IMMERSION interest form
3. Apply and secure your spot - Submit your application and, once accepted, pay the initial deposit to accept your place on the team
4. Plan your fundraising - Work with your IMMERSION Fundraising Coach and set up your personal fundraising profile to get started
5. Join U.S. training and GO - Spend three to four days at the start of your trip on team building, reflection, and EM's approach before you set out for 3 months!

In general, EM is not able to refund deposits or trip payments, though we do our best to transfer funds to another trip when we can, depending on the circumstances. The IMMERSION FAQ and the program refund policies explain the details.

How does EM keep 3-month teams safe?

Safety starts with local people who know the setting! EM Africa staff, the Burgess and Romaina families in Lima, and Victor and Sara in Shiroles guide where and how teams travel in order to keep them out of harm's way. In the case of medical emergencies, team leaders are all CPR and First Aid certified, travel with full trauma kits, and stay in contact with EM's U.S. staff to work out logistics and solve issues. EM also provides an emergency phone line for your family to contact EM staff if something arises at home your young adult needs to be aware of. Participants are all encouraged to enroll in the U.S. State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) during training to receive updates about potential safety or natural disaster issues recognized by in-country U.S. agencies.

What is EM's approach to a 3-month mission trip?

Three months is long enough to settle in. IMMERSION team members are encouraged to listen and learn from local people and communities, and to join in to the life and rhythms of a community. EM's 7 Healthy Service Principles invite participants to arrive as guests and learners, to join work that local partners already direct, and to measure the success of their trip by meaningful relationships rather than finished projects.

IMMERSION builds cross-cultural service training into the start of each term and supplies teams with ongoing devotional materials to meditate on how their faith impacts the way they live each day during the trip. Read more about EM's approach to missions, or explore a few of EM's additional cross-cultural training materials.

3-Month Mission Trip FAQs

Find a 3-month mission trip that fits your season!

Compare Namibia, Costa Rica, Peru, and South Africa, choose a launch month, and send an IMMERSION interest form to talk with EM staff. Looking for a shorter trip for a group? Start with international mission trips.

Written and reviewed by Experience Mission Staff - Updated: October 2026