20 Years of Mission Trips
in New Orleans
Our Story:
MissionLab is passionate about seeing lives changed through short-term missions. We’ve been loving & serving the city of New Orleans in the name of Jesus since 2000, and we want to help you engage your group in missions. We plan custom mission trips for groups of all sizes and ages throughout the year. We believe that anyone can be a missionary, and New Orleans is the perfect training ground.
Our Team
Our team is invested in New Orleans – we live here, go to church here, serve our neighbors and live out the Gospel in the city we love. Investing in relationships year-round is what makes MissionLab different, and you can trust that the work will continue even after you’ve left New Orleans.
Joshua Winton
Director
Joshua was born and raised as a pastor’s kid in Brewton, Alabama. At a young age he came to faith in Christ and recognized God calling him to ministry. Joshua has always had a passion for the next generation and for missions, and spent his summers throughout college combining these two passions by working summer camp. While working camp he met his wife Bree, and they got married in 2021. After getting married, Joshua and Bree moved to New Orleans for Joshua to pursue an MDiv in Expository Preaching at NOBTS. Since moving here, they have fallen in love with the city of New Orleans and they are passionate about seeing the gospel change lives in the city. He enjoys playing golf, watching old seasons of Survivor, and exploring New Orleans.
Noah Collins
Assistant Director
Noah was born in Kingsport, TN. He was a pastor’s kid and grew up in church. While in high school, Noah came to New Orleans on mission trips with MissionLab. Then went on to college at Middle Tennessee State University. There he finished a degree in organizational communication. He is now working on his Master’s of Divinity in Christian Ministry at NOBTS.
Ava Bowman
MissionLab Ministry Site Coordinator
Ava was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She trusted Jesus at a young age. While in college, her love for the Lord grew deep. Through this, she realized a call to work in a ministry context. She graduated from Shorter University in Rome, Georgia with a degree in Psychology. It was there that she met her husband, Dalton, and they were married in 2021. In the summer of 2023, they made the move to New Orleans to work, study, and serve. Ava is now pursuing a Master of Arts in Church and Community Ministries at NOBTS.
Cydni Johnson
Administrative Assistant
Cydni was born and raised on Bayou Teche in South Louisiana. In high school, she felt a call to missions and had the opportunity to go on a handful of short term mission trips to Guatemala. The Lord placed a call on her life to pursue missions as a career. She decided to take a gap-year between high school and college to serve in South Africa and Belize. During her year abroad she realized her passion and the need for the logistics side of missions. She now attends Leavell College at NOBTS pursuing a double major in Intercultural Studies and Apologetics. After graduating she plans to continue her education in Nonprofit Management and Marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What you’ll need to know to have a life changing missions experience!
• Lodging in campus dorms or hotel-style rooms
• Three meals a day (hot breakfast, sack lunch, and a hot dinner)
• Professional staff to facilitate your experience
• Ministry site assignments that match the ability and desires of your group
• Worship services and fellowship opportunities
• Preparation materials designed to spiritually prepare your group for missions in our city
• Private meeting space for group time at night
• A MissionLab t-shirt, devotional, and pen
Group leaders choose rooming assignments. Two housing options are available, dormitory or hotel style housing (additional charge for hotel). Dorms are furnished with bunk beds, with 4-6 campers per room. If your group chooses to stay in the dorms, campers will need to bring their own pillows, bed linens, towels, and toiletries. We will give you the appropriate number of rooms based on how many people are in your group, and your leader will then be responsible for assigning roommates to each specific room.
New Orleans, like any other urban center around the U.S., has crime issues. Please know, though, that all of our campers are housed on the NOBTS campus that is both gated and has 24-hour security. Our campus police team patrols the campus regularly throughout the day and night and also monitors whoever enters and leaves the campus. We also strive to ensure safety when we send groups to mission sites around the city. The places we send our groups have been assessed by our staff in advance, and have been prayed over and lifted up to the Lord in our preparation.
Casual, comfortable clothes are recommended for both ministry and free time. Our desire is to minister to the greatest number of people possible. Whether campers and staff are on campus or out on the site, it is important that nothing we do, say, or wear distracts from our message of sharing the Gospel and making disciples. In an effort to help campers dress in a manner that will not take away from your ministry efforts, we have provided the following guidelines that are strictly enforced by our staff:
SHORTS: Shorts MUST extend at least one inch below fingertips while standing. Running shorts that “swoop” up on the sides are not acceptable if they do not meet the length requirement all the way around.
SHIRTS:Beware of any offensive or insensitive material printed on t-shirts. You can roll the sleeves up and sleeveless shirts may be worn, but thin strapped tank-tops, low necklines, and midriffs are NOT allowed. No part of undergarments must ever be seen. Due to sudden rainfall in New Orleans, girls should pack more than just white t-shirts.
SHOES: Closed-toe shoes with closed heels must be worn while on construction sites. Keep your feet protected!
JEANS: Jeans offer more protection, but are not required for work sites unless otherwise stated. Low-cut hip hugger jeans are not allowed unless a shirt is worn long enough to cover the backside and midriff.
SWIMSUITS: For males, board shorts are acceptable swimwear (no speedos). For females, modest one-piece swimsuits or tankinis that completely cover the midriff are acceptable. NO two-pieces, mono-kinis, bikinis, or anything that reveals midriff or is very low-cut.
OTHER: It’s a good idea to bring a light rain jacket—afternoon showers are common.
MissionLab does not provide transportation of any kind (i.e. airport runs, trips to mission sites, Wal-Mart runs, hospital runs, etc). Your group leader is responsible for planning and facilitating all transportation for the group—that includes traveling to and from New Orleans, traveling around the city, and getting around on campus.
Free time is available and flexible with our customized schedule. We build in a few free evenings for groups to spend either relaxing on campus or site-seeing in the city, and if notified ahead of time, we can also add free time for the group during the day. The tourist environment of New Orleans provides opportunities for some great activities, and we always encourage our groups to experience the culture and cuisine that the city has to offer. We can also recommend a number of options for free or low-cost activities around New Orleans. There are also on-campus options for free time as well. The campus gym and pool are open at various times of the week, depending on the season.
There are NO laundry facilities for MissionLab use on campus. Campers are encouraged to bring enough clothes for each day, including extra clothes they don’t mind getting dirty and will not need to wear again. There are two public laundromats across the street from campus if there is an absolute need for laundry access. They cost $2-$5 per load.
Alcohol, illegal substances, firearms, fireworks, dangerous weapons, skateboards, & scooters are prohibited. Cell phones and electronic devices such as iPods, CD players, Gameboys, etc. are allowed or prohibited according to the group leader’s discretion (although please note that none of these items are allowed during camp-led worship). PLEASE NOTE: Neither MissionLab nor NOBTS are responsible for damage to or theft of any personal items or devices.
JOIN US IN NEW ORLEANS FOR A CUSTOMIZED WEEK OF URBAN OUTREACH, SPIRITUAL REFRESHMENT AND FELLOWSHIP.
1-877-TRY-MLAB
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