While living and volunteering overseas I felt like I always had support. Whenever I needed to chat with Matt about issues that came up, he always made sure we connected as soon as possible. I felt that I was definitely a priority to them while I was away.

Because I was already living in Thailand for two years before starting the global volunteer training program, I was curious to see if it would still be helpful to me, or more like just "going through the motions." It turns out it was an invaluable process, forcing me to articulate thoughts, feelings and reactions to my experiences, and also to identify areas I can still improve on...and it was a lot of fun!

Culture shock training for the field? Great...but what about cultural shock upon return? I have been prepared and supported way beyond expectations from the beginning to the end... and more! Never have I met such good mentors and mediators as Irislee and Matt. Thanks to the STM Network and to the Penney family for all their support and understanding.

Matt is hilarious and incredibly knowledgeable about missions work, and our training sessions always went for much longer than planned. His support while in the field was also awesome, talking me through the highs and the lows of the global volunteer experience.

Thanks again for the great Skype debrief meeting. Always so insightful to hear from others' experiences and the 'professionals'. I wanted to give each of you a HUMONGOUS thank you! I so, so appreciate all of your time, energy, answers to many questions, extra effort, patience, and more patience that you gave to make this possible. Our training really taught me a lot and I'm so grateful for all of you and everything you do. You guys are amazing...God bless you!

The STM network training revealed many of our short comings in team prep for the field, as well as what we've been doing right. It's been a valuable resource for our next missions trip. Mark has a great way of not just helping people "do" missions better....he helps them "understand" missions more fully too! I would definitely recommend this program to other leaders!

I don't think I will ever be able to express just how much I appreciate you, Irislee and Matt. Whether it be pre-trip Skype calls, in country check-ins where I rambled and rambled but you were there to listen and support and love. I really believe that my 6 months in Tanzania would have been drastically different without your support and encouragement. I guess I just want to say thank you. Thank you for doing what you do, I have experienced first hand the marvelous impact you have on volunteers and their experiences overseas. I will forever be thankful for you!

Matt, people not only had fun, but learned a lot too about themselves and short-term missions.  Always love your training style and how you keep it from being monotonous or boring...so thanks for coming.

Initially I was hesitant hiring the services of STM Network to help me plan my international missions trip. At the time, I was already working for 5 years as a full time youth worker and felt pressure that I was supposed to know how to lead a team of teenagers on a missions trip. Using the Best Prep Kit was a LIFESAVER! It not only shaved off dozens of hours off of prep work, but I felt my team was more prepared and ready to rock than when I created the materials myself. I especially enjoyed the fact that it just wasn’t more paper curriculum, but instead Mark and I Skyped every week which helped me feel support and better understand the material. I’d recommend this to any church leader who is planning on taking a team to an international missions destination!

The trip was amazing and everything went well: traveling, accommodations, food, Honduras, the missionaries, the children, the piece of our hearts left there and the piece we brought back! Once again thank you for your training weekend with us; it was invaluable, it was a pivotal moment for the team and for the trip. Our team gelled and grew at the same time. I would recommend STM Network to anyone!