I've been on three official mission trips: first one was for eight days when I was fifteen years old in 2000. As a youth group (from my Baptist church), we drove from Oregon to Idaho & did maintenance at a local church, etc. The missionaries there were in the Ivory Coast until their infant twin daughters were getting sick & they needed the care of American doctors.
The second mission trip was for ten days in Quebec when I was 21 in 2006. As a second-year New York Word of Life Bible Institute (non-denominational) student, we were all required to go on a trip to a different country & I picked the least expensive one.
In 2007 I joined Revolution Hawaii (which is sponsored by The Salvation Army) for nine months where we reached out to the homeless, children, less fortunate, with food, prayers, ears, hearts, open arms, games, etc.
In conclusion, ultimately speaking, Christ does the transforming in people's lives when they are following Him through an active relationship with Him (God's Word, prayer, fellowship, discipleship, accountability) & an active attempt at reaching out to people who really need the love of Christ.
Of course transformation can occur anywhere since missions is everywhere (because sharing our faith is not just non-domestic duty) but unfortunately it seems like people are less likely to allow Christ to get a hold of their agenda until they go to a third-world country where they can get a wake up call that sounds the alarm of how vital it is to really share the gospel with the lost & less fortunate & marginalized.
When I was about eight years old, I drew a picture of me on a platform with wheels & balloons. The platform symbolized my desire to share the gospel with others. The wheels symbolized mobility which I later started thinking about church planting or becoming a Bible translator. The balloons symbolized visibility so that people can see me from far off & come if they're interested. Ultimately only the Holy Spirit does the convicting in people's hearts.
So missions didn't exactly change me because I was already being changed but missions did & does help in my journey. This comment here serves as an introduction into who I am but I apologize if I'm being too general with everything I'm saying. I am excited that I was the first to respond to this thread.
I've been curious about the mission field for as long as I can remember. I know that I love hearing stories about people's experiences there and that it always brings tears to my eyes when I hear of whole villages being saved, or even just one person walking from the fear that they used to walk in, but know I'm curious.
How does the mission field affect those who enter it, what affect has it left on you?
It usually reawakens our hearts to Christ & our helping hands to each others. Some people try their best just to preach to the lost which can work but the more important thing is often not in our words but in our lives of sharing the faith, of helping others, reaching out, demonstrating love through action.