All the staff at Mission Travel are passionate about travel with heart. We love God and love exploring the world around us. Because of our experience in travel and mission - especially the hard-to-reach places - we are able to identify and respond to your ever-changing travel needs.
Lisa Scerri lisa@missiontravel.com.au.JPG)
Managing Director
Lisa Scerri has been involved in the travel industry for over 20 years. Lisa's career has seen her work in retail travel, marketing, airfare negotiation, wholesale operations and public relations. Her greatest passion is building relationships with people and helping others to live out their calling.
Started working at MTG: Founded MTG in Feb 2006
Favourite place to visit:
Africa!!! I have an obsession with South Africa in particular. My favourite place is the Valley of a Thousand Hills about an hour’s drive from Durban.
Dream mission experience:
Back to the Valley of a Thousand Hills in South Africa – maybe a longer stint and try and help people with starting up a small business in tourism.
Most awkward cultural blunder:
Totally losing it in India! After travelling for a couple of months and suffering from Delhi belly, I had a meltdown when a taxi driver tried to charge me extra for my bag (we had done 10 minutes of bartering before the journey began). I was stomping my feet, calling for the police, and acting like a baby! Before I knew it a crowd of about 100 people were gathered for my “performance”.
Mark Penny mark@missiontravel.com.au
Office Manager
Started working with MTG in November 2010.
Favourite place to visit: Anywhere new, Cape Town and Hong Kong
Dream mission experience: Attending a Christ for All Nations crusade and being able to assist with the logistic to make it happen. Check out how big some of those crusades are http://au.cfan.org/ or being able to visit the Free to Be Kids home in Kolkata, India on a regular basis. Talking to the kids on skype just doest cut it. (check out http://www.freetobekids.com.au/)
Most awkward cultural blunder: Too many to chose from, but there is always a problem when you take a saying / term from Malaysia and start using it in South Africa. Did not work – let just say the respect term for asking for assistance in Malaysia, didn't get me much respect or service at an airport check in once in Cape Town.
Mark has come to MTG after over a decade with Planetshakers. Mark had several roles including running their internal travel agency and managing the touring for the Planetshakers band.
Mark is responsible for running the Mission Travel office and managing our team.
Mark became a first time dad in 2011 to a beautiful son, Jai.
Pauline Cash pauline@missiontravel.com.au
Group consultant for Holy Land Tours
Pauline Cash worked in general retail and corporate consulting and management roles before joining the MTG team. Her previous travel industry experience includes being the cruise consultant for several international crusie lines, a tour escort and a group tours consultant.
Started working at MTG:
Jan 2008
Favourite place to visit:
Too hard! So many great places and it is hard to single just one out. I love all the white sand beaches (most are in Oz which should be no surprise) like the beaches between Coffin Bay and Ceduna in the Great Australia Bight in South Australia or around the Jervis Bay area in New South Wales. My favourite overseas beach is on Boracay Island in the Phillipines. I also love the desert ares with sand dunes like those in Dubai or the Sahara Desert in Morocco – WOW!
Dream mission experience:
House building for villagers in Cambodia.
Most awkward cultural blunder:
Forgetting to take my shoes off in a restaurant in Japan when shoes must be off! Oops!
Audrey Warren audrey@missiontravel.com.au
Group Travel Consultant
Audrey Warren has been in the travel industry since 1981, working in a variety of positions with travel organisations and airlines including three years at Melbourne Airport. Audrey had the opportunity to travel from the age of nine years every second year with her family until the age of 17 years (before joining the travel industry and continuing her travels). On one family trip, she travelled to South Africa and stayed at Kruger National Park.
Started working at MTG: November 2009
Favourite place to visit: The golf course!
Dream mission experience: Still dreaming…
Most awkward cultural blunder:
Back in 1971 when travelling with my family in Fiji, I had a photo taken with a native Fijian baby and my father gave the baby’s mother some money and got told off as he had given her enough for a month’s wage.
Melanie Peck melanie@missiontravel.com.au
Senior Travel Consultant - Missions
Started working at MTG: November 2010
Favourite place to visit: Zanzibar. I love the unique fusion of cultures, and the amazing spirit of the locals, all tied in with some pretty spectacular beaches!
Dream mission experience:
I would love to have the opportunity to work with women in Africa, widowed by AIDS, or to spend time, assisting with rehabilitating child soldiers.
Most awkward cultural blunder: Trying to purchase bread during Ramadan! The shop was open... the bread was there, we were not going to eat it, but the shop keeper was horrified by the fact that we wanted to buy it for later, and very very cross. To this day, I am not sure what the problem was, but I won’t make that mistake again!
Lewina Evans lewina@missiontravel.com.au 
Travel Consultant - Missions
Started working at MTG: January 2011
Favourite place to visit: Anywhere that’s warm! Switzerland in the summertime is wonderful, and Essaouira in Morocco is lots of fun.
Dream mission experience: Serving AIDS-affected communities in Africa: building, teaching, caring...any way I can be useful!
Most awkward cultural blunder: Happily nothing too awkward yet, but I’m sure there will be many blunders to come!
Patricia Mandinyenya patricia@missiontravel.com.au
Travel Consultant - Missions
Started working at MTG: August 2011
Favourite place to visit: I LOVE South Africa!! Beautiful country with lovely people and has exotic landscapes. It’s a country with ALOT of history and diverse culture.
Dream mission experience: I call Africa home and that’s where my heart is. I would love to go to other countries within the continent that l haven’t seen and help those disadvantaged. Rebuilding communities and spending time with children that have lost their parents to HIV and AIDS would be something l would like to experience.
Most awkward cultural blunder: Ummm....haven't had one
Kaye Truscott kaye@missiontravel.com.au
Administrator/Consultant Support
Started working at MTG: September 2011
Elsie Yong elsie@missiontravel.com.au
Finance Manager
