Summer Suggestions: Go on a Missions Trip!
by Denise Morris on 07/25/2008 at 2:05 PM
What is up, friends? I'm back to blogging, and Suzanne and I have decided to write a few posts on all of our brilliant ideas for what to do during your summer months. Here goes:
Spend some time doing missions work! I just got back from spending two weeks in Peru with hundreds of teenagers. Sounds like crazy good times, doesn't it? Actually, it really was. It was the highlight of my summer, mainly because the trip exceeded my expectations.
I helped lead a team of 33 guys and girls, and they were amazing. We had a young team, but they were so dedicated to learning the parts in their drama, playing with the Peruvian children and talking to people about their faith. Their enthusiasm was refreshing (and sometimes a bit convicting).
Our trip consisted of normal missions trip-y things. We did work projects, shared the gospel through a drama; we played jump-rope with children and chatted with their mothers. We visited people in poor areas, shocked by their pieced-together shacks. We tried to avoid the gazillions of flea-ridden stray dogs. Many of our teenagers were experiencing this type of poverty for the very first time, and it was interesting to see it through their eyes.
It was great for me to go as an adult leader. I went on a missions trip in high school, but this was an entirely different experience. As an adult, I was there to serve the Peruvians, but also to encourage our teens. I was able to give advice and challenge them to take new steps. I also learned patience as I tried to get 33 teens to stay quiet long enough to do a head count.
I've often thought of missions trips as the thing that high schoolers do -- a week-long trip to Mexico seems to be a staple of American, youth group Christianity. But it was a rewarding experience for me as well. It may be difficult to find the time in your work schedule, but if you can do it, I would encourage you to consider spending part of your summer serving in a way you're not used to. God will use it to bless you and those you minister to.
1. Craig M. said the following at 3:52 PM on Jul 25:
Denise-- curiousity questions:
Do you speak the language? Did you find it necessary to do so?
Do you think more lengthy "deployments" are more helpful than multiple short-term missions, or is there no difference?
2. Denise Morris said the following at 4:09 PM on Jul 25:
Hey Craig,
Yes, I do speak some Spanish. It was actually really encouraging to be there because before I went I thought I had forgotten everything I learned in college. It came back quite nicely, though, and although I'm nowhere near fluent, I never needed a translator.
It wasn't necessary to know the language on this trip, though. We had four translators with our team every time we went out.
I'm sure there's a huge difference between short-term and long-term missions. I've never done a long-term project, but I'm sure they're so meaningful.
I think short-term trips give you a taste of what it looks like to really serve others and to give up what you've known and become accustomed to. The danger in short-term trips is that they can affect you for awhile, but you quickly forget once you get home.
A long-term trip would be something completely different, and I'm sure they would be wonderful. I was sad to leave Peru -- and I was amazed at what I got "used to" by being there for just a short time. Does anyone here have experience with long-term trips?
3. Jorden said the following at 5:28 PM on Jul 25:
I just went on an amazing mission trip to Gatlinburg TN. I was with my youth group(I'm still in it :P), and we worked with this awesome organization called Smokey Mountain Resort Ministries. In the mornings we led a kids camps at a camp ground. My group had 3 people and we had from 7-10 kids each day. That was really cool to get to interact with the kids each morning. I was kinda sad when each of them had to leave :(.
We also did an evening carnival and shared the gospel at it each night at a different camp ground. That was really cool.(plus we did a skit where I got to dump a bucket of water on my friend every night :P).
But the last day was the coolest I have to admit. In Gatlinburg they do crafts fairs(at least twice a year from my understanding). And for 27 years SMRM has handed out cookies in October, but we had the special privilege to be the first year they have ever gotten cookies in July. It was really cool to see the surprise on each of the craftsmen's face when we would hand the cookies to them and say our short spiel.
Then at night on the last day we got to do some international witnessing without even leaving the country! We had a dinner for the international workers that come over for the summer to work in like dollywood and such. We had people from 8 different countries. And I had a 30-45min conversation with a very nice guy from china. And also a short conversation with someone from turkey.(There were a group of Chinese and one of them had just accepted Christ earlier in the week too :D).
So anyways. Don't discount a mission trip as just something to do. Get out there and have fun while serving the Lord :). I'm glad you had a good time on your trip Denise. It sounds like it went great.
4. Joy W. said the following at 7:53 PM on Jul 25:
I went on a short-term (one week) trip to Mexico last year as a leader with the middle school ministry at my church. I also did a week-long trip to Colombia when I was in college. Both trips were incredible, but very different in nature.
What amazed me most with last year's trip was the hard work, love, and commitment I saw in the students I was with. I work with middle schoolers professionally as a teacher and on a regular basis as a volunteer youth ministry leader, so I wasn't really surprised. Just extraordinarily impressed. And it was such a privilege to support the kids as they served the Mexican people.
The group that went this year just got back, and it really does have an impact on the students and the leaders who go. I don't think there's a better way for us to get a glimpse of what reality means for most of the world.
5. Andrew Randazzo said the following at 9:31 PM on Jul 25:
That's cool! I'm actually running a similar series called Don't Waste Your Summer on my blog. I never thought of "taking a missions trip" as a topic, though.
You can check out my running series at http://thecore.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/dont-waste-your-summer-blog-more/
6. Emily said the following at 12:12 AM on Jul 26:
I am working with Royal Family Kids Camp(RFKC) in Yamhill County, OR again this summer. I live in the area and heard about them from our church last summer. RFKC is an organization that helps local churches provide camps for abused, abandoned and neglected children in their area.
I did a week of camp last summer and will be doing two weeks this summer. It is so amazing to see the kids and the difference that a single week can make when you allow them to just be kids. I went last year thinking of all the things that I could give to the kids and by the end of the week I found that they had taught me so much more than I could ever hope to teach them.
I can't wait to see the first group get off the bus on Monday morning!!
7. H.A.P said the following at 3:05 AM on Jul 26:
Excuse me for being so long but I've got to include a bit of my story here!
My husband's parents came to Ireland as missionaries when he was 13. He felt called to serve in this country as strongly as they did. After high school, he went back to the USA and after two months was miserable. So he came back to Ireland and got permission to stay for another year. During that time he managed to get a work permit to work as a stock boy. That was almost ten years ago and he is now an assistant manager for the store.
We met two years ago when I came for a two week missions trip to help with their VBS! I had no idea that the missionaries I was coming to help even had a son working with them! He is content working behind the scenes and letting his parents be "the missionaries". I was so impressed by his dedication and love for this country and his love for the Lord. I fell for him immediately. It took him a few months to come around. :-)
When people ask if he is a full-time Christian worker I have to stay yes! despite his full time job. He is a wonderful testimony at work and holds numerous positions in the church at the same time. As a couple, we teach the teen Sunday School class, hold twice monthly teen outreaches, work in the after-school Bible club and more.
Recently we have become very thankful for his work permit being our permission to stay here. I would enlist your prayers for all of the American and Non-EU missionaries in Ireland right now. Recently a ruling has been upheld that would limit the length of time any charity worker could stay in Ireland to three years. Two families that we know of have been given dates for deportation already. We are praying that the Lord intervene and the law be changed or missionaries be given separate status!
In regards to having groups visit us short-term now instead of being the one visiting...I see how much work it can be for the missionaries to have short-term groups come. We had a group of teenagers come in April and stay for a week. In reality they did very little to help us and made an awful lot of work... cooking meals and such. They barely were getting over jet lag before it was time to leave. But I think a couple of the kids went home changed and that is what is important.
IMO if you want to be help to a mission, plan to stay a month or longer, and be prepared to be taken out of your comfort zone.
8. khalil said the following at 9:34 AM on Jul 26:
I was involved with the IMB in high school and went on two short term trips to Mexico back in the 90's. I got back into missions in 2004 when I went to Beirut for the first time with Crescent Project (www.crescentproject.org). Four years and five trips later I am now on the verge of being sent off with Kids Alive International to work at their program in Lebanon. The short term trip for me was the starting point of long term missions. Though I felt a sense of affection for Lebanon when I first arrived in 2004 I didn't think that it would lead to this...once all the funds and support come in I'll be off, hopefully by Nov/Dec 2008.
Since most of my experience with short-term trips has been with Crescent Project, I'll share their view (which I also agree with). Their trips are around 3 weeks long, one week of intensive training and study in the states about muslim evangelism and two weeks practicing those skills (either overseas or in a Muslim community here in the States). The overall goal is to equip Christians on how to bridge the gospel between Muslims and Christians. The international aspect of this program is meant to expose Christians to a new culture and give them some experience (street-cred is what I call it). Once back in the States it is hoped the skills the participants honed and experience they gained will be used in reaching out locally. In my case I was called to serve long term overseas. The training was still helpful and many of the friendships I developed over those short trips continue and will continue once I return.
9. KJ said the following at 1:21 PM on Jul 26:
One thing I would like to point out is the possibility of doing mission work without leaving your hometown. A few years ago I spent part of my summer teaching backyard Bible clubs and found that there were children hungry for the Word living literally two blocks from me - and that was just one of the clubs I taught.
I've never gone on a foreign missions trip, and I'm sure they can be rewarding (especially if they consist of actual missions work and aren't just a sanctified sightseeing tour, like the one my college roommate went on once) but I've met people who discount my local work because I didn't "get out of my comfort zone" to serve God...there are fields ripe for the harvest at home too. I guess it's all in what you feel God calling YOU to do.
10. Cathy S said the following at 9:04 PM on Jul 27:
Missions trips are awesome! A team of 14 people from my church, myself included, just got back from a very short-term, mini-missions trip. We went to a place called Hunger Education and Resources Training (HEART). They have students come in the Fall and the Spring to learn and train to become missionaries in a third-world country. The students are taught skills such as gardening, water purifying, and animal husbandry. They are also taught about appropriate technology. It is an amazing camp! We went there to help do some painting and some miscellaneous projects. Please pray for them, they need a cook for the fall semester. The facility is located in Lake Wales, Florida. Also, please pray for the assistant director's son, who just got back from Haiti...he may have malaria. Thanks!
And KJ, I agree, there are definitely plenty of missions opportunities in our own backyards!
11. Miranda said the following at 11:55 PM on Jul 27:
Thanks for this post! You've touched on something very dear to my heart.
I've been a missionary kid, and I've also done short-term trips. I lived with my parents first in Mexico and then in Honduras from the time I was twelve until I was fifteen. I have since taken short trips to Mexico (a week), Guatemala (a week), and China (five weeks).
I certainly agree with the idea that short-term missions helps expand people's worldviews and teach them how to serve. It also can, if done properly, be great for those receiving the help. It can be a lot of work (while living in Mexico we often received teams to work with the kids at the children's home), but it is rewarding on both sides. Speaking the language is also extremely helpful, as it shows the people you are going to serve that you are interested in them and their culture--I became fluent in Spanish while I lived in Latin America, and it still helps me in outreach to Hispanics in my community. However, even just showing interest in learning a few words is helpful, too--one of the best ways I connected with my Chinese students was through having them teach me to count to ten in Mandarin. I am in no way even remotely fluent in Chinese, but asking questions was a good way to show interest in their lives. Translators are a huge help when there are gaps, so use 'em! :) (It also gives the translators opportunities to serve).
However, having spent just over a month in China, I have to say that it is easier to make more of a lasting impact when one stays longer. By the time I left China, I felt like I had grounded myself a bit in some relationships there, and I felt like my comfort zone was totally shaken (even though I was a missionary kid, the two cultures were vastly different and my Spanish didn't help me a bit in China).
Now I feel called to work with my ninth-grade students here in my small town in SC. Most of my kids live in homes where the average median income is $13,000 a year, and many of them are so hungry for something more than the cycle of poverty they've always known.
Some helpful links for those who might be interested in serving in Asia (short-term or long-term):
http://www.campchina.org
http://www.elic.org
http://www.omf.org
12. Erin said the following at 7:41 AM on Jul 28:
I don't know, I am not a huge fan of the short-term missions trip, maybe because I was raised Catholic and we don't do that kind of stuff as often...I feel that folks should commit to serving at home on a regular basis (like, volunteering somewhere weekly) and send their money abroad to be used by a group that already has the infrastructure, skills, and experience in place. So many resources are wasted when inexperienced folks are sent abroad to "serve." Did anyone read the article in the Washington Post, "Churches Retool Mission Trips?" It has some good criticisms of the short-term missions model.
Also, what's the deal; why are so few people committing to long-term or lifetime missions work anymore?
13. obewan said the following at 8:58 AM on Jul 28:
I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this issue. Overall, it seems that mission trips do more for the people that go than for the people that are served. They are good learning experiences, and allow people to bring back first hand stories about ministry to those in foreign lands. However, sometimes they are just tourist trips with a little bit of work thrown in for good measure.
I went to Mexico for a couple of weeks with my church. We had no real agenda. We spent something like 10 days on tourist traps and cultural exchange events (meeting in homes of other Christians.) We spent two days painting the church and/or working at a youth outreach. I felt like we had spent several thousand dollars on what was mostly a “visit” and that the very poor church we had planted in Mexico would have been far better off if we had just sent them the money. I have heard it said that some mission boards would rather have money sent for construction projects (so they can hire low cost labor) instead of having the money spent on expensive travel expenses for the volunteer labor. But the upside is that the volunteers return home with pictures and stories that can lead to additional support for the mission they had served.
Overall, I would say that before you go, get a real good feel for the agenda and work to be done. If you feel that a money donation would be a better option, then consider doing that. Of course, if you are using vacation time, there is nothing wrong with the mission-tourism approach I suppose. I mean, the money would be spent on a vacation anyway.
14. steph said the following at 12:47 PM on Jul 28:
Hi Erin (#12):
I guess I don't see the lack of people committing to long term missions. I know a lot of people who have spent one or two year stints out of college, and who want to do more. Also, this probably depends on what church/organization you're going with and who's supporting you, but I know of some people in my denomination who have spent years serving and want to go again, but have been waiting awhile for a new assignment.
As for the waste of resources idea... I went on a three week missions trip in Africa, which was good because it was my first experience abroad and really helped me to see the worldwide church. However, I was highly unsatisfied knowing that I was only meeting these people once and didn't have time to build any kind of meaningful relationships. So I pretty much decided that I would only go on another one if it was at least a few months long. (my personal preference)
At the same time, we were a big encouragement to the Christians that we met there. They were all new, young, and trying to come up with some kind of group structure. So it was helpful for them to meet some excited, "more experienced" Christians who were their age.
15. Cathy S said the following at 8:26 PM on Jul 28:
Personally, I would say that there are many benefits to short-term missions trips. Though I am partial because the church I am involved with now is heavily into missions. One of the goals of the missions pastor is to have every aspect of the church from women's ministry to children's ministry be involved in missions in some way.
There are definitely times where it is just better to send money than to send a team, for example in Burma (I think?...) where foreign aid was not being allowed in, our church collected money to send to an organization that was already involved with work over there. But we have many long-term missionaries all over the world that we support. In those cases it can be very helpful to send a short-term team from their home church, not only for support, but we also bring much needed or wanted supplies that maybe they can't get in that country. We bring encouragement and sometimes money depending on the situation.
I have been to Kenya and to Scotland on a short-term trip. The focuses of each trip were very different. This winter we will be going to Russia to encourage a missionary couple over there. We will be helping with a few things like a VBS and possibly a women's and men's conference.
Anyway, just my perspective. I am all for long-term missionaries, but I think short-term trips are great too. And if people go with an open mind and heart, God uses short-term trips to call people into long-term service.
16. Rachael said the following at 10:03 PM on Jul 28:
I think I think somewhat along the lines of Obewan (13). I think in the future if I go on a missions trip where it doesn't really seem I'm doing much and that the cost of me going out there could be in some people's eyes perhaps better spent as a donation to long-term mission work, I would want to remember in my heart that my going is not necessarily any more of a service to God than my life might be staying home. Even if I were going with the thought that I were useful, still I'd want to remember this. So if I did an overseas missions trip, I think my heart core may think of it, even if unarticulated, as a chance to travel while possibly being of some use for the local missionaries, and I believe that God could use the time there (whether or not I perceive I'm being useful), while understanding He could use me anywhere, on the trip or not...
I do believe that the more exposure to the situations of other peoples helps soften the heart and open the eyes of compassion and awareness. And this is a really good thing. And this can happen anywhere...
17. BDB said the following at 3:03 PM on Jul 29:
Rachael (#16) wrote:
>>I do believe that the more exposure to the situations of other peoples helps soften the heart and open the eyes of compassion and awareness. And this is a really good thing. And this can happen anywhere...<<
Yes - you get a much better perspective on the world when you interact with other cultures. If you see poverty up close overseas, you will be able to see it in the U.S., too. And if you already work with the poor here at home, you'd be surprised how many similarities there are overseas. Access to education - and English - makes a big impact on an individual's abilit to earn income.
Also, if you are a donor, it's good to get out and see where your money is going. Some organizations, and missionaries, are better stewards than others. It's very encouraging to go to a place and see that the money sent by you and your church is being used properly. That kind of an independent audit is a key part of raising future funds.
18. BDB said the following at 4:04 PM on Jul 29:
I will admit that a short-term trip can become touristy if it's not managed. One thing my church decided to do is partner with the same people in country year after year. They've gotten pretty good at putting together an actual program of stuff to do.
For example, one common outreach activity is teaching English. In countries like Cambodia, the basic knowledge they need to move their country forward is not available in their own language, Khmer. Even Google doesn't work in Khmer. So lots of people are learning English. When short-term missionaries come, it gives these regular classes the chance to interact with some native English speakers different from their teachers. It also gives the teachers a break - that's when they get a vacation.
The other thing is supplies. In some countries, if you ship a package, the recipient might need to pay a $20 "fee" to receive the package at the post office. Extremely expensive for an in-country national. If you ship via FedEx or DHL, it will cost you $40-$50, but your package will get their without being rifled through.
The alternative is to bring luggage. On our trips, each person is limited to one individual bag @ 50 lbs. The 2nd bag is a "team bag." Where possible, we'll try to find out what the missionaries need. We'll also pack small gifts for them - stuff we know they want; or just American stuff (like Starbucks coffee - there is no Starbucks in Cambodia) so they get a little piece of home. It's possible to bring thousands of dollars of supplies this way - far cheaper than shipping it and much less likely to get stolen in shipping. The key is to bring things that are not readily available in country.
19. BDB said the following at 4:06 PM on Jul 29:
Forgot to mention - we usually have teams of 7-15, and we'll send 2-3 teams to a specific destination each summer. So that could result in 30 suitcases full of supplies to a specific missionary base.
20. Leah said the following at 8:28 PM on Jul 29:
I think short-term mission trips are often of more benefit for the missionary than the people they are ministering to. This doesn't mean we shouldn't do them, not at all. I've been on several short-term mission trips myself. However, I once came across the opportunity to do a short-term mission trip to Bangladesh, but it would have cost me $3000. a) As a student at the time, that's quite a lot. b) I wondered, would the $3000 be better spent given directly to the long-term missionaries already established in Bangladesh?
If my sole intention was to help the people of Bangladesh, then yes, I think the money would be better spent given to long-term missionaries. But if I also had the intention of broadening my horizons, giving myself a taste of overseas mission, etc etc, then of course nothing replaces going on the trip myself. But if we do go on short-term mission trips, we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking we are doing it only for the people there, but that we are also doing it for ourselves.
(NB: This is not necessarily a bad thing. Please take that in context of my entire comment.)
21. KJ said the following at 1:33 PM on Jul 30:
Erin (#12) - I read that very same article a few minutes after I posted my comment (#9) I thought it put into words much better than I could have why missions trips can at times be a really bad thing.
I once saw a young lady from my church go on a foreign missions trip. She came back jet-lagged and exhausted, but she'd seen great things happen on the trip, so within a week she decided to switch colleges and change her major to missions. Within a year, she'd transferred and changed her major back. Obviously getting a "spiritual high" in a foreign country isn't the same as being truly called by God to go there.
So as to the question of, how do we get people to actually want to DO missions as a lifelong thing - I don't know. But the proliferation of short-term trips juxtaposed with the drop in long-term missionaries heading to the field shows that short-term trips aren't doing the job very well.