Short-term Missions, Lifelong Change
by Ted Slater on 05/15/2009 at 12:30 PM
I'm a big fan of Threads, a ministry of LifeWay for young adults. I receive their e-newsletter, follow them on Twitter, and keep up with them on Facebook. If you're looking to supplement your Boundless cravings, you might want to check them out.
They published a relevant article yesterday on the value of short-term missions, something I'm a big fan of. The article emphasizes the benefits you'll experience by serving others this way; of course, those you're going to serve are likely to benefit as well by your sacrifice.
The overseas missions work I've been involved with has been through Operation Blessing (Colombia), and through my local church with Wycliffe/Rotary (Mexico). The Threads article lists a few other agencies.
Summer is an ideal season to volunteer a week or more of your time to serve others, either within your own country or abroad. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have gone on short-term projects, as well as from those whose summer plans include this kind of work. Why are you doing it? Who are you going through? What do you hope to accomplish?
1. obewan said the following at 1:25 PM on May 15:
If you were thinking about going, my advice would be to acquire and prayerfully consider the “work agenda” for the trip. It could be packed full of productive support work, or it could have an inappropriate amount of tourism and photo shoots. I know because I have been there and done that in Mexico.
On the other hand, if you are planning on taking a vacation anyway, then there is nothing wrong with a couple of weeks of tourism and photo shoots at a foreign mission work. It could be used by the Lord to raise support and awareness at home for the project you visit…But, if you were concerned about best use of resources, I would review the work agenda before going…Just my 2 cents.
2. Susie said the following at 1:59 PM on May 15:
I will be in Nepal for the month of July doing missions work as part of a YWAM school I've been doing. Soooo excited! We will be doing a lot of preaching & teaching, and leading some church seminars.
The church in Nepal is still fairly young (less than 100 years old-not sure of the exact numbers), so it is an exciting time to be going.
3. brx said the following at 4:07 PM on May 15:
A sincere debate may ensue when one asks about the effectiveness of given resources when spent in support of short-term vs long term 'mission' trips.
I wouldn't discount the effectiveness short-term trips often have in opening the eyes and broadening the perspective of people who have never done Kingdom work in other cultures and/or 3rd world conditions. It really opened my eyes!
After a few trips, I think it's worth asking the serious question "is this trip the most effective use of these resources, or am I spending them more to feed my personal desires for travel and adventure than serving others?"
I'm sure there is a right balance to be made.
4. Denise said the following at 4:53 PM on May 15:
I think that there are a lot of reasons why short term missions are good and bad. Of course this also depends on your definition of short term missions. For the sake of my comment think of short term as 7-14 days.
These trips are BAD when someone says they are going to "further the Kingdom" when they are really just adding a country to their list or to seeing the sights while they are there. It is also a problem when the trip costs more than they make in a month (or 2) and in all honesty the money would be better spent if they just sent the money to the church and/or organization. I believe we are called to be good stewards of our money and that no one should ever spend $2-3,000 on a week long mission trip.
However, if someone can find a reasonably priced mission trip that is not going to put them into debt and they will truly be going to serve God and His people then I think it is great!
I spent 6 weeks in 2004 working with kids in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 12 weeks in 2008 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and am headed back to work at the same "orphanage" in Cochabamba this summer for 10 weeks.
Basically I guess I'm just saying you have to look at your motivation and if it is cost effective...For me this summer is about helping children that don't have parents and supporting the people who love and care for them. Do I care if I get to go shopping or climb a mountain or go to a pretty lake or see the sights? NO! Not at all. In fact, if given the option of working a 24 hour shift at the orphanage or going sightseeing I will choose the work in a heartbeat...
5. Charles H. said the following at 6:59 PM on May 15:
Being a missionary is one of the hardest jobs out there. If you needed brain surgery, would you go to someone who does brain surgery one week a year and spends the rest of the year doing something pretty much unrelated? Personally (and I know this is going to stir the pot a bit) I think we're devaluing mission work by implying it can be done successfully in a casual way.
6. Texas Craig said the following at 9:34 PM on May 15:
In the last 3 years, have had three mission trips to a large country in East Asia (wink, wink) :-) One of them I served as the co-leader of a group of about 28 people, so I have seen both sides.
I think obewan's comments are right on. Too often, short term trips are glorified vacations. There is value in having 1-2 days built into a 2-week trip for sightseeing/downtime, but people need to be focused and purposeful on their mission during the trip. This includes praying for it every day for about a month in advance, and making the most of every opportunity while on the trip.
However, even if people don't go into it with the right frame of mind, I think that God still uses it to really change people. On the trip I led, we had one guy whose wife really wanted to go, but he saw it as a vacation. Before we went, he was asking about how frequently they could get away to go sightseeing, etc. But, once we got there, God took hold of his heart and did amazing things.
Near the end of the trip, when he and his wife were getting ready to go on their "vacation" portion, he told us had been selfish beforehand and that now he wanted to stay and keep ministering to people. The next year, he went back with me, and he has indicated a desire to go every year. Ours was primarily evangelistic and teaching-focused, and he still stays in touch with more than 15 different people there via email and counsels and encourages them every month.
So, even when people don't necessarily have the right motivation going into it, short-term missions can be life-changing. As for my trips, they have been incredibly fruitful, and we have seen many come to the Lord, baptized many new believers, and helped encourage and disciple many others. So, yes, they were definitely worth it!
7. Jill said the following at 1:11 AM on May 16:
I am leaving in just over a day to go to the Philippines for 2 weeks. A team will from our church will be working with a missionary we support to disciple, encourage and "love on" girls that have been abused. This is my first mission trip--I am so excited to be a part of God's mission in the world, and I'm glad that I have the opportunity to build relationships with the girls. Any prayers would be appreciated. God bless (and God speed!)
8. khalil said the following at 9:52 AM on May 16:
My first mission trips were to Mexico, serving alongside a church in Pachuca, Hidalgo. Went two summers in a row while in high school, working odd jobs to pay my way. Didn't consider another mission trip until 2003,when I was working on my master's degree. As a result of several short term trips to Lebanon, from 2004-2007, I am now living in Beirut and part of a ministry in Lebanon that has been touching the lives of children and families here for over 60 years.
I've spoken with nationals here about the impact of teams coming over for short periods of time and the answer I get most of the time is that for what it costs one American to come and serve for two weeks a national could use that as a salary for almost a year and probably have greater impact. I can see their point of view (sometimes the brief trips aren't the best use of financial resources) but I also see that when foreigners come to Lebanon on short term trips they are often reaching out to groups of people that the local church isn't doing a good job connecting with.
9. BDB said the following at 1:42 PM on May 16:
Charles H brings up an interesting point in #5.
The Children's Hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia, relies on short-term missionaries to do things like brain surgery. Whenever they get a doctor with a specific specialty coming in, they line up all the surgeries they can for that two-week period.
They ALSO arrange for the in-country physicians to be on hand to assist. While brain surgery isn't the best example because of it's complexity, there is a need for emergency surgery year-round. Nationals in some of these countries could never travel to the U.S. or other 1st world nations for full-price training.
The criticisms work the same way: say it costs $2000 to bring the specialist to Cambodia for two weeks. You could bring 50 specialists to Cambodia to train several local surgeons. Or, you could send one Cambodian to medical school, not including the additional years for surgical training and residency.
10. Texas Craig said the following at 2:13 PM on May 16:
Having worked with a number of different missionaries, I have heard different things about short term trips. It mostly depends on the type of trip and the nature of the ministry you are supporting or the purpose of your trip.
For example, one full-time missionary I have worked with has a ministry focus to business leaders. He appreciates having short term teams come in when the team consists of businessmen or professionals who can lead a seminar on business, but also cultivate relationships with the people and share the gospel as part of the seminars. The short term trips are a major source of ministry support for him and helps to further his full-time missions work.
On the other hand, another missionary I know that works with children finds short term teams more of a burden than a help, because the nature of his work is such that short term teams create more work for him than provide help.
As for the comment about short-term missionaries not being able to do what a full-time missionary can do, I think the comment misses the point a bit. It is the same Holy Spirit working through the full-time missionary as the short-term missionary, so I think both can be very fruitful. As I mentioned in my last post, we have seen many people come to Christ through our trips. After our first trip, one of the missionaries we worked with called us "barbarians" because she had just read the book "The Barbarian Way" (if you have read the book, you know it was a compliment). The point is not to glorify us, but to point out that God can do great things through anyone who is committed to being used by Him.
11. Matthew said the following at 3:47 PM on May 16:
I've been on a number of short-term missions trips, and the ones that were most formative and meaningful for me and the people that I served or learned from were all six weeks or longer. Sadly, I won't be going on any in the next year because school goes through the summer. :( 1-week and 2-week trips can be very, very good-- but the shorter the trip, the more careful and prudent you must be about planning and going.
I am thrilled by the increase in missions interest in our generation the opportunities to witness short-term. I think that short-term missions is a great thing and can do a lot of good. But many, many missionaries and indigenous pastors are saying that in our zeal to do good and spread the Gospel, in many places we have done harm. This is reflected in both Christian and secular mission trips and in just about all areas-- evangelism, church-planting, medical work, food aid, etc. Often, due to cross-cultural issues and spiritual pride, those of us who go or support those who are going, we dictate the terms of our aid and mission service instead of seeking to partner with local ministries in a way that empowers them and encourages them to use their own resources to solve their problems and lending our support in helpful, sustainable ways. The problem is described very well in this article.
That's not even touching on issues of "reached" vs. "unreached" places (one regular short-term missionary who is a doctor quipped, "If one more missionary sets foot on Dominican Republic, I think it's going to sink into the ocean...")
I've gathered some questions over the years from various missionaries and my own experience-- perhaps this could be a whole 'nother post? But I think that they are very helpful to ask yourself and your church about them, and they include: Is there an established mission work there? If so, how are we contributing to it? Are we setting the agenda for the trip, or is the local leadership? What are our motivations to go? Will we have adequate training and orientation? What will we do to help the trip be as spiritually formational as possible for the people who go and as helpful as possible for the people who receive us? Could our money be spent better elsewhere? Could we get the same sort of cross-cultural experience for our teenagers and missions-unaware adults with a missions trip in America? Could we do something that will have a longer-lasting effect, like teaching or training? Could we find a way to engage in overseas service to a place that is not as "reached"?
12. BDB said the following at 4:14 PM on May 16:
Like Texas Craig mentioned in #10, the value of short-term missions depends a lot on what the mission is doing.
The short-term mission I went on last year was primarily medical. The three nurses did the core work. But the organization we visited has about 120 sponsored kids, 80% of which are sponsored by people in my church. I had several sponsors ask me for an honest assessment of how their money was being used. I was able to give them a good report.
This fits in with Steve Saint's conclusion that if these countries didn't need our funding, they wouldn't need our short-term missionaries. But they do need our funding, which means showing up in person to confirm how the money is being used.
13. BDB said the following at 4:25 PM on May 16:
One thing specific to Cambodia is that they are language-isolated. With only about 12 million people, there is a lot of knowledge that would help them lift themselves out of poverty. But it would be prohibitively expensive to try and translate it all into Khmer.
It's a lot easier to teach Cambodian's English. This is a primary task of the missions where we sent short-term missionaries. The short-termers let the full-time teachers take a vacation for a week or two with their families - otherwise they don't get a vacation. It helps the students to interact with some different native English speakers. And when you're teaching English, you can use the Bible as your textbook.
One unexpected situation was that our translators were all Cambodian college students. They were studying the same fields I had degrees in: business, politics, economics. We had some great discussions about what the economic development opportunities were for their countries. I felt like a visiting professor when talking to them. But it was clear that they could run the hands-on organization for the children without our help.
14. Matthew said the following at 8:07 PM on May 16:
Way to go with the Steve Saint link there, BDB. I've been following him for a couple of years now and he has a lot of really solid things to say with decades of experience on the mission field and off. Definitely challenges us to be thoughtful, Biblical, and loving in doing missions. He's been at the Global Missions Health Conference every year that I've gone and it's always a treat to hear him speak!
15. Texas Craig said the following at 9:37 PM on May 16:
Another thing we should keep in mind is that we do not always have to go on a mission trip to accomplish the ministry God has put on our heart.
For example, let's say you have a heart for reaching the lost in China. It would certainly be very beneficial to go to China on a short-term mission trip. However, it may not be necessary to go back to China to reach the lost, because there are tens of thousands of Chinese nationals in the U.S., working and studying. These are people that will likely go back to China as leaders in their fields. If you reach out to them here and show them the love of Christ, you can change their lives and they can then take the gospel back to China with them.
Two foreign women that I know (and that my family befriended and showed God's love to) just got baptized last year. One of them is back in her home country now. We didn't even have to leave our hometown to reach that country! Also, getting involved with refugees is another great way to reach a people group without traveling.
So, be sure to look for the opportunities around you, because you may not have to travel on a mission trip to accomplish the purposes God has put on your heart!
16. Rachael said the following at 11:47 PM on May 16:
#11 wrote: "Could we get the same sort of cross-cultural experience for our teenagers and missions-unaware adults with a missions trip in America?"
There are definitely cross-cultural opportunities in America.
I used to be heavily involved in local opportunities for much of the time when I was in college. The first time I was involved with that type of ministry, students from various states came and gathered up international students and got it going...after the summer missionaries left, us townies kept it going by holding weekly gatherings and hanging out together and with the international students, and doing Bible studies with some of them. It was a huge part of my life. At some point after I transferred colleges I found a similar ministry and got involved in that. Anyway, there really are plentiful cross-cultural opportunities at least in areas of the US as well...
17. khalil said the following at 9:39 AM on May 17:
I agree with comments 15 and 16 (Craig and Rachael)...
Colleges and universities are amazing places to do cross cultural ministry and have a world-wide impact as well. Before coming to Lebanon I volunteered and worked with the international students for 3 years at a local private college.
If you're motivated and inclined to do it just be aware of what is around you too. Ethnic restaurants, delis, markets, and stores are great places to meet people and have cross cultural interactions as well. You don't have to be knowledgeable about the food, culture, or people you're interacting with...I would say that being uninformed (yet willing to ask questions) is a plus.
The combination of international students and patronizing businesses owned by foreigners has given me several lifelong friends, a chance to minister, and a glimpse into the hearts of individuals that might otherwise have been overlooked.
Crescent Project (www.crescentproject.org) does a one week training on how to effectively minister to and share the gospel with Muslims. At the end of the training there is a short term trip, often two of the trips planned are in the US, working within a large city (Atlanta, Detroit, Orlando, etc.) ministering and serving within American communities.
18. Peter said the following at 9:29 PM on May 17:
I will be leaving for Peru in a week, to spend the summer living in a small mountain village. While there the team and I (five of us) will be spending our time discipling the new believers there, outreaching to the community, and preparing the way for short term teams coming through. The beauty of this trip is that it is a really small town, so everyone there will eventually know us and know that we are followers of Christ. In that way we will be able to share Christ just by our actions and how we represent ourselves, along with other methods of course. I am going on this trip through the IMB. If anyone is curious about the work in the area more can be found at reapsouth.org
19. Matthew said the following at 9:18 AM on May 18:
Let me add that I'm really glad that the overall thrust of the OP and all the comments is: Go! Be involved! Pour yourself out that God's name would be glorified among the earth! I would like to see such the flames of passion for God's fame stoked among my generation, and the only thing worth arguing about at this point is how to do so most wisely.
20. BDB said the following at 9:33 PM on May 18:
Another thing to keep in mind is that while North Americans and Europeans can easily get tourist visas into poor countries, the reverse is not true. Several of the Cambodians we worked with would love to travel to the U.S. but can't get a visa without showing substantially more money in their bank account than they can possibly save after a few years.
One of the ways we ease the burden on the long-term missionaries we visit is by following a one-bag rule for short-term missionaries luggage. The other piece of luggage is filled with stuff the long-term missionaries need: computer training manuals, Bibles, Starbucks coffee...whatever they need that is prohibitively expensive to buy in-country or ship to them can be brought in luggage.
It's not like we're selling it, so we're not "importing" things for a business. But we can make life a lot easier for them - and save them thousands of dollars.
21. Texas Craig said the following at 3:26 PM on May 20:
BDB:
Great point in #20! That is right on. My last trip, I had three different missionaries in country asking for things they needed. After about the 30th thing I was asked to bring, I started to get a little irritated. But, then God hit me with the concept that part of my ministry was just serving as a "mule" and taking things to them. Once I saw it that way, it was no bother, just part of the mission. They also asked me to bring a ton of things back as well! It was all good. :-)
22. Jeff Goins said the following at 7:12 AM on Jun 1:
I agree - short term missions get a bad rap. There can be so much fruit, and it's oven difficult to work thru the prejudices about short-term mission work. It's sad, because God can do a lot in a week, and while they may not be effective in every area of the world (i.e. Western Europe probably needs more long-term missionaries), STMs are still an effective way of communicating the Gospel and growing the global church.