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 Post subject: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:24 am 
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Location: Sunshine State
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc ... ion-trips/

I am guilty of giving, I am glad I have not spent resources in going.

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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:57 pm 
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Posts: 1095
Based on my own experiences and with communications with those who are long term missionaries who truly know the needs/customs/traditions of those they serve with, this article is unfortunately, very true. It is much better to send money directly to a trusted, long term, established missionary who can directly put the funds to use where most needed, then to send it to an organization (unless you know for sure that organization is using the money for the intended need - a need they know is there, not one we might assume is there). If it is going through a government liaison... it may never get where it should, and with many mission agencies, a larger percentage goes for office costs, and not to those in need. This goes for food/clothes... So do your homework.

Our youth/adults going on trips may have life changing experiences, and that can be fantastic, but are they having that kind of impact on the ones they are "helping"? Is the life change of those being served a long term positive one? Is it something that "teaches them to fish" or is a hand out that keeps them stuck? Is it taking away local jobs?

I have a list of missionaries that I know, or that I know of who receive money directly and use it for what they know will best meet needs. Those are the ones my money will go to. If I were to ever go back and serve on a mission field, it would be a background position, one that does not take anything away from the people when I leave - for example: it is great for our hearts (even when it breaks them) to go to an orphanage and rock the babies. What really should be considered is, how many baby hearts are we damaging when we leave and they experience another loss. It would be better to be scrubbing toilets, washing diapers, and other behind the scene chores that benefit the kids, the staff. That way the kids get what they need, and lose nothing when we come back home. or move on to another orphanage/school/community.

Let's serve those who are there serving long term, as part of a community, not as a visitor. Let's do the laundry of the staff, do their busy work, so they can get some rest, serve their people. Let's not spend money on plane tickets, food for our meals, supplies for our comforts and instead send that money to take care of many more needs, long term, in the area we are focusing on. The only ones who truly know those needs, and how far the money can go are living among the community, meeting those needs - with or without our money.

Take Katie Davis, I'm sure, if there was a need for a body, she'd let people know. I bet she'd rather utilize someone from the community if possible though. If you were planning on going and staying and you could better meet a need, then she's probably pick you. In reality, because she has become "one of them" she would be better served with our contributions that match the need, rather than coming down to "help". I know this to be true for the missionaries I know. Not that they don't appreciate the intent, but they are the ones who are picking up the pieces after the well meaning leave to go back home.

Instead of planning trips, it might be better to put your time into your neighbor, your community - and meet the needs of the ones we can build relationships with, who we can know their needs. Problem is, it is easier to set aside a week or two and go serve elsewhere, then to be committed to the possibility of inconvenience of becoming involved with someone who might become an unwelcome intrusion in our daily lives. It can get messy, when those we serve know were we live, or might bump into us at wal*mart, or the park. When we are part of something once a week, or potentially coming face to face 365 days a year, it is often not as appealing. We all have a mission field in our homes (and that goes for our kids who see the need in other countries but do not see the needs in their siblings/parents/neighbors), and another larger one right outside the door of our home? Why do we not become passionate about raising money to meet such needs, instead of asking for money/finding work to do to make the trips elsewhere? One may not be less important, but neither is it more important.

It is a dilemma for sure.


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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:33 pm 
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Location: South Dakota
I guess I will come down on the side that the life changing experiences in the short term missionaries ARE valuable, and that value is also worthy.
And yes, there are many many wasted dollars, you do need to be very cautious.
My church does send a lot of short term teams, and we view the value to the team-member as equal to the value to the recipients on the other end. Many of the full-time missionaries that my home church supports first went on a short-term mission and were able to see what the full-time missionaries did, and have some hands on idea of what that might entail.
BUT--all the short-term teams go to a place where a supported missionary or local native pastor that we support has set up and supervises everything. So whatever is done IS what needs doing. Often our full-time missionaries will plan activities that need a lot more help for the times of short-term missions, and do the things they do well alone at other times of the year.
But do we need to be missionaries in our own communities--absolutely!


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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:49 pm 
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Sounds like your church is well connected. I agree the personal growth that one can get on short term missions is worth while. I think though, in the end, if both sides don't benefit, then what we get, vs. what they lose is not worth it, since the purpose of going is to meet their needs. Doesn't sound like this is an issue at all with the groups you are affiliated with. I also totally see where short term missions sometimes leads to the long term missionaries. That is wonderful when that happens.

The two sad points I have seen is 1. Where short term missions are really vacations - and that happens a lot. God can convict a heart/change a life when this happens, but often it is recognition and entertainment that is the true goal of the participant. 2. When those who are the ones we go to serve/assist end up like the kids in the article that end up being mistreated so they can look like they are truly needy, for the money they can bring home, or the locals who lose jobs to the mission teams, and we the teams come home, the locals are worse off then before. It happens.

I love it when the long term missionaries are the ones to let teams know what they need, the teams come over and meet those needs. That is the process working best.


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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:46 pm 
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Location: Searcy, Arkansas
We have had this debate in our congregation. We have worked with folks who go on trips to the same place year after year, so they get to see that there is cumulative progress being made. They work with full time missionaries on the ground there. The personal growth aspect can't be emphasized enough. Giving folks the opportunity to see the difference in cultures as well as the opportunity to sacrifice their own comfort for a relatively short period of time to help share the gospel is important.

Having said that, we also made a decision as a congregation that we would focus more of our efforts on supporting "local" missionaries in foreign nations that we have interacted with personally and helping with new plantings. We also started re-focusing our attention on "local" outreach in the community around us (that was when we started working on things like the 4th of July water handout I mentioned on another thread).

I think it is easy to end up in the ditch on either side of the road. Handing out money with little or no supervision and little or no verifiable results is one ditch and shutting down international mission work and/or participatory mission trips by congregation members is the other ditch.


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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 12:33 am 
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Location: Central TX
Well, this makes sense. I had never thought of these things before. My church went from not being very involved in missions, to being VERY mission oriented almost over night. My pastor and his wife have been reading "Kisses From Katie" and I suspect he must have read David Platt's "Radical" because he believes that every single person has to go away on a mission trip. While I agree with him on most things, I don't agree on this. He has said more than once that we can not say we're not called to physically go on missions because it's each of our job. This kind of thinking is becoming very popular because of books like "Radical" that are coming out. I think people should be carefull when they tell Christians you MUST do something, when it is not in the Bible. The Bible does say to share the Gospel with all the world, but it doesn't say specifically, each and every Christian must travel over seas at least once on a mission trip. I would love to go on a mission trip someday, but right now the only way I can help with missions is through prayer.

Right now, we have a girl from our church in Uganda on a "scouting" trip to see how we can help over there long term. The cost to send her was ridiculous (the cost of her vaccines alone were ridiculous). But I did want to find a church that was involved in missions and I've definitely found it. We also have a girl in London ministering to Muslims. She has ended up staying there longer than expected and it may turn into something long term. Our pastor's wife and another lady from church just returned from a two week long trip to Asia with another group of people. This was a follow up trip from a trip they had made a couple years before. The first time they had gone, there were absolutely no Christians. It was unreached. This time when they got there they were surprised and pleased to not only find Christians, but churches! All as a result of their first trip. And that is the goal: to start the flame and when you leave, they keep the fire going and help it spread. They carry out the work that you started. So it sounds like a success to me.

On the recent trip to Laredo, Tx, they were in partnership with the only Christian church in the area. They worked and fellowshiped with them, so according to this article, they did it the right way. But I have to wonder if it was worth the expense. They went door to door sharing the Gospel and doing skits to present the Gospel, but I wonder if that isn't something our church should be doing in our area and if the church in that area couldn't have done that on their own. They developed a strong bond with that church and plan on going back in the future. One young girl did not want to go on the trip, but her parents made her. The pastor told her before the trip that she can't say it's not her job. She ended up being glad she went, but if someone's being forced, maybe they shouldn't be going, lol!

This article has made me think about all this. I think our pastor has gone a little mission crazy with our small church. It seems like every time I turn around they're collecting money for a mission trip and I feel guilty that I can't give beyond my meager offering. I do like that they collect money, instead of having the people cover all the costs themselves. The girl in London was going on her own, the church wasn't sending her, but the pastor collected money for her because she is one of our own. I do like that, but at the same time, this is EXPENSIVE!

Our pastor is always talking about the many unreached people groups. If there is an isolated area where people have not heard the gospel at all, then yes, someone definitely needs to go there. Maybe that should be the focus and not the same places that everyone else is always going to, where they're comfortable with it and it's like a tourist destination. It IS about spreading the Gospel and not about giving us warm fuzzy's. When I think about all the people who have sacrificed their lives on mission trips to hostile places, it kind of makes me a little ashamed of the way we talk so lightly about missions trips.

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 Post subject: Responding to Lisa's last post...
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 8:45 am 
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What our community started doing around 5 or 6 years ago is that they chose 5 of the most impoverished schools in this area, the elementary ones. They started the "Nehemiah Project." The committee members asked all businesses for certain kinds of school supplies and backpacks and announce this on the radio, tv, and newspapers weeks during the summer time. Once all the supplies are donated, they have 2 locations set up. My church is one of the two locations. We meet first thing in the morning on a Saturday, and everything is already organized. You grab an empty back pack, walk to the first box, put in a box of crayons, move to the next box, put in a packet of pencils, move to the next box, etc....When you get to the end, there is someone putting the now full backpacks in a box for shipping. Once this is completely done, then the following week, volunteers from around the community come in and load up the boxes and deliver them to the schools chosen. From there, we go to the schools and personally hand each child a backpack. Our church also stays after these are passed out and walk around the school and pray for the upcoming new year. Then, the following week, we invite all the teachers and principal of the school we delivered to to our church and have a special appreciation lunch for them.

There are many opportunities such as these (and if not, start one), that can touch not only your heart, but other hearts as well. And this is done right in your own community.

I have never been on an "overseas" mission's trip, but I have done a lot of "mission trips" right here in my home, my neighborhood, through Sea Cadets, my kid's dance classes, etc. Every time you see a need, consider it your "mission" to do something about it. Pay for someone's groceries...pay for someone's meal at a fast food restaurant when you are at the drive thru (pay for the person behind you), offer to babysit for a mom with a young child or children. If we start the "ripple effect" in our own homes and communities, think on how that will impact the world!

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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:44 am 
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Great points in this article (and a few I disagree with)

I have seen international missionaries - short and long term - insist on living in American-style luxury among suffering people. I don't know how much good they can really do that way.

I've seen and heard about American missionaries making culturally insensitive comments that severely impeded the Gospel.

I've discovered that one plane ticket can cost as much as would completely support two families for a year in many places - it's hard to minister to starving people when you just spent the money that could feed them for a year in order to make a short visit.

I've experienced American Missionaries spending a lot of time, effort and money trying to convert people who were already very devout Christians!

On the other hand, I do think that the Americans who go are often greatly benefitted by their visit - growing spiritually, realizing the needs of the rest of the world in contrast with our luxury.

Our Church does short term missions (on the national scale) in conjunction with local Churches in the places they visit.

But, I like this program a lot better http://www.ocmc.org/programs/samp.aspx

Here, the Americans send money to support a Priest from the local area who is sent to seminary and taught to share the Gospel with HIS OWN people. I've seen this program in action (I've met the Saintly Priest in the picture on the website - he's amazing). It's very much like supporting a child in another country - you send a small amount a month that goes a long way. But, instead you're supporting the advance of the Gospel.

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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:03 pm 
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Location: Middle GA
I hear this type of argument a lot...."just think of all the food, equipment, supplies, etc. that could be purchased for those poor people with the money spent to send one person on a short term mission trip." Or something like that :roll:

Anyway, all I know is, the Great Commission - not the Great Suggestion - says, "GO YE into ALL the world and preach the Gospel." Go Ye....You Go. That's an imperative statement, a command, if you will. It doesn't say "Send Ye" it says GO.

I do realize that not everyone CAN go, but many of us can. It may be more about changing our lives. And who can tell what good may be wrought because one person was obedient and "went."

My son will be leaving for Brazil in two weeks - a short term assignment for two weeks. He is going to a remote village deep in the interior of Brazil. And no, it is NOT a vacation by any stretch of the imagination! Last year, he slept in an un-airconditioned building (It's winter in Brazil now, so the temperatures are a brisk 110) in a hammock. This year, he is taking a pup tent and an air mattress, but will leave it there when he returns home, as some of the natives will make good use of it.

He went last year, and the church footed the bill. It made such an impact on him, that he cancelled his vacation plans and scheduled his leave to go again this year. At his own expense. His team is helping to build a school/seminary for the Indians, so they in turn, can go back to their villages and reach people who would otherwise be unreached. They can go where no one else is even allowed to go.

He is up somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00a.m., and this bunch of guys WORK. All day long, they work. They mix the concrete by hand and spread it out by the wheelbarrow loads....no fancy, state of the art equipment....everything is rough and primitive. Last year, when the team came back to give their report, David said, "You're looking at a Brazilian Bulldozer!" ;) Their main diet is oatmeal, rice and beans, and peanut butter - no fancy, gourmet meals for these guys. Part of the money that they all contributed goes for supplies to build the buildings, and equipment and tools that they leave behind so that others can continue the work.

I am proud of him, and he can do nothing less. He feels like the Great Commission is important and he intends to take it literally. And who knows...this could be the beginning of God's call on his life to go to the uttermost parts of the world. And I believe God will bless him for his willingness and obedience.

Ok...stepping down off my soapbox now. :mrgreen:





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 Post subject: Re: Thought provoking: cancel short term missions?
PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:33 pm 
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I agree the great commission is important and is not a suggestion. I do think though, that the "go ye into all the world" is about far away, and right where we are. If we only went, then who would be here doing the same? I also think, that some are definitely called away, far away - short and long term. Sounds like your son is one of them.


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