Short Term Missions: To Go or Not to Go?

Let me go ahead and affirm "Go!" while adding a cautious, "but think it through, too." I'm always encouraging of people who want to help people internationally and share God's love practically, but there are some very interesting issues that can present themselves in short-term mission trips. When thinking through these matters, it's easy for me to get either highly cynical or discouraged and apathetic, neither of which are helpful. 

In my recent internet wanderings, I ran across two excellent articles which I think present a very healthy balance of warning and encouragement to do aid correctly. If you're interested in international aid, I would highly recommend reading BOTH of these articles so as to get a clear picture of the problems as well as positive solutions. Happy reading!

Why You Should Consider Cancelling Your Short-Term Mission Trips

Toward Better Short-Term Missions

In the end, I love the conclusion given in the second article, and it's where I have also had to land in this whole discussion. Despite everything, God is big. Of course, I will do my very best so as not to harm those I'm trying to help, but He is still working even in the wake of my messes. So, let's love as well as we can and pray for it to be God's work, not ours.

"But the beauty of gospel ministry is that God is not handcuffed by our foolishness. He is still accomplishing his purposes amongst the nations. For any harm we may cause, God is using others to bring great advances for the gospel.

So become a thoughtful global Christian. Think critically about cross-cultural engagement. Be convicted if you are harming the church in other cultures, but know that in the end, God is still on his throne, and his work will be accomplished."

Word.

I have a confession:

I am a language nerd. I mean, like a true nerd. Words are fun to me. Case in point, in one of my particularly dull high school classes several friends and I spent the time searching a dictionary for obscure vocabulary words to work into conversation each day. Feel free to judge. It did annoy our not-so-nerdy friends, but hey, our vocab became quite prodigious.

That being said, when I saw the book title The Power of Words and the Wonder of God, it struck several chords in my nerdy little heart. This ebook is a really good collaborative commentary on God, man, and the power of words.

While I read this book and subsequently lived life, I began to think and learn more about God, about Jesus as the incarnate Word of God, and about the power of our words. Don't hear what I'm not saying. I'm not saying there's some mystical power in the spoken word of man. Man, unlike God, cannot just call things into being with a few “Let there be”s. I've heard people claim that if you can say it, it will be. That is not what I'm saying.

Words do, however, effect us very deeply. I have seen that in the Bible (Prov 10:19-21) (James 3:1-12) as well as everyday life. In a way, we can create and destroy with our words. I'm sure there's something that someone has said to you, possibly unknowingly, that changed the way you view yourself or your surroundings. For better or for worse, those words likely changed your actions. 

That's powerful.

Our words can also unite or divide. I've seen this firsthand in multi-lingual West Africa. If someone speaks your language, you're automatically friends. Especially if your first language is the minority, there's an undeniable bond with anyone to whom you can talk without having to strain your brain. I have admittedly creeped on people in restaurants and open markets because I heard them speaking my mother tongue. On the contrary, when someone switches languages, there's an automatic barrier. There's almost a bit of humanity lost when someone is going off in words I don't understand. For one conversation, a friend may become a stranger until they intentionally talk for me to understand.

One of the most striking things I've learned about words recently, though, is about the weight of our words as followers of Jesus. Follow me as I take a walk through history and Psalm 19: Creation speaks beautifully of who God is (Ps 19:1-6). In the most remote corner of the world, people hear and strive to understand what creation says about God. That's why we have religions. We need more than just a general sense that we're not alone on this great big ball of dirt, so we fill in blanks. Unfortunately, most people often end up with the wrong conclusions about God. We need clarity, someone speaking our language. So, God inspired people to write His words and sent prophets. God's law teaches us right and wrong. It is a beautiful clarification of what we should be. It brings joy to those who do right (Ps 19:7-11). But do we really often do right? Unfortunately, no. If you live long enough, you see that even “nice” people can be pretty awful.

Here humanity was, despairing at what we could know of ourselves and our distant god. Surely, we can never please a perfect creator. In the same way, the psalmist, David, recognizes the tendency towards unknown evil in his own heart and appeals for God's mercy (11-12). He recognizes his need for God's help to keep from being ruled by evil (13). David concludes with a request: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and Redeemer” (14).

My point is this: what better words are there to say than the message that all humanity is trying to understand? Creation doesn't speak our neighbors' dialect and the Law is only the beginning of the story. God Himself came to us, wearing our skin and speaking our language. Shouldn't we do the same? Shouldn't we carry on the message of hope Jesus came to give? We've been given a words to share that speak to the hearts of everyone (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Let's do that.

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son...No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”
  -(John 1:14,18)