Short Term Missionary or Tourist?
I’ve wanted to write this post for awhile, but decided to wait and pray about what I really wanted to say to you. I poured my heart out and when I clicked “save draft” the Internet connection at Barns and Noble crashed and I lost everything. (Don’t you hate when that happens!) I appreciate your bloggy friendships and even though most of us have never met in real life, we are friends of the heart. I wanted to challenge you this week to share your thoughts at the end of this post, so we can learn from each other.
A few weeks ago, a post here was brought to my attention and here. I have to be honest, my first reaction, I wanted to KA-POW her posts on short term mission trips comparing them to tourism. I think what was missing was the heart of the matter. We are all called to SIMPLY LOVE. I hope I can point you in the right direction to GO big and LOVE big and SERVE big on a mission trip. All I could think about was Sammy Liben telling me that living on the trash dump was horrific, but even worse was knowing his community was unimportant. lost, cursed, rejected, unloved. This all changed, when God used Sammy’s passion and a mom named, Sumer Yates to make a real life change for hundreds of children formerly living on the trash dump in Korah. You can visit Project 61 sponsorship program on a Visiting Orphans mission trip and be a part of serving and loving a community that desperately needs care. But, this is only one example … there IS a place for short term missions! I also want to take the time to thank long term missionaries for living each day James 1:27!
I admit, I might be a tad sensitive about the subject being an adoptive mom … but I want to defend and protect what I believe in, too. In fact, just the other day, I found a blog post written (about me) blasting my CRAZY post here. I was encouraging others to take care of orphans and go serve on a mission trip. I guess the blogger didn’t “get” my sense of humor about losing weight on a mission trip. I showed my hubby her post and asked him if I should leave a comment to defend my actions. He reminded me that if we weren’t doing the right thing- others wouldn’t take the time to attack what we are doing. I’m trying to learn not to let their issues become my issues.
(Our sponsor daughter, Mercy)
God used ordinary people like Kristen and Sumer who both went on mission trips to do extraordinary things to help facilitate real life change after the trip? I call this a definite win/win!!
Unfortunately, there are mission trips out there that are more like tourism, than about being ambassadors for Christ. It actually doesn’t take much time to get a sense of an organizations’ priorities. Just look at the trip itinerary and descriptions. How will the participants be spending their time?
“I think the controversy centers around organizations & people who visit with little to no concern for those whom they visit. They take their pictures, buy some souvenirs, give themselves a pat on the back, then head on home. I think one key to preventing this type of “charity” tourism is short-term groups partnering with local, long-term organizations. Another key, in my opinion, is the heart of the sending organizations and the leadership.”
Do you feel there is a place for short term mission trips? What are your thoughts about taking a trip to love and serve orphans? What are some mission trips or organizations you recommend that make a difference AFTER the trip is over?
I received this email from, Jason Clement who was on the Man Up mission team and wanted to share it with you:
It is amazing how our lives can be impacted in a short time period: the moment you meet your future spouse, the first time you are introduced to a lifelong friend, when you make the decision to take on a new job, and most importantly when “it” clicks and you genuinely accept Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. Many of these life changing events are set up by moments that occur during a “short term” day, which at sunrise, seemed unassuming.
My experience on a short term, 2 week mission trip provided these meaningful moments for the orphans and widows that we encountered. The obvious opportunities included children at a prison who were not allowed outside for 60 straight days but because of “special guests”, they played soccer on a sunny day over an endless field (felt endless to me while playing with them). Other obvious moments were receiving new clothes/shelter providing security & confidence they may have never experienced; lepers getting fed full meals with dignity they deserved; homes (64 sq ft mud huts) that were fixed from leaks with new bedding and a floor covering; kids receiving new sport equipment that set them up for joy, friendship, and teambuilding during foundational development years of life; and single mothers who received months’ worth of money for our purchase of their homemade jewelry. As the Pastor of that village shared with me, “Your group was its own stimulus package to this village and an answer to prayer.” We spent about only $300 in total, and his attendance in church tripled because of that investment in their lives.
(Jason Clement with the Karamajong Tribe in Ugnada – Man Up Mission Trip 2011)
Those were all great moments but they pale in comparison to the instances that will spark life changing events for these kids. One example: We worshipped with children in a government prison. Hours later while on the soccer field, one child shared with me that he had known OF Jesus for months, but today he met Jesus “locally” and personally. This 14 year old boy asked Jesus for forgiveness for stealing money from his Uncle to help pay for his father’s medical bills. He realized that day that he was forgiven and ached to leave prison so that he could study to be a doctor to help men like his father and sick children in prisons. God has a way of setting the stage for short term mission teams to be an exclamation mark of truth, joy, and communicate His love in people’s lives. The beauty of our short term mission is that while it was only 2 weeks, it followed a different team’s 2 week trip to the same places, which followed a separate team’s 1 week trip and so on… While someone may be signing up for just a few days or weeks, their short term mission trip is stitched together by other mission trips & experiences that God has orchestrated to meet these people directly where they need it. That is why a consistent Man-Up presence can be so powerful: Widows and young orphans receiving (for some the first time in their life) a CONSISTENT male presence over the course of years that demonstrates our Father’s love, grace, and joy.
Oh Kari… don’t get me started.
I made the mistake of engaging with the elitist crowd over at that blog you linked to – you know the it – the one named “The Very Worst Missionary” (telling and fitting).
Whew… just thinking about it again gets me hot and bothered. Bottom line – Jesus said “GO!” he didn’t say “Go… but only if you’re gonna go and stay and never come back.”
I believe in short term missions as much as I believe in long term missions. Over time my ideals have changed and my opinion on what we should do while on our short term trips has been sculpted and honed – but I am still a HUGE believer in them.
The argument that ensued over there at that blog was ugly, mean, one-sided and reeked of the religious righteous. I had to dust my sandals off and get outta there…
Great post Kari! I think you nailed it on the head when saying that it is about the heart. I think if a sending agency is really hitting home about SERVING THE NEEDS of the ministries they are going to, asking them their needs and helping them to meet them, then they are not tourists but true servants! If they are going just to look and see, sorry but no good. I also believe that they should encourage and even help to facilitate where they can…long term partnerships! As a long termer and missionary on the ground, short term trips are a key link…especially when done with the right heart and with respect and honor for the people being served and the needs of the ministries being served.
I enjoyed your post too. I think there is a great caution here though that we do need to make sure that our hearts are right when we go and that we are going to serve. I have seen a team come to where we live where the leader made them do nothing, they did not come to serve and were more in the way then anything. It was tough for the hosting missionary.
This is normally not the case and we LOVE having teams! It is fun to see our country with new eyes, see people get excited about what God is doing, and make an impact be it loving on the people, building something, or service like medical missions. Also, it is incredibly encouraging to missionaries who are serving on the field! Make no mistake about it; however, mission teams are very often the ones who are radically changed because of going which is a good thing.
I do think mission trips are important. Thanks for being willing to be out there no matter what others say. When are you coming south?
Phenomenal post! Yes, we are ALL called to Man Up! whether short-term or long-term to be ambassadors for Christ. I definitely want to say long-termers are the Bear Grylls of Man Up! They LIVE big, LOVE big, & SERVE big EVERY single day … the kingdom is benefiting every day because of what Christ is doing through all of our full time missionaries. Also, short-termers or those just thinking about going on a mission trip … THEY NEED YOU! Christ can use you to love BIG on the poor, sick, widows, & orphans. I couldn’t agree more with the comments … your HEART needs to be in the place of service, honor, and most of all LOVE. Everyone deserves our BEST. Just sitting on the side and taking pictures or walking through homes is not our BEST. Man Up & Go!
I think this is such a sensitive issue for so many reasons and it makes me SO sad that it is used by the enemy to tear believers apart. That dumb enemy NEVER gives up, does he?! grrr. Anyway, there IS a plcae for BOTH short and long term trips, period. All you have to do is read the book of Acts to see that short term trips changed the face of Christianity-Philip spent about half a day with the Ethiopian man and look what happened!!!! The key to all of it, short and long term, and really EVERY possible way we serve Christ, is to make it about Him and NOT abotu us or our agendas, to love and respect the culture/country/people we are going to serve, and to be willing to have NO limits as to what you will let Jesus do in and through us. There are things short term trips can do and bring that long term folks need and cannot do without the teams (including simply RESPITE for them, since they are 100% go all the time!!) such as specialty camps, medical services, bringing supplies, etc. My biggest issue with short term trips, though, is that too often teams/individuals take no time to learn the culture and people they are going to serve, figuring why invest in that if it is short term? They just think their presence there will be enough and they can do whatever-and I think we do a terrible injustice to the name of Jesus when we come in like we know what is best for those we are claiming to “serve” when we really are just trying to get them to be like us, does that make sense? But, both short and long term are important, as is being a “missionary” right wherever God has you this moment! 🙂
Also wanted to say how radically blessed I have been personally by short term teams who have ministered to me and prayed for me as well as our staff. SO encouraging and uplifting when we sometimes feel stuck down in the trenches so to speak!!! I think the more communication between short term and long term the better too! 🙂 I always want to know how we can make visitors feel welcomed and to be gracious and hospitable to people who have been raising money for months and giving their vacation times and making real sacrifices to be there! I think equally important is how to serve the ministries cause most of the time they are working their schedules to fit the visits of the teams sometimes even flight schedules exam schedules for schools etc. haha! 🙂 Also as I always say…it is always great when teams can bring in supplies which cannot be obtained for us in Uganda, such a gift!!! 😉 That is probably our primary need from short term teams. Way to get the conversation started Kari! You are Roger are so awesome and love your passion! Blessings!
Kari, Thanks for standing up and speaking for those without a voice. As one of the organizations that benefits from short term visitors, I can say that those visiting us have been a huge encouragement to not only the children that we serve, but also to our Ugandan staff that are working hard every day in a very difficult and emotionally draining environment.
The best analogy that I can think of for someone going to visit children in an orphanage or prison is like going to visit a friend in the hospital. You wouldn’t walk in the hospital room and start taking pictures of the patient because of their condition or crying loudly at how sickly they look – that would be harmful to their emotional state for sure. What you would (hopefully) do is sit with them, hold their hand, pray with them and just talk like they really matter. Your very presence says “I care about you” and this is no different when visiting those less fortunate in a third world location. They don’t expect you to walk in and fix all of their problems. They want you to sit with them, hold their hand, talk to them like they are a real human being and pray with them.
Tourist?
Really!
If I make a side trip to Lalibella (which I haven’t) or visit Yod Abyssinia restaurant (Which I often do) what business is it of the nay Sayers?
I spend thousands total, love on children, help orphans in their ability to provide for themselves, and in the process experience an abundance of God’s blessings. The blessings alone is worth the financial costs.
Charlie
I’m always glad that God is the final judge of each of our hearts. Some will go with great organizations, and have hearts that are not in the right place, and will come home and forget everything they saw. Others will go with “tourist” groups, and have their lives changed in radical ways by what they see. As others said, the Enemy means to divide and destroy … we are simply called to love.
Take the 16-week course “Perspectives” (www.perspectives.org) and read the book “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert. Then pray about it.
a tourist? yeah, i’ve gone with the attitude of seeing and experiencing. but God got me! there is something about being out of your comfort zone that God rubs his hands together and gets so excited about.
keep sharing what God is doing in you. people can argue about ideas but noone can argue what God has done in your heart! keep it real!
I can’t thank everyone enough for sharing your thoughts about missions here this week- I have read every single comment and appreciate your honesty and wisdom. God changed my life so radically and I want to always be a voice to encourage others to go and serve the fatherless- James 1:27. I especially loved hearing from the men… your ability to MAN UP for orphans blows me away! I’ve had the honor of working side by side with real men who know how to love big and give the blessing- make a life long change in a child’s life. I hope even if you didn’t fully agree with my opinions that it will challenge you to search your heart, that you will NEVER miss out on following a new adventure God might have in store for you to serve on a mission trip. I hope you gained greater understanding and will never allow the enemy to steal, kill or destroy your passions to simply love one another… no matter what the cost may be. Again- thank you!!!!
Great post! My daughter and I have been on three short term mission trips to Zambia and have been changed with each trip. I know the orphans we have spent time with have been blessed as well. God uses short term trips to develop advocates for those in need and to prepare/plant a seed in those who may one day go as full time missionaries. I can recommend Family Legacy Missions International as an AWESOME ministry to orphans that is a wonderful “family friendly”, life-changing trip. legacymissions.org We are all on the same team. Thanks!
Dear Kari.
I love you.
I love your heart.
The end. 🙂
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting
my own blog and was curious what all is required to get set up?
I’m assuming having a blog like yours would
cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not
100% positive. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly
appreciated. Kudos