Month 1, Lesson 1 - Short Term Missions: Seed on Soil

Lesson 1: 
Short-Term missions can be effective.
It just takes a little more work.

I've never, ever, ever believed in short-term missions. Not even when I went on one at the age of 14 (it was supposed to be a month-long trip to Burundi, Africa but due to budgetary restrictions / being 14, it got reduced to a week-long stint in inner city Tampa, Florida). John has never been on one. We're not even on one right now. To me, short-term missions have always seemed like an absolutely ridiculous plan: drop $1500 (or more) on a week of heroism and bandaid solutions instead of just sending that $1500 to long-term programs that could really use the money? No, thanks. And I guess that part still does seem ridiculous: people spend a lot of money to go do a little work - zipping in, slapping something together, and zipping out - and is it really effective? Is it really useful? Is the Gospel really being shared? I walked into Nicaragua with this in mind and to my extreme surprise God changed my heart on the issue.

Here's what I learned: short term missions trips can be effective. But what they are effective at doing, and who they are effective to... well, that depends on  your perspective. I still believe that short term missions are not the way to spread the Gospel of Jesus. I still believe that short term missions don't exclusively benefit the poverty-stricken "targets" of ministry. But here's what I learned this past month:

Short term missions trips can be effective at supporting long term ministries. In fact, I have learned that the goal of short term missions needs to be to support long term missions exclusively - not to distract from them. Long-term ministries work hard every day, in and out, seeking hard, slow, relational change in people - investing in people, building into them, believing in them. Short-term missions need to be on board with this slow change; it's not nearly as exciting as fast-and-fun VBS programs that get a "head count" of converts or as evident as distributing hundreds of Megachurch-branded t-shirts / pens, but when Jesus talks about seed falling on soil, we need to listen up. Short term missions teams need to be comfortable with seeking out the black dirt that's filled with worms and compost instead of the soft sand that feels good on our toes. Short term missions teams need to be asking ministries what they need to function better the other 51 weeks of the year: do these long-term leaders need refreshment and prayer? Could they use a promotional week, to bring out new people... the rest of the year? What does the long-term mission really, truly need? This also means establishing a deep and sturdy connection with a long-term mission before even seeking to build a short-term team.

Next, short term missions teams need to really search their hearts for motive: are you seeking to spread the Gospel within your week of mission? Are you really, truly looking to tell people about Jesus and convert them to Christianity and then go home? If so, if that's the goal and the only goal, then you should really cancel your plane ticket. It takes a lot more than a week to effectively promote the Gospel, friend - especially if your plan is to communicate through a translator. You might be able to save a soul in a day, but where does that soul go to be discipled? Where do they go to grow into their relationship with God to then disciple others? Without a strong connection with long-term programs, we're playing with that soft sand again. We need to be doing this hard-work Gospel-promotion daily - and we can start at home, first. Short-term missions teams need to be seeking to serve long-standing programs that are trying to promote the Gospel in the every day, in the months of drought when it seems like nothing is happening, in the seasons of abundance when their programs are fruitful - not in the blitz weeks during Missionary Season and loud youth and heroic spirits - and that's it. 

If you want your short-term mission to be truly effective in the place you are visiting, seek to serve the good work that is already being done. Assist with the deep, dirty gardening that has already begun. Sometimes, that even just means bringing the gardener some lemonade.

This makes me think of a friend of mine that brings books for libraries in Swaziland. Her and her church team / family visit Swaziland, year after year, bringing books for libraries to support current and ongoing educational strategies. Their plan is never to stand alone as a pile of books in the middle of Africa, but to be a sustainable resource for the long, slow, hard work that takes place day in and day out. What an example.

And here's part two: Short term missions trips can change the lives of the actual attendees. I suppose this seems obvious, but where do long-term missionaries come from? They are birthed from a passion for the world. And if you want to get passionate about something, you have to try it out first. This is where leaders of these short-term missions trips have such a vital role in the lives of the mini-missionaries: these kids may be experiencing "the world" for the first time ever. It may also be for the last time ever - they may never want to travel again. Trips like these help set the compass for their future - when they look back in ten years, they will know that something else in the world existed, even in their teens... even when their world seemed to revolve around them, they'll know the truth. And the leaders of these teams get to guide them through it all... what a responsibility.

Additionally, if done properly, short term missions teams will be able to live with, learn, and grow from long-term missions teams - which means seeing a solid example of the slow and steady work that it takes to change the world.  We met a long-term missionary here who said that his goal is "to multiply by 1.1" - there's no rapid conversion head-count, not even necessarily visible change... but there is always growth. God is always moving, and the point is to allow Him the room to do this thoroughly. Relationally. If you can see that the work of the Gospel is often slow and steady overseas, you won't feel so insecure about the slowness and the steadiness of the work of the Gospel at home.

John and I have heard dozens of stories about the general ineffectiveness of short-term missions teams since we've arrived: I'm not sure how, but the topic seems to keep coming up when we chat with long-term leaders. For the first little while, we were bringing it up - honestly and truly asking the tough questions about effectiveness and value. Is it not better to send the money they would have spent on the trip? Are they wasting your time? Are they wasting the Nicaraguans' time? How is the dependency cycle perpetuated, and what role do these teams play in it? We've pried and poked the beast and we've gotten a lot of truth out of it: God is always in action, even when short-term teams miss the mark a little.

When done well and properly, when done lovingly and gently, with consideration for the good work already at hand, short term missions are irreplaceable, priceless additions to the lives of the long-term servants and the attendees on the trip.

And in those unique and beloved cases, short term missions are a necessity.