I was 19 years old when I first felt God’s call to serve overseas. The call was strong and unmistakable, and it came during my first short-term mission trip to India. Our mission across two weeks was to bring aid to the poorest of the poor in India. I saw things I’d never seen before; in America, we don’t have absolute poverty. We just don’t. In India, entire families live on pennies a day, barely able to feed their children, and are burdened with disease and destitution. Seeing this was heartbreaking, but it fueled me, too. I changed. I grew. My life as a servant of the Lord had truly begun, and in a way I never would have imagined for myself.
Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
This verse, with words identical to Luke 24:48, a can be interpreted a lot of ways. The key word here is “witness.” We are called to witness. To me, this means we are called to be like the eyes of God, particularly outside of our realms of comfort. Our duty is to globalize, and to see outside of ourselves — to be a witness for God, “to the ends of the earth.” When we travel outside of our comfortable lives and see the world’s tragedies — poverty, war, disease, death – we change. This change within us is imperative to bringing about real change in the world. In other words, it’s more difficult to have a heart for missions if you’ve never seen how dire the need is. This is why short-term missions are so important; whether you witness this need in two weeks or two years doesn’t matter. What matters is that you come away with a heart for missions and a new vision of God’s work through you in the world.
A Purpose Driven Life sums up nicely why short-term missions are of such great importance, and why they shouldn’t be discounted:
“I urge you to save and do whatever it takes to participate in a short term mission overseas (out of US) as soon as possible. It will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion, and fill you with a kind of joy you have never experienced. It could be the turning point in your life.”
There are so many incredible things that can come from short-term mission trips, which ultimately remain effective in the long term. For instance, a two-week trip outside of our sheltered “American box” can spur an individual to give financially in the long term, to continue volunteering (possibly on a longer trip), or even to just spread the word about the needs in these countries — all of which are hugely important. A short mission trip, if nothing else, can make you more intentional about devoting more of your life to the less fortunate, even if it’s within your own community. Truly following the way of Jesus is a lifestyle, and we are called to serve no matter where we are. While long-term mission trips are, of course, imperative to aiding these countries, short-term missions can give so much eye-opening insight into why we serve in the first place.