There are moments in our lives where some things just click and we learn lessons that we have been longing to learn through these unexpected moments. It may be through something that you see in a movie, a song that you hear on the radio or a conversation with a close friend.
For me, my belief in short-term missions came through a conversation with an elementary school kid in a township in South Africa.
On my last day of my mission trip in South Africa during the summer of 2014, I had a conversation with one of my favorite people, Siyamuthanda. Siyamuthanda was a kid that I had become close with over my time there, as we sat for hours talking about his life in South Africa, the education that he was receiving and his family life. On our last day there, I was bawling my eyes out after saying goodbye to a room full of kids that had stolen my heart. As I was walking back to the flat that my team was staying in, Siyamuthanda ran after me. He begged me not to leave and I told him that I wish I didn't have to.
But it was in that moment that I found my answer to why short-term mission trips are so much more beautiful than we think.
After hearing him plead for minutes for me not to leave, I asked him a simple question "Do you believe in God" and when he said "Yes," something clicked. I looked up in the sky as if God was directly watching through the dark clouds of the South African evening and told him that all he needed was God and that God would take care of him from here on out. To this, he replied, quite humorously, that he needed God and me.
I am realizing now that as God calls us to short-term mission trips, it is an invitation to participate in what He has been doing and what He will continue to do in a world that He is constantly in control of.
Historically, short term mission trips have been seen as an opportunity to bring Jesus to a place where He is not already at. As we pack up our suitcases full of socks, underwear, Nalgene water bottles, our iPods filled with contemporary Christian music, and our brand new passports, we attempt to add Jesus to our carry on checklists. We believe that we as Americans are the only ones that have Jesus in our hearts and that as we travel across the world, it is our duty to bring Jesus with us. We pray that God will come with us to our new location and that these people will be able to experience God during the weeks that we are there. If they do not experience God while we are there, they probably never will, because He is coming back with us.
Yet, this is wrong. God is not with just us and in our safe America, but He is everywhere and in everything and for everyone.
The mission of God is like a party or celebration that we have been invited to and it is our choice whether or not to participate in it. But just like a party, God will be present in this place, even if we do not show up.
This past weekend, I attended a wedding in Mexico, where a local Mexican resident got married to the man of her dreams. The Mexican resident's name was Edna, and I got to know her because I went on a short-term mission trip to Mexicali, Mexico during Spring Break last year. The wedding was an amazing celebration filled with love and gave the utmost glory to the God that brought these two people together. It had the best Mexican food and I even caught the garter! Yet, I was blessed enough to witness it only because I was invited. This wedding did not need me, but these people cared enough to invite me to participate in their celebration. This wedding would have gone on without me, but Edna invited me to be present during the event and because I was present, I got to experience the beautiful moments that the wedding held.
Mission trips are like this, in the manner that God does not need us to bring Him into the places that we go. He is already there, present and working in the lives of the people living there. And if we didn't show up to these places, He would continue to work in the lives of these people and the place would still be filled with His Holy Spirit. Yet, in these moments, God invites us to participate in the work that He is doing in the world because He loves us and because He loves us, He uses us.
A mentor once told me, in reality, short-term mission trips are a lot more for the people going than the people receiving. The people receiving may experience the impact of people coming into their nation and living life alongside them, but if you asked anyone who's ever been on a short-term mission trip, they'd say that they were the ones that were truly blessed.
They were the ones that experienced the full life of Christ more than ever before and they are the ones that will never be the same because of it.
So go. Whether it's Mexico Outreach this Thanksgiving or an action team this summer or a study abroad opportunity for a semester throughout college, go. Experience life in another country, go outside of your comfort zone, eat some of the best food that you'll ever have and love like you will never have to leave. But always remember, you are not bringing God to these people, you are simply responding to the invitation that He is giving you to get in on what He is already doing.
You are not the one throwing the party, you are a guest that has been simply invited to take part in the festivities that are already happening.
