Another thing that has changed, and come to a resolved position (at least for the moment hahahaaa) is my opinion on short term missions. And for me, this was a struggle that raged in my mind for quite a while, because I know that short term missions changed me and God used them to form me and to open my eyes to the world and draw me to Him and His purposes in the world. However, short term missions really are not promoting sustainable help and growth for those in poverty and in need. They do not form long term, sustainable relationships (I am speaking of the majority of short term missions, please bear with me to my conclusion). And really, are they doing anything that couldn’t be done in that community, for example, building houses—the people do not have the money to build the houses, but someone in that community probably knows how and probably could use the work, so by coming and building houses for a week are we taking away a valuable work opportunity in that community that could foster growth and development? But then, you just start sending checks, and that is not sustainable or helpful either (if any of you have read Shane Claiborne, and his whole idea of being with the poor, because that is what Jesus did, and being present in their lives, not just sending a check to relieve our North American consciences, harsh I know but many times true). I went through that circle of thought many times, because then where does that leave you??
And in short term missions, you come for a week and expect the community to love you and invest their time and energy, but then you leave and after a month they are nothing but a memory. People go in expecting to not keep those relationships. How is that helpful to that community?
And then the other issue we come to, are we providing for the needs that we as North Americans see, or are we providing for what the community itself sees as a need and wants met? And with that whole issue comes another scenario: You are in this community building long term relationships etc etc. If we decide that we must meet the needs the community asks us to meet before imposing what we think they need, let’s say they don’t have clean water, but what they see as a need is a soccer field for their youth ( a real scenario given from a speaker), so you provide a soccer field for them. Now you know they need clean water, and people are getting sick and some are dying from preventable diseases born from unclean water. I am a woman in that community, and my child gets sick from the water, and dies. If I knew that you could have prevented my child’s death,and kept that information from me, how incredibly hurt and angry would I be?
These are just a few of the arguments that I have been having in my mind, and hashing out with others in the group. One thing I keep returning to after all this ideological stuff we fight through here, is that these are real individuals, and we must never stop looking at them as individual people. And the conclusion that I have come to (and again subject to change as I have come to see all of my conclusions and opinions are) is that short term missions really do more good for the North Americans who go than for the communities they visit. For many North Americans it opens their eyes to how the majority of the world lives and to the needs and injustices and inequality in the world. It can change hearts, and draw them to Christ and his desires in the world. And this has value!! We need North Americans to wake up to what the reality is in the rest of the world! We must continue to wake them up. However, I propose that we make this a goal of our short term “missions” trips, that they become more educational and have an intentional goal and purpose to educate and open the eyes of those who go. Lets lay that on the table and work to make that as effective as possible.
A second part of the conclusion I have come to is that short term missions must be done in a way where long term sustainable relationships can be built and sustainable aid can be achieved. By this I mean, that I do not think that one week trips, or one time trips should be done. ( and I am cringing as I write this because I know that so many people go on these). One of the most effective and healthy ways I see short term missions is through church to church partnerships. Those are long term. You can get to know the people of that community. You build trust, and can find out what they need from their perspective and work with them to develop sustainable solutions.
Now you may be saying the one critical thing I have left out here is the spreading of the Gospel, because that is the ultimate purpose of missions trips. And I haven’t forgotten that. But something that I have realized here in Latin America is that I don’t have a voice to share the Gospel with people here. I barely know their culture (and I’ve been here 3 months now), and I barely know the language. I don’t know, I just feel like I wouldn’t be listened to as an equal. It would be looked at as the “North American view point” and not as the God’s message to the world. And back home we always talk about building relationships, and just loving the people, and that we have to build a trust to be able to share Jesus with our friends. Live the love of Christ, don’t just talk about it. But I just don’t see that happening in short term missions. I can see people coming to help a local church live the love of Christ. Because even if a group does come for a week or two weeks and they are able to cross the cultural and language and all other barriers to lead people to Christ… what then? Those people need a church. They need people who are going to walk alongside them in their spiritual journey, but the people who brought them to Christ can’t do that, and do those who came make sure that those people will be taken care of after they leave?
Now let me say that I have seen many missions trips done really well. Center for Student Missions—educates students about the issues in the big cities in the U.S. Shows them the needs in their own culture and in their own communities. Students volunteer all week in organizations that are established and that are sustainably helping to fight the problems present.
The way Jeff has taken students back to Venture Church in Seattle. Real relationships, real needs being met. PCC’s relationship with Bombo Pentecostal Church. AACF at UCLA has gone back to the same church in Mexico over a span of years, and knows those people.
The thing I am struggling with right now is the Student Missions Union at Biola. When I was looking at schools, that was one of the things I loved about Biola. Now, I really really don’t know. From what I know ( and I could be misinformed or don’t know the complete picture), they are one time trips service and gospel oriented where you just go once and that’s it. Ahhh, I don’t think that’s ok. It doesn’t line up at all with my above conclusions. And what I am thinking about is going back to Biola and not really wanting to support that… Everyone is always always asking for money and support of their specific missions trip… and many of them I don’t think I can support. I don’t doubt there are some trips that are being done in a way I agree with, but… sigh. Even if I had the voice in that organization to make a change(which I don’t), finding or designing a way to do it where you are incorporating the gospel, education for those who go, sustainable development/solutions, and longterm relationships just seems way way out of reach.
But anyhow, that is where I have come to stand on short term missions for the moment.
