Short Term Missions from the Perspective of a Longer Short Term Mission

While working with REINDOM we have been so blessed to work alongside other missionaries from all over the world. We have worked with teams from New Jersey, New York, Texas, Chicago, London, South Korea, Convoy of Hope and more local teams from Guatemala City. It has been so beautiful to see people from all over the world come together to help fill the needs that come with extreme poverty and show the Guatemalans the love of Jesus. It is amazing how God takes care of His people and uses people from all over the world to care for them in different ways.

While here I have seen so many amazing benefits to short term missionaries coming in and I have honestly seen some negative aspects. I share the negatives as well so that we can learn and grow from them. I mean this in no way a disrespect to these people or short term missions. My life was deeply impacted by a short term mission trip and I believe there is a lot of value in them. The main thing I’ve realized is that although the work and services provided are helpful, that is not the point. It would be more economical to send money to hire people to do the work and would provide jobs to locals. The point is to show that God loves them so much that He sends people from all over the world, that He sees them. Short term missions can also provide lift to local ministries and help reignite them as they deal with the daily struggles of ministry. Another main reason for short term missions is personal development and an altered world view for the people who go. The experience is supposed to change the people who go from what they see while they are there. While there are many other benefits that I will expand upon below, these are the primary ones.

One thing I noticed was the difference in pace of the people coming in and often disregard for the way people do things culturally. In Guatemala the pace of life is slower and more intentional on human connections than getting a lot done. A lot of teams came in with a passion and fire to do as much as they can while they were here. This was so inspiring and lifted everyone’s spirits as things were getting hard as we entered into the daily routine of ministry. It was amazing to get a fresh wind of inspiration as the teams came through. In that same breath a few of the teams insisted they work 12 hour days while they were here. It may seem valiant that they want to work hard but honestly it was inconvenient for the host ministry. The host ministry has to help facilitate them while they are here and they did so very kindly but it was honestly exhausting and we could see the toll it was taking on our hosts. Again the goal of short term missions is not to “do do do” but help the community and the long days really wore out the local ministry more than it helped in my opinion. One team in particular came in and demanded everyone hurry up and get going as the hosts were getting off the bus. We had all had a long week, a long bus ride into the village and were honestly tired and under the weather. I understand wanting to get stuff done when you aren’t there long but hurrying up the host ministry felt disrespectful and didn’t allow for many connections. My advice for people organizing short term mission trips would be to really make sure to ask for what the local ministries need and how you can come alongside them. I found that the groups that did this by taking over lessons with fun activities and doing projects such as beds and clinics that the locals had requested were not only more fruitful but also helped to lift the local ministries instead of wearing them out with activities that were long and unnecessary.

Another crucial part I found with the short term missionaries was the power of prayer. Some groups did an amazing job at praying before they did anything and we were able to see the Holy Spirit really move with these groups. There was one group that didn’t think there was time to pray and we could definitely feel the difference in the atmosphere.

In Guatemala, people use a cistern filled with water and then pour out that water using a bowl to wash dishes. There is a water truck that comes once a week to the village so you really have to conserve water while you are there at the school. One man from one of the short term mission trips was washing dishes at the school and confronted one of the missionaries about how this was ineffective. He said he can just go buy water or fix this whole situation. The missionary was so kind and gently explained that that is how they do it in Guatemala, it is their culture. It is how they do it in their homes, and that is how the water system works, there is no just going and getting more water without going a couple towns over. I believe that the purpose of missions is not to completely come in and change everything to fit the American way but to come alongside and fill needs with love.

Overall I feel that the mindset in which you enter the short term mission greatly impacts whether the mission is a joy or a burden to the local community. Below I have some general tips for any of you planning to go on a short term mission based on some of the things that I saw.

• Pray. Pray. Pray. Keep in contact with the Lord and be prayerful in all your decisions. There is no better wisdom than Godly wisdom. Also this can completely shift the atmosphere, there is so much power in prayer!
• Stay Humble. You are there doing a very small portion of the Lord’s work. It is beautiful and very appreciated but groups that came in high and mighty were very off-putting to the locals who are there day after day serving the community.
• Personal Growth. Bold statement but if you aren’t growing on your trip then you aren’t doing it right! No matter what season you are in life or how many times you have been to that place there is always more to learn! Ask the Lord what He wants to teach you while you are there. A huge purpose of short term missions is for your personal growth and if you miss out on this then you probably should just send the country money, it would be more effective.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray against spiritual warfare especially oppression within our team and surrounding Halloween and Day of the Dead, there is a lot of witchcraft in the area surrounding these holidays
• Joy and Peace as we finish out our last week of ministry here this week and say some hard good byes to our wonderful hosts and all of the children (we have a week of debrief and training in Guatemala after this)
• I am turning 30 on Sunday, November 2nd! What a blessing!
• Strength as we hike the volcano on Wednesday November 5th – Thursday November 6th
• Divine Wisdom and guidance for our leaders as they create new teams for Albania (We leave November 13th) and peace and trust in God’s plan as we may separate from our new friends
• Praise for a miraculous healing of a woman’s broken hand. We had an intimate moment where I literally felt her pain and prayed over her and she literally came to our doorstep a few days later pointing to the sky in tears.
• That the kids in the village Santa Marta would have their bellies full, needs met and know the love of the Lord
• One of the men who goes to Mesa Del Rein (The King’s Table) passed away from alcoholism. Please pray for the family and the other men in the program that they would be free of alcoholism
• My friends who live on the streets that the Lord would provide for them and heal their hearts and bodies. In Guatemala if you have a disability or injury it is extremely hard to impossible to find work as most jobs are in the fields. (Maria, Frank, Edwine, Pedro, and Cruz)
• That the Lord would prepare the way for us in our next countries