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Archive for the ‘Short-Term Missions’ Category

Tips for Good Short-Term Missions: Take the Whole Family!

Posted in Short-Term Missions, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 12, 2010| 1 Comment »

Family is the core unit of Creation and the best metaphor for the church of God.  So why should it surprise anyone that families are just great on short-term mission trips.  When Sherrylee and I started LST, our children were 7, 5, and 3, and they went with us every summer. At that time, we got lots of people asking if it was a good use of money to take the children. Terrible question—as if it would be better use of God’s money for Dad or Mom to leave for weeks at a time.  Here’s what we learned about taking families on short-term mission trips!

  1. Your children can have no better Christian experience than first seeing Mom and Dad sharing their faith, then later, working beside them. If you care at all that your children find their own faith and don’t reject yours, then sharing short-term mission projects with them is the best opportunity.
  2. Children are a magnet in foreign countries. Wherever we would go, people gathered around our children, loved on them, wanted to talk to them. This brought us into contact with people in a very natural and friendly way that we would have otherwise never met.
  3. Whole families are a rarity in mission churches. Many women without their husbands find their way to our mission churches. Or you have a college student without parents.  The example of Dad and Mom with their kids all worshipping and serving God together is very special to those we serve.
  4. Multigenerational families are even more special! The only thing better than the whole family going together is the whole family with Grandpa and Grandma—who are probably in the prime of life—and faith.  LST has sent many three-generation family units, so we know the impact on those we serve.  Our daughter and her new husband went with her Grandparents to the Ukraine nine years ago—and they still tell stories about it.
  5. Taking whole families requires sacrifices on everyone’s part, but since when were sacrifices bad for anyone! Our middle child was a baseball player. Every year, we left the country after 2-3 weeks of summer baseball season, which was hard on him.  We always signed him up, bought the uniform, and paid the fees so he could play the 3 or 4 games that happened before we left, but we did not let it keep us home.  We did buy newspapers everyday so he could keep up with the baseball scores, and we made special arrangements with Americans overseas to record the mid-summer All-Star Game. Then when we came through, we made a big deal out of watching it together.  Was it a sacrifice? Yes! But he learned very early that in our family, God’s work came first. And today he is a man of God, which is all we could have prayed for.

I am convinced that if we learn as a family to serve God first, we will do church better. First the little family, then the big family.

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Tips for Short-Term Missions: When Travel Stops You Cold!

Posted in Short-Term Missions, tagged , , , , , on May 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Recently I watched a documentary that described the travels of ordinary Americans in the 19th century.  Most people traveled by foot, though some could afford to ride a wagon or oxen cart. Then stagecoaches doubled the speed of travel, often arriving at 8-9 mph.  When trains and steamboats arrived on the scene in 1820-40, then speeds doubled again.

Even into the beginning of the 20th century, rural Americans traveled by horse and/or wagon. To travel the thirty miles between Dallas and Fort Worth would require a full day, with the return requiring another full day. My mother who has just turned 87 remembers traveling these kinds of distances in horse-drawn wagons, so we are not too far removed from those times.

Why does then a 14-hour plane ride to Thailand, even a 9-hour overnight flight to Europe or South America present such an obstacle for adults considering short-term missions?  I believe we have forgotten how to travel long distances.  Here are some suggestions for recovering this ability.

  1. Slow down before you start. With the ability to travel at greater speeds in our everyday lives, we have reduced the time allowed for both preparation and arrival. We allow 3 minutes to get to the meeting that starts at 10am—no warm-up, get right to work—then rush out to the next activity. BTW, this is why a one-hour church service is probably only about 35 effective minutes.
  2. Don’t take too much stuff. As in most areas of our lives, stuff tends to clutter and enslave us. Try traveling just with carry-on, yes, even for a month overseas. You will probably still have much more with you than the people you are traveling to serve. We have done this recently and the freedom and flexibility it brings in dealing with air travel makes a huge difference in our travel attitudes.
  3. Prepare several enjoyable things to do during your travel. Haveseveral because sometimes things go wrong. I was recently on a flight where my overhead light did not work; I had to do something besides read. Or what if the movie on the plane is one you have seen three times….what is your alternative activity?
  4. Understand what jetlag is and make your plan for dealing with it. There isn’t just one solution for jetlag. Much depends on what part of your night you are shifting or losing during your travel.  But you do need a plan because jetlag is real. Sometimes Sherrylee and I  arrive and go straight to bed. Sometimes we go straight to work and shift right to the local clock. I have had good results with melatonin, but other people don’t. Almost everybody thinks that light is very important—getting out into the sunshine helps reset your body clock.  No matter what you choose, make a plan and do it.
  5. Move around on the plane. Try to sit on an aisle or where you can easily get out. Unless you are asleep, you should get up and walk up and down the aisle every two or three hours—just like you would at any desk job.  Go to the bathroom when you need to. Don’t hold it!
  6. Don’t be surprised by travel delays or other travel issues. I once had a ticket from Turkey to Germany, arrived at the airport in plenty of time, only to find out that the airline that sold me the ticket had no flights out of that airport. We have gone from one plane to another on the tarmac in Moscow to find our flight, we have had dozens of flights capriciously cancelled. Here is my best advice to you about when things go wrong at the airport:  the airline representatives at the airport at the ticket counter or the gate have more power to take care of you than anyone else in the world! If you need help, ask them to fix your problem.  If they are resistant, my best approach is to very kindly say to them, “Well, then what am I supposed to do?—and just wait there until they give you an answer.  If they don’t help, then try a different agent.
  7. Fear of flying is often a control issue. If this is your problem, you might try seeing it as a spiritual problem and giving the control to God—who already had it anyway.
  8. Dress nicely when you fly and everyone treats you better and helps you more. I know flying in shorts or pajamas is pretty cool, but it doesn’t help you if anything goes wrong.
  9. Wash your face and brush your teeth about an hour before the end of your flight. Not only does it just make you feel better, but you will be better prepared to make a good first impression when you get off the plane.
  10. And after all of this, if you still have a rough flight, just remember why you are traveling! “Our present sufferings are but for a moment. . . . “ compared to the joy you will experience in bringing Good News to someone who is waiting for you to arrive.

Early Americans traveled days, weeks, even months sometimes for land, for gold, for business, or for freedom. We honor these people in our history for their courage and endurance. Their reasons for travel were usually personal; your reason is to make an eternal difference in someone’s life.

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Tips for Short-Term Missions: Fund-Raising Secrets

Posted in Short-Term Missions, tagged , , , , , , on May 6, 2010| 2 Comments »

Most people hate to raise money for any reason. Some will do it for charities they believe in, but few want to do it when they appear to be the beneficiary as is the case with raising funds for a short-term mission trip.

This personal fear may be the chief reason why many Christians do not participate in short-term missions. Their churches do not fund it, nor do they themselves have the resources. They simply refuse to ask other people for contributions to their mission trip.  The result is not what anyone wants: mission calls go unanswered, and we do not share in the blessing of advancing the Kingdom of God.

First, I want to offer some different ways of thinking about fund-raising that may help you.

  1. The money you raise is not for you. The money you raise is to benefit those you will share your faith with. Very few of us would be embarrassed to go door to door in our neighborhoods to raise funds if our neighbor’s house burned down with all their possessions. We can do this because it is obvious that it is for others.  The same is true of short-term missions: if we are going to those in danger of dying without knowing Christ, it is just simply not about us!
  2. People are greatly blessed by giving to the cause of Christ. So is it really more blessed to give than to receive? If it is, then with fund-raising, we are giving people an opportunity to be blessed. Each year we have workers who report that someone got mad at them because they were NOT asked to contribute to the mission project.
  3. Fund-raising is often the first step of faith in a short-term mission project. For many, the first step is the hardest; as usual, the first step is extraordinarily affirming of God’s call once it has been taken.  In LST, we even encourage the workers who can easily pay their own way to raise funds just to increase their faith in God’s providence.

Quickly now, I want to list the obvious steps in successful fund-raising. Then we will get to the secrets!

  1. Ask and you will receive.
  2. The more people you ask, the quicker you will get your funds.
  3. Don’t stop until you have reached your goal.

Here are the real tips I have to offer, however, that many people don’t know.

  1. No one will give to you, if there is any doubt about your going. You cannot raise any funds if you even hint at the attitude of “if I raise the money, then I will go.”  No commitment, no funds.
  2. The more personal the request, the more likely you are to receive a positive response. Letters bring a 10% response and small amounts. Phone calls and personal conversations result in 60-80% response and larger amounts contributed.
  3. People that give to you once may be willing to give again. People give out of their available cash, so if they have cash in January, they will more available in March. If you still have a need, they may give again—so ask them.
  4. People give more if they feel the need is urgent. Use your fund-raising deadlines to help donors feel that urgency. Do not give up as you get close to your final deadline; rather, let your potential donors know how critical it is to get your funds before the deadline.
  5. Don’t assume you will get it all from what appears to be an obvious source. That includes your home church, your rich uncle, or anyone else.  Part of the faith experience is learning that God provides in ways that often surprise us.  The people we think have money give us $25 dollars and the poor widow gives us $500.

Fund raising will grow your faith in God. Don’t  be too proud to be improved. Lord, I believe that—but help my unbelief.

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Tips for Short-Term Missions: Making the Decision

Posted in Short-Term Missions, tagged , , , , , , on May 4, 2010| 1 Comment »

Honestly, the first time I was asked to do a short-term mission trip, I agreed only because I could not figure out a good enough reason to say no. I was in college, so I even called my parents because I felt sure that they would want me to come home in the summer . . . but, in fact, their answer was, “You need to do what you think God wants you to do.”  I finally committed with my heart and not just my head—and I’ve never stopped. Thank you, Mom and Dad!

So here are a few tips about making the decision the first time, and I say the first time because I do believe that if you go once and do something meaningful, you will continue to find ways to go.

  1. Don’t expect all of your motives to be spiritual. I think many people do not hear the call of God because they love to travel, love to experience new things, love to meet new people. Who do you think gave you these desires? For what possible reason could He have done this? Instead of viewing these as personal or selfish desires, recognize their intended use and go!
  2. In two weeks or less, you can change the focus of your life! Especially if you are at one of those critical points in life, where you are trying to decide what you are really doing that is meaningful?  People who are now unemployed, who fear unemployment, who are nearing retirement, who are into retirement and finding it boring, who are disabled from physical work, who are unhappy in their profession with just punching a clock—a short-term mission project can give you brand new glasses to see your life with.
  3. You will never have more fun! Time spent doing the will of God—all day long—will beat fishing, skiing, cruising, touring, hunting—because it is everything you enjoy about these activities wrapped up into the same package, but framed with an eternal purpose.  When you show someone how to pray, or tell them who Jesus is for the first time, or hear them trusting you with the burdens of their heart because you care about them; when you see the light of understanding go on in their eyes, when you see your new friend baptized—and the huge smile on their face . . . it is so much more than a great round of golf.
  4. “Can you afford it” is really the wrong question. The fact is that a two-week mission trip will probably be much less expensive than a two-week vacation.  However, your investment in a short-term mission trip will come back to you for the rest of your life—and afterwards. Can you afford not to go?  (I’m going to write about raising funds shortly, so watch for those tips too.)
  5. Age doesn’t matter very much! Eighty-year-olds have gone with LST on missions. Eight-year-olds with their parents have also gone. In many cultures, age is revered.  Years ago, a man said to one of our older workers, “I’ve never met a Christian with gray hair.” His comment was the result of too many American Christians thinking that short-term missions were just a youth group or college student activity.  A friend of ours in her 70s just lost her husband this year, but she took her grief and her loneliness to eastern Europe to fulfill a mission call. Now  she exchanges the grief with the joy of pouring her life out for Christ and the loneliness with all the people God brings to her.  Her new life and joy is palpable.
  6. Be strong and courageous and do not be afraid! Fear is our enemy. God spoke these words to His people over and over again in scripture. Count them up if you don’t believe me—then do something to overcome your fears.
  7. Don’t procrastinate. Do it soon! Why should you wait? Does it sound like any of the excuses given for not coming to the Great Banquet? (business, relatives, obligations) Don’t surrender your seat at the table because of just couldn’t decide to do it.

I’m not particularly proud of the story of my first decision to go, but I did learn something that stuck with me. Whatever your reasons for not going are, if you will simply set them aside and go, your life will be changed because you are right in the middle of the will of God. I know that is true.

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Tips for Good Short-Term Missions, Part Two: To Mom and Dad

Posted in Christian Missions, Short-Term Missions, tagged , , , , , , , on April 29, 2010| 1 Comment »

The biggest hindrance to Christian youth and college students participating in short-term missions is their parents. I really hate to say that but after thirty years of recruiting college students for summer mission projects, I know this to be true.

Here are a few thoughts for Moms and Dads to think about to help them be more comfortable with what their young people want to do for God.

1. If your goal for your child is that he/she holds on to—even grows in—the faith you have tried to share with them, you need to let them go when they feel called. A great study done by a psychology professor at Abilene Christian University may be all I need to cite:  His study of 25,000 young people in churches of Christ showed that a “summer mission experience” was the top factor correlating with those students who continued in their faith after high school.

2. Before you ask your child to be “sensible” and …….(you fill in the blank with summer school, job, visit Grandma, internship, etc), you should ask yourself what message you are sending about the place of the kingdom in his/her life. Young people tend to “walk by faith” a little more naturally than we adults who have learned what the worst case scenarios are and who try to cover ourselves with insurance against such.

3. Check to see if you are afraid for yourself or are you afraid for your child. Some parents have not traveled much, never been out of the country, never had a passport (even if you are governor of Alaska!). No wonder you are a bit anxious about releasing your student to go to China or Africa or ………  Millions of Americans go overseas every year—for much less important reasons that sharing their faith.   “Be strong and courageous and do not be afraid.” We have to teach our children Christian bravery.

4. You don’t want to teach your children fear of random violence! One year we had a grandmother who offered to pay her granddaughter to stay safely in Oklahoma.  While the daughter was safely in Germany, the Edmond post office massacre occurred near her “safe” home in Oklahoma.  Unless we want to be crippled by fear, we cannot be live our lives afraid of random violence.

5. The best response to your child is to say YES–and to go with them! There is no better activity for Mom and/or Dad than to share some special time serving with your young person in serving the Lord.  Yes, you can do that any weekend at home, but to really step out on faith together, going somewhere very different, meeting people that are very different, but doing the most important task in the world together—there is nothing like it!

Sherrylee and I sometimes wondered if we were ruining our children by taking them with us each summer to do Let’s Start Talking—from early children through their teen years.  I guess I better let them tell you what it has meant to them. . . . but I know that God used it for good, and they are all people of strong faith.  Isn’t that what you want for your children?

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Tips for Good Short-Term Missions: Part 1 – Church Leaders

Posted in Christian Missions, Short-Term Missions, tagged , , , , , on April 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I have been directly involved in organizing short-term missions (STM) since I was a freshman in college—45 years ago.  Since 1980, Sherrylee and I have sent over 6000 American Christians on thousands of short-term mission projects in sixty-five different countries through the Let’s Start Talking Ministry.

We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of short-term missions, but we have always believed that if done well, they were of great value.  For the next few days, I’ll give you some of the things we have learned over the years to help you do short-term missions better.

First, to the church leaders who are asked to send and to support short-term missions, here are a few suggestions for distinguishing the more worthy from the less worthy:

1. Who will be benefited by this short-term mission effort? Some of the possibilities are the Worker, the sending church, the hosting church, and the unchurched/unbelievers that are touched by the work.  Is the work intended to just be a good experience for the Americans going and the encouragement it gives to the local congregation sending them? If so, don’t describe it as mission work. It is edification.  If it is for the hosting church, then it is church nurturing, not missions. If it is for the unchurched/unbelievers, then it is evangelism.  All of these are worthy goals, so decide which you want to support.

2. Does the host really want these people to come? I attended a meeting of local evangelists in a foreign country a while back and the common complaint from all of them was how they felt required to host short-term groups who wanted to come work with them—regardless of whether the group would actually benefit their work—because the group was from a church that supported their work.   It was often assumed that every mission site would love to have a group of 30 people appear on their doorstep, but for many obvious reasons, that is not always the case.  Make sure a real invitation from the site has been issued before you go/send.

3. What’s the purpose and how will it be accomplished? Make sure that the activities match the purpose.  If the purpose is to share the Gospel with people, establishing an obvious way to contact people who do not believe is critical. Then, how will the workers begin a conversation with them? There is room for a variety of purposes, but the activities must match the purpose.

4. What’s the plan for the time on site? The very nature of short-term missions means that good use of the time is critical. Showing up to “do whatever the missionary wants” is simply a way to shift all the responsibility on the local people to do all the thinking and preparation.

5. Have the workers prepared to go? Let’s Start Talking provides all workers with a minimum of 20 hours of preparation. Our college students receive more like 50 hours for their mission projects. There are good resources out there for individuals and groups to use in preparation.  Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use the expertise of short-term mission leaders with lots of experience.

6. Is the cost appropriate? I do not believe at all in the “most bang for the buck” model of missions—but we will talk about that later.  But I also know that spending $3000/person for a five-day short-term mission project when two of the days are mostly getting to and from the site does not appear on the surface to be a wise use of that money.  Church leaders should weigh the costs against all of the outcomes, then make a prayerfully informed decision.

Next, I’ll offer a few tips for those trying to decide about a short-term mission trip—or not!

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