Behind the Scenes of Short Term Mission Trips

Short-term mission trips are a hot topic these days as they are often discussed and debated concerning their value. Are they worth it? Do they really do any good? Is it really what God wants us to be doing with our time and money?

When you travel abroad for a one or two-week mission trip, you work hard, do your best, and then leave wondering. Did our work really make a difference? Or does all this just make me feel really good?

As an intern for Mision Para Cristo this month, I was blessed to interact with seven different groups as they came and went on their short-term summer mission trips. Even though they were only there a week, I saw a transformation occur right before my eyes. It only takes a week for hearts to be renewed for serving Christ. It only takes a week for work to be accomplished that could not be done without the money, hands, and hearts of the people who come. It only takes a week to motivate a group of people to go back to the United States and share their experiences, which spreads the word about God's kingdom involvement around the world. For me personally, a one-week mission trip to Nicaragua first interested me in mission work. That prompted me to spend last summer as an intern, which verified my interest in mission work. That enabled me to intern again this summer, which God used to confirm His call to mission work on my entire life. For me, The domino effect that led me to commit my life to mission work started with a short-term campaign.

I also want to add this brief testimony about short-term trips. Everyone who goes on one wonders about what happens after they leave and if their work really left an impact. I have been there and felt that. This summer made my fourth trip to Jinotega, Nicaragua. My first trip was a short-term trip with my church four years ago, and I went again for a week the next summer. Then I interned for nine weeks last summer and four weeks this summer. Coming year after year and for extended periods of time has allowed me to see more than what you see when you are just there for a one-week campaign.

I think about Apanas, a community in which I helped build a church four years ago on my first trip to Nicaragua. Today, that church building stands big and bright in the center of the community and serves as a hub of activity. The church doors are open for people to hear about Jesus. Four years ago I was laying blocks, wondering if my work would really make a difference. This summer, I helped lead a Bible Adventures program for one hundred children in that very building.

I think about Francisca, a woman who lives in a small wooden house that we built for her. Last year, a group came for a week and built it. This year, I got to see her again and hear her praise God for her beautiful house. Because of the gift of her house, her life was changed, and she is talking with her neighbors about God's faithfulness.

I think about all the children in the Step by Step preschool. Last year, I went there week after week and attempted to teach English using the Bible, wondering if the kids were really understanding anything that was going on. This year when I returned, the children greeted me in English and could finish the Bible stories while I was in the middle of telling them.

I think about the church in Matagalpa that had seven baptisms recently.

I think about my sweet Nicaraguan friend reading her Bible using the method that my mom taught in a seminar last year.

That's why I love Nicaragua and keep going back. I have built relationships and made connections there. I have seen the difference that God's love can make over time. I have witnessed some of the fruits of the labor. I have experienced the unfolding growth of God's kingdom in some small way.

Short-term mission trips are a part of something much bigger than what you see when you are only there a week. God is working behind the scenes, and He is doing huge things! It is His work that we are joining when we go on short-term mission trips, and His work continues even when we are not there. The work that you do does make a difference because it is being done in the name of Christ.

Seeds are planted. Relationships are built. Faith is strengthened and shared. People come to Christ. Fruit is produced. The world is changed. God is made more famous!

So if you wonder if your work is making a difference, remember the one you are working for. We are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. When He says, "go," and we "go", we are obeying, and the rest of the story is in His hands. I have witnessed with my own eyes the unfolding of some of the chapters in that story, and I want to spend the rest of my life discovering the rest.