MISSION TRIPS: Ok so I havent posted anything about my mission trip yet....for several reasons. But instead of posting all the ins and outs of it, I thought Id give my facebook friends my version of what a mission trip is and give the next person some things to think about before they consider a mission trip of their own: To me, a mission should supply a need; whether that need be a material one like helping build a house or sending food, or a spiritual one like introducing people to Christ. 1. There are logistics to mission trips, thus one should evaluate the value of what it takes to do the mission. We dont like to think of spreading the love and the name of Jesus Christ as having a value to it, but lets be real.....it does. If I ask you to give me your salary for the next 12 months in order for me to tell someone about Jesus then you understand there is value in anything that costs money. Make sure your mission is of value and not counterproductive. Ask yourself what the need is that you are supplying and what is the best way to go about spending the available funds to supply that need. 2. Dont sell false hopes. Wherever your mission field is, it is important to understand the circumstances (culture, mentality, financial needs, etc.) that are hindering the people from overcoming their situations. It is not enough to go tell someone there is a better way of life and then leave. Maybe part of your mission needs to be creating a path for them to overcome their immediate circumstances that hinder them from having a better life. Think about what will take place in their lives once your time with them is over. 3. Do it from the heart. Too many times we do things because it sounds like a good idea or because we think obedience means saying yes to anyone who asks us to do something. To me obedience is following your heart and what God places on YOUR heart to do, not what God placed on someone elses heart and convinced you it was a good idea. Usually when God places something on your heart, you do it whole-heartedly and are willing to make a sacrifice to see the work done. This brings me to the word sacrifice. Do you spend all your extra money going on personal vacations for pleasure but then ask others for money when it comes to the mission that was laid on your heart? Ima leave that one right there... 4. Love doesnt cost a thing. Why do you think Jesus wasnt rich? He could have had it all couldnt he? But there was a lesson in why he didnt. Many times we try to make ourselves feel better by saying well at least we showed them the love of Jesus Christ while we were there. This may be true so I wont take that away from the point Im trying to prove. One thing about the people of Jamaica that impacted me the most was seeing how they live in such poverty, yet the love they exude is really unlike any love Ive experienced from people in the States. It made me think of love in a whole new way. You may think you are going to show someone love when really you come back feeling the love from them....yet it cost them nothing to show you that. 5. Doing missions abroad requires a lot more evaluating. Ask yourself if youve been able to provide the same mission work locally. Do you get more excited to go overseas than you do for the work that is right in front of your face? Have you applied the same concept in your own town before you went to a foreign land? I say this to point out that often times we overlook the blessing in where God has placed us and how we can make an impact right where we stand. If you want to empower women in Jamaica do you also want to empower women in your neighborhood? Do you just empower the women at your church, or the women in your community as well? It always baffles me when people can orchestrate a huge and costly ordeal overseas and never mention doing anything of that nature in their own communities. There is so much more on my mind, but hopefully this snippet of information will impact someones heart before they go out on the mission field. Let God have the glory and not yourself. Dont look for a pat on the back or a job well done. If its on your heart then none of that will matter. And lastly, mission work is available every second of the day....dont walk blind.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 21:41:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015