Ask TEAM: What’s the Point of Short-Term Mission Trips?

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Nov 08, 2020

Short-term mission trips are often misunderstood to be humanitarian vacations. You get to go somewhere exotic, feel good helping people and come home with some good stories.

The focus is all very … well, short-term.

But the point of short-term mission trips is to create long-term outcomes. They should shape how the short-termer understands God’s mission and their place in it. They should provide personal growth. They should provide aid to long-term workers. And they should help make a lasting impact on the community visited.

Let’s dive into each of these advantages to short-term mission trips done well:

1. Short-Term Mission Trips Help You Understand God’s Mission

It’s easy to think of God’s plan simply in terms of what He does for us as individuals. Sure, we know there’s something bigger going on, but that’s easily forgotten in our day-to-day lives.

Short-term mission trips remind us that God is at work in all of the world. They let us see more of the things that stir His heart. They let us see the spiritual needs of other nations. This perspective can reshape the way we live our lives , how we pray and how we worship.

If you’re already considering long-term missions, a short-term trip can be a valuable tool for preparation . You’ll be exposed to various types of ministry, helping you see where you might fit on the mission field. If you go with TEAM , you’ll get to see missionaries in their daily lives and ask them questions. You’ll also get an introduction to navigating a new culture.

2. Short-Term Mission Trips Help Us Grow Personally

We grow the most when we are out of our comfort zones, and short-term trips are a great opportunity for this. Short-term mission trips require you to be flexible, humble , patient and gracious, while learning to navigate a new place and a new culture.

Although personal growth is not the purpose of a short-term mission trip, it is an undeniable benefit . Stepping outside your everyday life can help you see aspects of it more clearly. Plus, you’ll be serving alongside seasoned missionaries, who have unique perspectives and wisdom to share.

3. Short-Term Missions Trips are a Chance to Serve Long-Term Workers

Long-term missionaries put in a ton of work to make short-term trips happen. They have to organize housing, in-country transportation, ministry assignments and a host of other logistics. And that’s all before you even arrive.

But as much work as it takes to get you there, your presence can be a true gift. Short-term trips are a great opportunity to show missionary families you care about them and their work . Consider offering to babysit so the parents can have a date night. Or bring over some comforting American snacks the missionaries might not be able to get in their host country. No matter how you do it, make sure that you are using your time on a short-term trip to serve the people hosting you.

4. Short-Term Mission Trips Can Have a Long-Term Impact

Sometimes the work you do on a short-term trip can last even longer than the trip itself. In Japan , long-term missionaries had a vision for a new ministry, but they didn’t have the time or financial resources to renovate a necessary building. Thankfully, a group of short-termers volunteered their efforts. Today, that ministry has blossomed into a vibrant church .

When you go on a TEAM mission trip , we don’t just create a short-term project to keep you busy. We talk with missionaries on the field to find out what their needs are and identify areas where short-term workers can help. You can be assured that your labor will serve a significant purpose and, Lord willing, impact people for years to come.

Your Attitude is Key

Missionary leads an exercise class through a short-term mission program

Success on a short-term mission trip starts before you leave home. Start developing a teachable, flexible heart now, and begin learning about the culture that will host you.

Now, let’s get real. In order for short-term mission trips to be beneficial, it’s important to keep the right perspective.

Remember, the trip is not about you and what you can do. It’s about God and what He can do . You are there to serve. And in order to serve well, you need to prepare well.

Before you go, learn about the culture, and learn a few key words and phrases in the local language. Before and during the trip, try to look at different situations that come up as opportunities for learning — learning about God, learning about people, learning about yourself.

Don’t try to take charge and impose your own thoughts and ideas onto the situation. Go with a heart to serve, and watch as God works to change locals, long-term missionaries — and yourself!

Now that you know why short-term mission trips are a powerful tool for the kingdom, what’s your next step? Discover how to choose the right short-term mission trip !

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Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024

When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024

TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”