The Value of a Short-term Missions Experience

When I worked at Kamloops Christian School, we used to send two short term mission teams to Guatemala every year.  And, every year people questioned the value of these teams.   They would say the money we spent on the trip would be put to better use if we just sent it all to missionaries already working in the area. 

The truth is, it is expensive to participate in a short term missions trip.  The cost is usually between $1500 and $2000 per person for a 10 day trip.  A portion of that is set aside for the project ($300 - $500), but the majority is used to cover flights, in-country travel, accommodations and food. 

If all you do is run the numbers, then it is easy to see how you come to the conclusion that it is better to just send money.  Missions and ministry, although, is about more than just numbers.  It is about relationships and that cannot happen if we don’t engage, personally. 

This week, as we sat in a circle for our evening debrief with the team from Trenton, I listened as a young man gave words to how this missions experience was affecting him.  He shared how he could see now how materially focussed he was back home and how hesitant he was to share the Gospel with others.  He said what he was learning and living out here in Guatemala was teaching him how he could live back home.  It was changing him; changing his focus and his heart. 

David Platt, in his book Radical, issues a 5 point challenge to believers, a part of which is to “spend your time in another context (missions).”  It could be a car ride away or a plane ride away – the distance isn’t important.  What is important is to go somewhere where you can share the gospel and care for the needy in Christ’s name.  “If we are going to accomplish the global purpose of God, it will not be primarily through giving our money, as important as that is.  It will happen primarily through giving ourselves.”   

We see, time and time again, how people are impacted by the missions experience and how, if they are willing, 1 week away from their home culture and context  can affect the other 51 weeks of the year.   The value of a short term missions experience is not just what can be accomplished, like building a classroom or a church, or giving shoes away to an impoverished community.  The value is in the relationships that are built with the local people and the inner work of the Holy Spirit in both those being ministered to and those who came to minister.  As the Master Card commercial used to say…Priceless!