Overseas Mission Myth #1

After a semester long hiatus, I am back to blogging. There have been so many times I have thought of things to write but didn't have the time to do so. We'll see how long this lasts. I'll probably stop when I have to start writing papers again.

Anyway, we are going to Africa on Feb 28th which inspires me to write this series of blogs on church work overseas. There some common myths about overseas work that are floating around out there. These myths relate to short-term trips to foreign countries.


MYTH #1 - IT IS FINANCIALLY WASTEFULL TO SEND PEOPLE ON SHORT-TERM TRIPS OVERSEAS.
This is a total myth. This statement comes from a North American mindset that money is of primary importance. To the majority of the world survival is important and many Christians will sacrifice even their survival for sharing the gospel. What is more meaningful than money is the support and encouragement from believers on the other side of the world. The fact that someone cares enough to spend their money and take the time to come and visit you, speaks more than a cheque ever could. Most people do not want to be charity cases and have money thrown at them. However, they, like us, can use encouragement and support through prayer, acts of service, etc. When we visit other countries even for a short time, we get a glimpse of what daily life is like for the people we meet. We hear their stories and learn about them and their culture. We see their sacrifice and their needs. This makes us pray with understanding, serve where needed, and give when appropriate. It is a lot easier sometimes just to write a cheque, than it is to become a student and learn from others.

When we return to our country we can raise money for what is needed or raise awareness of the prayer needs. It is easier to do this when you have seen and experienced what you are talking about. One thing that our partners tell us is that they want to us to share our experiences with the people back home. For them it is more important that the people here know what is going on with them, than it is for them to only get some cash. Luis Martinez our partner in Guatemala tells of when he was offered thousands of dollars by a businessman. The businessman said that he would never support another person to go overseas short-term again because it was a waste of money and instead he would write Luis a cheque for the amount it would cost to send someone short-term. Luis told the businessman that he should keep his money because "money doesn't have eyes."