Today is the day that has kept me quite busy for the past couple of weeks. Today is the day that I, along with my wife and 11 others from our church board a plane heading for Portugal. Over the next 10 days we will be working with a public school (grades 5-8 ) teaching them the wiffle version of American Baseball with the express purpose of sharing the gospel with them and introducing them to a local body of believers (aka a church).
As I sit at the computer, less than 2 hours before we’re scheduled to leave the church, my mind wanders back over past missions trips. Of course when planning these ministries one question that I always ask is “is it worth the money?” and even “is it worth the time?” The short answer is “YES!” But getting to that answer isn’t necessarily that easy. Over the past few years I’ve been on several missions trips, some within the U.S. (Shepherds Ministries, Lamoka Baptist Camp) and 3 international trips to Brazil (one with a large group, one with a small group and one by myself). Each trip has had a profound impact on my life. Some of the impact can be short-lived as time and day-to-day responsibilities wear on, but each trip has left long-term impressions on my life as well. For this reason it’s easy to say “yes, a missions trip is worth the time and money.”
But these trips aren’t just about me, they’re also about an entire group of people, and looking back over past missions trips I think of the people that went on each one, and if the argument for missions trips rested on what each person who went on a missions trip is doing now, my “YES!” would become less enthusiastic. But perhaps that’s because I’m human and don’t know the entire picture, or the entire story of each individuals life. I think of one of the first trips I took with a group of people. There was a young man who went on that trip who over the next several years would hit rock bottom, but yet God in His grace and mercy brought this man Christ, and today is a growing Christian whose desire for God reflects itself every time we talk. With that in mind my answer to “the question” (are missions trips worth the time and money) returns to it’s enthusiastic “YES!” not because that particular trip had anything to do with the young man’s salvation, but because God works in people differently. Sure it’s discouraging to see former trip participants go down sinful trails, but I mustn’t write the end to a story that’s not mine to write.
Finally, and most importantly, the missions trip isn’t just about the group, it’s about God! It’s showing the light of God’s glory and salvation to those who are living in a darkened world. It’s about coming along side fellow believers in other cultures and sharing the joy and satisfaction that comes from belonging to the same kingdom…to the same King! It’s about recognizing that while the Holy Spirit is the One that draws an unbeliever to Christ, God has ordained the means…God has stooped to allow us the privilege of being used to spread His message of the forgiveness of sins. This missions trip is not a testament to my marvelous missions trip planning skills, it’s a testament to God mercifully allowing 13 forgiven sinners to take a marvelous message to those who do not currently worship God with the hope that soon they will come before Him with praise and adoration for the mighty work of salvation wrought in their own lives.
So…is a missions trip worth the time and money? If it’s to bring glory to God…then a thousand times YES!
