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If you're struggling with whether or not
to invest next summer in a mission
project but aren't quite sure if it's
the right thing to do, here are some
things to consider.
The door is open!
There is no place on earth closed to
university students. Travel is
relatively affordable and quick. Your
education and your proficiency in the
English language gain you entry and a
medium of communication in most any
country on earth. The situation was
similar in the book of Acts. Roman roads
connected much of the world making
transportation much easier than it had
ever been. Because Greek was so widely
spoken at that time, the Greek-speaking
believers like Paul and Philip could
communicate with much of Asia, Africa,
and Europe. Don't miss the blessing of
learning another language, but at the
same time, there are people all over the
world who are waiting for a patient soul
to teach them English.
How short is too short?
Scripture abounds with examples of God
raining his Kingdom down through his
servants in very brief encounters. Jesus
spent two days with the Samaritans of
Sychar bringing the good news to them.
In fact, he never stayed for very long
in any one location. The same could be
said of Paul's missionary journeys. Luke
records the planting of the Philippian
Church occurring from a stay of "several
days" (Acts 16:12). God can turn an
unexpected layover into an evangelistic
event if we are willing to be led by his
Spirit and are living the gospel
wherever we go.
Your pea-sized view of Christianity will
explode.
The opportunity to wrestle with the size
and diversity of the world and the
Church will have some profound effects
on you. Your notions of reality will be
challenged and you will be pressed into
Jesus like never before. A recent study
of short-term mission participants
revealed that the amount of money they
gave away after their mission experience
doubled. The amount of specifically
focused prayer increased by 200%, and a
third of those who went for two weeks or
more returned. The sort of profound
lifestyle, worldview, and vocational
changes that occur by going on a
short-term mission are phenomenal.
You'll impact others.
If your short-term mission experience
allows you to develop a close
relationship with someone in the host
country, you could have a profound
effect on another person. God has
designed us to be intensely relational
beings. When we purposefully get
together with someone who is different
from ourselves with the intention and
expectation of really getting to know
them, stuff happens. The gospel happens.
The indomitably curious human spirit
takes over and we twist our lives
together in a way that allows the gospel
to come in an incarnate form. Remember,
there are still a billion people on
earth who have yet to hear the good news
for the very first time. Let Jesus live
through you naturally as you express his
love, care, anger, joy, and values in
the context of relationship.
Adapted from
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Global
Project Handbook, 1999.
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