Around this time of year, students are busy filling out their applications in preparation for any one of our summer short-term mission trips.  As I think about this summer and the 100+ students that will be heading into the inner city of Chicago, Mexico or Ecuador I think that it is worth revisiting the why behind these trips.

1. Discipleship- people almost always assume that short-term missions is about, well, missions.  For myself and the ministry partners that we work with, we recognize that the long term impact of these trips in often times in the hearts and lives of the students that attend.  Much like retreats, these trips offer ways to escape from the routine of our everyday lives and makes room for God to work in our soul.

2. Taste of missions- Despite the fact that the primary reason for these trips is discipleship, we also value the experience as a window into the world of missions for the students.  They get to experience what it is like to raise support, communicate the purpose and vision behind their trips and serve in a culture different from their own.

3. Cultural Exchange- Our perspective is limited.  Western Suburbs is our default setting and we assume that the values and world views  of our culture are shared across racial and geographical lines.  Experiencing another culture provides the opportunity to observe what is important in a community other than our own and in doing so critique and challenge our values and assumptions.

4.  Expand awareness of the body of Christ locally and globally-  in a similar fashion to the limits that we experience culturally, we can live with similar boundaries in our perspective of the Church.  We want students to worship in another language, to sit among those of another race and to see that what unites us together in a common Savior is greater than those things that make us different.

5. Teach giftedness and leadership- Finally (but certainly not least), these trips allow students to use their gifts and to step into positions of leadership.  It allows them to see more clearly how God has wired them specifically and to be encouraged in that.  These trips enable students to focus outwardly and in doing so they often times learn more about who they are internally.

For all of these reasons and many more, my experience has been that these trips play a significant roles in the faith stories of many of our students.  I hope that you will be able to be a part.

Tags: missions, short-term