Mission trip

what would you guys recommend to someone who has never been on a mission trip, yet is interested in going? i'd be especially interested in going on a mission trip to my own lost country- the USA (but ,of course, i'd go ANYWHERE God wants.)i know how to teach God's word, encourage, help, and pray......but i don't know how to dig wells and build houses.also, i'm not interested in "adventure", but instead in serving God. (it seems that many of the mission websites center on "adventure" and sightseeing.)thanks- dennis

Hi Dennis,Bro, this may sound mundane, but let your mission field start in your own back yard. Who knows where you'll end up or where the Lord will send you. Many great missionaries started this way.

Interesting note: My pastor has been on a missions trip to Ecuador, and says he will never go back. He said that the Ecuadorians are preying on short-term missions as a form of tourism to help boost their economy. When one of our dollars is worth about 20+ of theirs, they love the idea of us visiting.

denem7,There are many short-terms missions fields. Just about every church in the Pacific Northwest it seems travels to Mexico every four or five years for two weeks. But one thing I have heard almost continuously about short-terms outreach missions is that it is not about the missions field but the missionaries. I must confess my own experiences play into this general stereotype to a degree.Second, if it is possible, find a way to work with established missionaries. They can reach in and show you what it is like to be there if you let them.I don't exactly hate to be a recruiter, so if you're interested, Youth With a Mission is a large non-denominational organization. They run two introductory programs, Crossroads for the 30+/families with young kids/retiring folks spread and Discipleship Training Schools for the out of highschool to 25ish crowd. The DTS I was in actually didn't pay much attention to that, 'cause we had young families and several middle-aged persons.The other thing about YWAM - they lead rather fluently into long-term missions work. But they also require a decent chunk of time (6 months minimum).www.ywam.orgwww.ywamportorchard.com

Lahry,Please do not misunderstand me, I'm not speaking out against all such churches in such countries as Ecuador, I did not intend it as a slam, just more along the lines of a, beware what you get into sort of deal. For that matter, I have helped support an independent missionary in this very same country financially and spiritually. Even though I did not favor all the doctrine's he taught (as sometimes he directly taught against even what I believe as a pentecostal), I still believed in the work he and the team/network of other missionaries were doing. They saw much fruit in their ministry, helping start probably over a half dozen churches within a couple years.However, one does have to beware. I say if anybody is going to do missions, do missions. I've known mission trips that were more along the lines of vacations than about spreading the gospel. Not that there is anything wrong with taking in the sites and enjoying the cultures, but if one should go there, they should go to a country, they should seek to make it about building up the church and winning souls. By the way, my pastor is also on a denominational missions board, and has been doing this stuff for a while, and has noticed these very things and more. God blessJimmy

I read through only some of the posts so if I repeat what has been written please forgive me. I would ask my local pastor if there's a para-ministry(I hate to use that term but will anyway) in operation in your local area, a street outreach or food and clothing ministry, or prehaps a ministry to the poor in an evangelistic outreach. If he doesn't know of any I'd contact some of the local churches and inquire. If that gains you no results let me know, be sure to give me your area and I'll get you a contact ministry you can plug into. I might also suggest looking into some of the street witnessing teams and if you're a worker you might want to try doing short term missions to the American Indians. There's several really good ministries out there but that work needs a special season of prayer before you enter it. Any labor for Jesus needs prayer but some more than others due to the nature of the spiritual warfare you'll experience. There is a diverse group of individuals here who do street evangelism, of all differnt sorts you might also consider. Be sure of this, "blessed are those who hunger and thirst AFTER righteousness, they shall be filled". God Bless you and lead you into a plain path that'll meet your hearts cry to serve Jesus. In Christ Bro. Daryl

Just some more thoughts on missions... I often wonder about people who take short term mission trips half way across the world yet never bother telling any of their friends, family, and coworkers about Christ. I've found a lot of people who are just dying to go across the world aren't dying to go across the street. I'm not against foreign missions, but, who ever said in order to be a missionary one had to go to a foreign country to do so? It would be great if such an effort was put into practice here in the states.The average week-long missions trip to another country probably averages $1500-2000 to go on, not to mention the loss of revenue to take a little over a week off from work. Imagine if we put this kind of cash and time into evangelism in our area for a week? Yet it seems many are not even willing to consider such a crazy idea. The idea of short-term missions is pretty exciting to many, whereas sharing Jesus with your neighbor or coworker is terrifying to most. The idea of a short-term missions trip is usually pretty exciting and gives a great "high" to those who go on them and come back. I wonder about our brother and sisters though who labor for the rest of their lives in a specific area if they constantly feel a great buzz for such a calling. One missionary I know is excited about his calling, but I'd say he is hardly on the "high" so many come back with. I think some of the excitment is not a spiritual as we might think. I'm all gung-ho about missions. I believe God has placed it in my heart to one day enter into the missions field. However, I'm also gung-ho about local evangelism. I think we need more balance in the Church in regard to this. When was the last time we got a high out of telling our neighbor or coworker about Jesus?

Lahry,When you say you are "never going back" because of the actions of a few, how is one supposed to take that? It is judging all by a few. This is very unkind and not Christlike at all the way I see it. I tried to read your response with empathy, but found myself right back where I started. I mean you no offense, I just think that kind of action and profession is most unfortunate.Read closer please. I never said I was never going back... I've never been there to begin with. I said my pastor said he was never going back to this particular country. I might go there one day should the Lord call me. However, my pastor has shaken the dust off his feet in regard to that country, where the people he came in contact with were much more interested about his money than the gospel and reaching the lost. Who knows, my pastor still may go there again one day. But God has placed another country, Uruguay, on his heart. I don't see this as unkind and non-Christlike. If I were to go on a street corner and start preaching, and a nearby hot-dog vendors all flocked to me trying to sell me their hot-dogs the entire time I preached, I would go to another street corner.

Interesting article at Christianity Today on short-term mission trips.. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/127/22.0.html

I can tell you and your pastor for a certainty that it will not be any different in Uraquay or any where else for that matter, including the good old USA. But we do not forsake those who are good soil just because there are also those who live among the thorns.But it is different in Uruguay. He's been going there for several years now taking a group of people with him. They are not seeking to make a tourist industry out of him. Instead they just graciously accept the support he brings to the local churches they help financially and spiritual. The tourist treatment he was getting in this country by the local church actually was hindering him and his team from doing the work they purposed to do when they came down there. So, he's decided not to labor among them again. I don't blame him at all. Perhaps he'd go back if another avenue opened to go down there, but since he's found very fruitful labor in Uruguay, I doubt he has plans on returning anytime soon.