Missions anyone?

[boilerblues]

I feel led by the Lord to stay here and work with teens through martial arts. I worry about our younger generations because of the garbage of information they are bombarded with. They're continually being fed to have a nice car, nice house, lots of money, so on...But what worries me most are those that can't handle the pressure and failures, and are contemplating or have committed suicide.

I guess what I'm saying is," For some of us, the battle front is in our back yard." It concerns me that kids in Maryland are allowed to thank friends and family during Thanksgiving. Yet, they are not allowed to thank God. Or in California, any pregnant minor can have an abortion without the parents knowing about it from school teachers or the principals.

Am I the only in this boat? Cuz it's awfully silent right now....

I certainly understand what you're saying, I take very much the same view. We can't wait all year to take 1 week to go to another country to minister, there's much work for the Lord to do here.

My house church is my primary ministry, I'm very involved in that. I found that my trip to Guinea last year did a lot to expand my horizons, but it also helped out my ministry here a lot too. Each of us should be serving faithfully where we are right now, but taking time to expand our horizons can to a great deal to grow our ministry here.

 

[makkulu]

I haven't done any non local ministry yet. I am on a home support team for two of my best friends who are missos in Indonesia, and hope to visit them and do some work there at some stage but I am limited by the amount of time I can get off work, too.

It is important to only go on missions trips if you feel called to it, even short term ones are incredibly hard work. Being on the support team has shown me that in spades. At the risk of repeating the obvious, "keep asking Jesus what He would have you do, and then do that" is a good way to approach it, I reckon, whichever state or country that takes you to.

Makk

 

[lilray]

i'm actually going on one this weekend!! a Tijuana house-building trip on Sat. TJ's only about 15 minutes from San Diego so i don't have to miss any work - thankfully. i'm so stoked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

 

[white dove]

Who here has been on a short-term missions trip or been actively involved in missions? And, if you haven't, would you be willing to comment on why not?
I've heard some people talk about how this could be a great way for singles to serve the Lord. So, anybody?


I haven't. Either I've never heard of one in time to join, or I couldn't afford to miss that much work. Kind of sorry excuses, huh?

For one reason or another, peices never seem to fall into place for me. I've inquired about it several times @ my homechurch but for scheduling reasons or whatever, it's just never worked out...
The desire is definately there, though...and I am single w/o any kids, so this helps, too. I just have to keep leaving it to God, though & pray that if it is His will, that I get to go someday...
But, then, He keeps reminding me that the mission 'field' can be as close as my own home, so...

 

[ChrisWins]

Greetings! In the past two years I've been fortunate to have been able to go on two 2-weeks trips. (I actually turned each into a 3 week trip so I could have a week for myself to try to learn about and enjoy where I was.) As an EMT I signed up primarily to utilize the expertise I have in that but as it turns out I did so much more. God is SO AMAZING when he gets a group of doctors, nurses, medics, and others together working in a small hospital or clinic in some remote and/or poverty stricken location. My trips have been to the Domican Republic in the Caribbean and Ecuador in South America. I'm pondering India, Africa, or Vietnam this summer. Since I started doing a trip a year I feel my life has... it's very difficult to explain... i don't know but I feel so much about myself. I know being an EMT and helping people as a career is very worthwhile but helping on a mission trip is so much more fulfilling!!

Chris

 

[wvmtnkid]

I love mission trips! I would do more if I had the time and money to do so. I have been to Jamaica for a 10 trip and then I went to Chattanooga, TN this past summer for a week. I am also involved in short term mission group through my church that does several projects a year.

They are certainly life changing. The first one I went on totally changed my whole outlook on worship and really, just life itself. I would encourage anyone if they had the chance, to go. You go thinking you are going to help other people, but you will be amazed at just how much "help" you will receive.

 

[chanis]

Who here has been on a short-term missions trip or been actively involved in missions? And, if you haven't, would you be willing to comment on why not?
I've heard some people talk about how this could be a great way for singles to serve the Lord. So, anybody?
I haven't. Either I've never heard of one in time to join, or I couldn't afford to miss that much work. Kind of sorry excuses, huh?

I went to Guatemala back in 1999 and was there for about 1.5 months...it was an awesome experiance - it totally changed my life. I have been on about 3 missions trips since then and am actually planning on taking my single's group on one. I think that if you want to go on one there are many opportunities and organziations that provide short term and long term sessions...It is a lot of time to take from work but well worth it. If you can't go because of work or other obligations I wouldn't be too hard on yourself...you can always work in your community that's a huge mission field as well...many people think that we need to go to the ends of the earth wehere people have never heard the gospel (and though that is very much needed) but we also needs people at home to take the gospel into their communities...so that might be another opportunity you have of serving in missions...

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

Who here has been on a short-term missions trip or been actively involved in missions? And, if you haven't, would you be willing to comment on why not?
I've heard some people talk about how this could be a great way for singles to serve the Lord. So, anybody?


I haven't. Either I've never heard of one in time to join, or I couldn't afford to miss that much work. Kind of sorry excuses, huh?

So far I've been to Moscow, Buenos Aires, Bolivia, Barbados, and a couple trips to an orphanage in Mexico. All have been 1-2 week trips, so I guess they qualify as "short term".

There's no doubt that they're a great way for a single to serve. Plus, it's a life-changing event. I can definatley see how I'm a different person after doing this.

For the most part, the trips I've been on are to build houses/churches. Moscow was building a church to train Pastors for missions work in Russia. Arg was building a house on top of a church for the Pastor to live in. Bolivia, built a church. Barbados was another story. I was 21, chaperoning 20 High School Seniors. We renovated a building, but there was plenty of cow-tipping and other "side trips". Mexico is was building houses an a training facility, trade school I guess, for the orphans when they're 14 and up.

I like doing this, because you actually get to see, mostly through tears of joy, how you're benefitting someone else's life.

If you have specific questions I'd be happy to answer, but if not, I could ramble on for hours about what happens when you sneak out at night or wander off the job site when no one is looking. I'm sre I have pics somewhere too if you want to see them.

On a personal growth level, I'm happier now. I've met enough people who have nothing and are still happy, which has really simplified my life. I don't want as much "stuff" as I used to.

 

[wvmtnkid]

...you can always work in your community that's a huge mission field as well...many people think that we need to go to the ends of the earth wehere people have never heard the gospel (and though that is very much needed) but we also needs people at home to take the gospel into their communities...so that might be another opportunity you have of serving in missions...

This is the exact reason my church started a community missions project. I live in a fairly economically repressed area, well not so much where I live, but not too far away. Many people had the heart for missions, but because of family or work obligations, they were just not able to do the 1 to 2 week trips. Now, a weekend project was the right fit. There are so many opportunities out there to reach out in God's love to those around us.

On a personal growth level, I'm happier now. I've met enough people who have nothing and are still happy, which has really simplified my life. I don't want as much "stuff" as I used to.

This is a good point too. I have met people who lived in a shack with no running water and barely one set of clothes, but they were happier than I ever could have been at that time in my life. It's very humbling. And I don't think I truly understood how to worship God until I worshipped with people in these circumstances. Shoot, at one church in Jamaica, even the lizards came in to join the fun!

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

This is a good point too. I have met people who lived in a shack with no running water and barely one set of clothes, but they were happier than I ever could have been at that time in my life. It's very humbling. And I don't think I truly understood how to worship God until I worshipped with people in these circumstances. Shoot, at one church in Jamaica, even the lizards came in to join the fun!

It's VERY humbling when a little old lady who has nothing won't let you leave until she cooks you lunch. Another thing I've noticed, is that I've bought alot of souveniers (that's the other thing, bring old clothes, leave them there and use your suitcase for carting back all the memories) Anyways, good example is the Moscow trip. I bought a bunch of those stacking dolls, the ones where you open them up to find...


AHHHH!!! ANOTHER DOLL!!!

until you get down to one the size of an acorn. I've got the dolls, the KGB lighter, the KGB Gerneral's hat, even one of those fuzzy russian hats with the ear flaps, the Royal Order of the Water Buffalo style hats, and the most important thing I brought back from Moscow was this little spoon that the Pastor's wife painted.

But yeah, $20 in the collection plate at church and the church is mildly content, put that same $20 bill in the collection plate in a 2nd or 3rd world country and they look at you like you just funded their next year of services.

haven't run into many lizards, but I've seen my share of tarantulas. Being arachnophobic, I knew I would have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death some day, I didn't know I would have to do it just to pee.

I also saw how people are people, no matter where you are. When we were in Russia, that was the same time the US was bombing Kosavo. The US Embassy there was covered in paintballs from the drive by vandals, and there was "Save the world, Kill Clinton" grafitti everywhere. And we, as Americans, stand out. We were taught to say "I'm a Canadian" in Russian before we left, expecting an anti-American sentiment, but we couldn't walk down a street without people coming up to us just to talk to "those Americans". Nobody cared about our government's wars, they're just happy you came to visit.

 

[wvmtnkid]

haven't run into many lizards, but I've seen my share of tarantulas. Being arachnophobic, I knew I would have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death some day, I didn't know I would have to do it just to pee.

, oh you crack me up! You need to write a book about your experiences. I remember in another thread about one of your trips to Mexico and about you hitting the kid in the head with the soccer ball. P4I needs to join this thread-she would have some great stories to tell!

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

P4I needs to join this thread-she would have some great stories to tell!

true that.

All threads are go better when P4I is in the hizzle.

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

After we got off the plane, our Kenyan hosts named me "Sick white woman".

yep, you're just not a short-term missionary until you get your new name.

Despite being in a group of 5 spanish speaking people, I decided I should be the one to give some kids a pizza. I figured "Yo queiro Taco Bell" would translate to "Queiro Pizza?". Not realising that the words don't translate like that, I basically walked up to some poor kids in the middle of nowhere, showed them a pizza and pretty much taunted them with it by telling them it was mine, and that I like pizza.

Finally, I get frustrated, stop even TRYING to speak Spanish, revert back to English, put the pizza on the ground and say "Alright kids, I'm going to leave this pizza here, then I'm going to walk over there. Whatever happens is cool with me..." I take two steps and all I hear is dogs runnin in from all sides. I managed to snatch the pie up before the dogs got it, then just gave up. I went back to my group, they're all laughing at me, and Mike, one of the Spanish speakers is already back by the kids, ALL of them are eating and you can pretty much see the halo around Mike's head.

Since then I've been known around those parts as "El Pizza Diablo". The Pizza Devil.

 

[wvmtnkid]

P4I-I love to hear you talk about your mission trips. I hope some day before I die, to get to go to Africa on a missions trip.

But while we are sharing stories-my most memorable experience was falling through a roof and on to a cement floor, through a wooden table. Here we were sent to fix the roof-and I ended up making a larger hole in it plus creating the need to fix a ceiling. The good thing was, I wasn't killed or had any broken bones. I got up and walked away-my ego hurt more than anything else! There's more to that story I might share at a later time. They called me the "Miracle". But that just isn't as catchy as "sick white woman" or "the pizza devil". Those names have more zing to them!

ikelpac-Wasn't there a soccer ball involved in the pizza story somehow, or am I just dreaming that up?

And oh, the bugs! We didn't have to put those on purpose in anyones bed, they just sorta ended up there by themselves. I even had the pleasure of bringing some home with me from Jamaica. They cautioned us to open our suitcases outside when we got home because you never know what friendly little creature made it through customs to make a home with you.

And the leaving your clothes thing-I was a novice at mission trips and didn't realize that was sorta the standard. When we got to Jamaica, some of the people we were working with started taking dibs on our clothes and shoes. I was sorta surprised until I understood this was the common practice. The good thing was my suitcase was much lighter on the way home!

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

ikelpac-Wasn't there a soccer ball involved in the pizza story somehow, or am I just dreaming that up?

Same orphanage, different trip. I wandered out of the goal to play forward in the kids' soccer game. I made the BEAUTIFUL crossing kick, I totally bent it like Beckham, it was curling it's way towards the goal, right into tis little girl's face.

That's when I learned how to say "I'm sorry" in Spanish.

 

[Psalms34]

Mexico. Mostly working with abused orphans.

 

[Sinless_angels]

I would so love to go one one. I have heard some amazing stories and it would be life changing.

But I dont have the money to fund it and im scared about going without some1 i know ( sad ae)

but hey I will go one day maybe when im older